Do you want to use your engineering expertise to protect Denmark's shores?

We are seeking a coastal engineer who will help investigate and find solutions to concrete challenges along Denmark's coastlines.

Coastal protection is very much a technical issue. How much can a construction withstand? How does a dike respond under a storm surge? And how do we assess the strength of the protection that already exists?

You can be involved from the initial investigations and calculations to the coastal protection solutions that must work in practice.

You will get close to the concrete coastal challenges

There is rarely one simple solution when a coastline has to be protected. You must understand the influence of natural forces on structures, their strength and stability, and not least the actual conditions at the site.

The work is based on concrete coastal sections and challenges. Where is there a risk of erosion or flooding? How does the existing coastal protection work? And what can be done better?

Part of the work will be to calculate and assess coastal protection installations and dikes. This can include assessments of strength, stability and loads and reviews of existing constructions.

From the first investigations to concrete solutions

As part of the government’s effort to accelerate coastal protection, in the coming period we will solve a number of pre-projects in municipalities and national assessments of coastal protection constructions.

Your tasks may include, among other things

• Calculate and assess constructions, including dikes and other coastal protection
• Work with strength, stability, loads and geotechnical conditions
• Assess existing constructions and their condition
• Collaborate with advisers and other specialists
• Work with calculation methods, models and data
• Communicate technical assessments and results

There may also be opportunities to participate in international collaborations.

You will become part of the national assessment of the strength of dikes

One of the larger tasks you may work on is the national assessment of the strength of the Danish dikes.

Together with international partners we work with more advanced models that can be used to assess what happens when a sea dike is loaded during a storm surge, and how vulnerable it is if the construction fails.

Here you will need your knowledge of constructions, geotechnics, hydraulics and calculations. At the same time, it is an area where methods are still developing, and where there is an opportunity to contribute to strengthening the professional basis.

We are looking for a strong technical profile

We imagine that you have a technical or natural science master's degree. For example, you may be an engineer with a specialty in coastal hydraulics, harbor and offshore constructions, civil engineering or geotechnics.

You have experience with technical calculations and constructions – preferably from, for example, civil engineering, geotechnics, water engineering or coastal engineering.

It is an advantage if you have worked with some of the following

• Structural calculations and design
• Stability and failure mechanisms
• Geotechnics and foundations
• Loads from water, waves and storm surges
• Dikes or other coastal protection
• Technical project management
• Collaboration with advisers and other specialists
• Models, calculation tools and data

You do not need to have experience with everything. Your background may be from the construction sector, the consulting industry or another technical discipline.

The most important is that you have a solid technical understanding, work analytically and can take responsibility for both the project and the quality of the professional work.

You must be able to make technology and people work together

Although technical calculations occupy a large part of the work, you will not work alone. Projects involve several disciplines and often municipalities, consultants and other partners.

Therefore you must be able to create structure and maintain momentum, even when many considerations must be balanced.

We place, among other things, emphasis on that you

• Communicate clearly – both orally and in writing
• Thrive in working together with other disciplines
• Can explain complex technical problems in an understandable way
• Can work independently but also use colleagues when sparring is needed
• Take responsibility for ensuring analyses and calculations are completed

A professional environment where you are not alone

Coastal engineering is part of the Area for Coasts and Climate Adaptation. We are 26 employees spread across Lemvig and Odense with different professional backgrounds – including engineers, geographers, geologists, oceanographers and physicists.

It provides an environment with good opportunities for professional sparring, and where we often see different perspectives on the same problem. It is a strength when the task is to find solutions to complex projects.

We have high professional ambitions, but also place value on a daily life where there is room for a cup of coffee, a laugh and a chat with colleagues.

A job where the technical work matters

Coastal protection is ultimately about people, values and society. The technical assessments contribute to giving municipalities and authorities a better basis for decisions on protection against erosion and flooding.

This means that your calculations and assessments do not stand alone. They become part of the basis that will be used when Denmark has to adapt to a climate with a higher risk of storm surges and higher water levels.

A flexible work life

We offer flexible working hours and the possibility of remote work when tasks allow it. You should expect meetings and site visits in different places across the country. There is the possibility of a work location in either Odense or Lemvig.

If you want to apply your technical expertise to a task that will have greater significance in the coming years, we look forward to hearing from you.

Read more about the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and our work here: https://mst.dk/erhverv .

Salary and terms of employment

Salaries and terms of employment are in accordance with the applicable collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and a number of academic organizations for academics in the state (Academic Collective Agreement). The appointment can be as a specialist or chief consultant depending on your competencies.

The employment area is the Ministry of the Environment with its affiliated institutions. Your place of service will be either Højbovej 1, 7620 Lemvig or Lerchesgade 35, 5000 Odense C.

The position is full-time.

Expected start date is January 1, 2027, or as agreed.

Further information

If you want to know more, you are welcome to contact the head of the Coastal Engineering Office, Thorsten Piontkowitz, at tel. +45 21 70 10 92 or team leader Lone Møller Dupont at tel. +45 91 33 84 23.

How to apply

You apply for the position online by sending your application, CV, diplomas, etc. no later than November 5, 2026 . We plan to hold interviews in week 46.

You will be asked to prepare a case before a potential interview, which takes about 1-2 hours to solve. The case task will be sent to you ahead of the interview, and you return your answer before the interview. The case will be discussed at the interview.