Would You Take This Job? Senior Civil Engineer — Structural Design

Senior Civil Engineer — Structural Design
Employer: Confidential / Engineering Consultancy
Location: Remote — United States (fully remote; projects nationwide)
Pay: Not specified
Type: Full-time — Structural Engineering / Design

What You’ll Do:
• Lead structural design for buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure from concept through construction.
• Perform advanced structural analysis and FEA using tools such as ETABS, SAP2000, STAAD.Pro and related software.
• Produce detailed design drawings, specifications, and construction documents; review shop drawings and respond to RFIs.
• Ensure compliance with codes and standards (ACI, AISC, ASCE, local codes) and manage technical quality control.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and design staff; provide technical leadership in a virtual team environment.
• Collaborate with architects, PMs, and other disciplines; manage structural scope, schedules, and budgets.
• Conduct site investigations/feasibility studies and occasional site visits or construction-phase support as required.
• Prepare technical reports and client-facing presentations; stay current with emerging technologies and advanced modeling techniques.

Why It Stands Out:
• Work remotely on technically challenging, high-impact structural projects across multiple sectors and regions.
• Senior leadership role with heavy technical ownership and the chance to shape design approaches and mentor talent.
• Opportunity to use advanced FEA and modeling tools on complex structures — excellent for deepening technical craft and résumé.
• Potential exposure to modernization/innovative design techniques and firm-level influence on best practices.

Potential Trade-offs:
• High bar: PE license required and 7–10+ years of progressive structural design experience expected.
• Legacy/remote team dynamics may require strong self-direction — limited in-office peer interaction.
• Heavy technical workload and responsibility for quality/safety — likely high accountability and client expectations.
• Pay not posted — senior candidates should confirm compensation, travel expectations, and support for software/licenses.

Qualifications / Requirements:
• Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering (Master’s in Structural Engineering highly preferred).
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• Minimum ~7–10 years of progressive structural design/analysis experience.
• Proven FEA and advanced modeling experience (ETABS, SAP2000, STAAD.Pro or equivalent).
• Deep working knowledge of building codes and standards (ACI, AISC, ASCE).
• Strong leadership, communication, and project-management skills; ability to work autonomously in a virtual team.
• Willingness to perform occasional site visits and construction-phase support when necessary.

Perks / Benefits:
• Fully remote work with national project exposure and ability to lead high-impact structural work.
• Senior-level responsibility and mentorship opportunities.
• Chance to work with advanced analysis tools and contribute to firm technical standards.
• Professional growth potential through challenging projects and virtual-team collaboration.

Here is the link to view more job details or apply.

Would you take this job?

If you were applying, what would be your top three non-negotiables: (A) clear compensation range + PE-level pay differential and travel reimbursement, (B) remote-work support — paid licenses for modeling/FEA software, predictable expectations for site visits, and a formal hybrid/onsite policy, or (C) a defined leadership/mentorship plan, dedicated project support (PMs/tech editors), and a clear path to technical or managerial advancement? Which would you pick and why — and what would you ask the hiring manager before accepting (for example: “What is the salary range for this role and are travel/site visits covered/paid?”, “Which software licenses and training does the firm provide or reimburse?”, “How many direct reports and what mentorship structure will I have?”)?

I’d consider it if ‘fully remote’ comes with clear EOR responsibility and support for multi-state licensure — my last coast-to-coast role worked only because they covered NCEES Record fees and planned quarterly site visits. Also, with pay not listed, I’d ask for the range up front; surprises are great for birthdays, not comp.

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And agree with @laygarc on clarity, but for “fully remote” leading buildings/bridges, I only bite if CA is nailed down — who handles site walks, special inspections, DOT shop-drawing reviews — and there’s a real travel budget. Got burned on a bridge rehab: two “quick” monthly visits became 14 flights, so now I insist on Procore + Bluebeam Studio and a 48–72 hr RFI/submittal SLA paid by the client.

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Quick tip: ask for their QA/QC plan — who does the independent check and whether it’s budgeted — and confirm professional liability limits and tail coverage… I’ve led bridge/building packages where it only worked because we had a dedicated checker and 2/4M coverage; a “trust me” QC is not a plan. Also curious if they’ve standardized on Revit/Tekla/RISA for submittals, @michael_wil86, since tool chaos turns into schedule chaos.

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I always pin down whether the lead is expected to build and maintain the Revit model or if there’s dedicated BIM support — on my last multi-state bridges/buildings mix, that single detail swung the workload by 15–20 hours a week; ask who “owns the model” and who runs clash detection in Navisworks, @laygarc. If they don’t staff BIM, I’d negotiate fee or carve out drafting.

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