A structural engineer job description explains what the engineer will design and review at your firm, which analysis tools and licenses the role needs, and how the hire fits with architects, civil engineers, and the project team. For owners, principals, and project managers at architecture, engineering, and construction firms, it is the clearest way to attract candidates who can own framing systems, connections, and construction support with confidence.
This guide covers what structural engineers do, their day-to-day responsibilities, the skills and licensure to ask for, a free template you can copy, and a simple process to hire a structural engineer, whether you are hiring locally or adding a dedicated civil engineer who brings structural capacity to your team.
Structural Engineer Job Description: Quick Answers
- What is a structural engineer job description? A written summary of a structural engineer role that covers the title and level, a short role summary, key responsibilities, required qualifications and license, analysis and drafting software, and reporting structure.
- What does a structural engineer do? Structural engineers analyze loads and design the systems that keep buildings, bridges, and other structures safe and serviceable. They prepare calculations and drawings, coordinate with architects and other engineers, and support projects through permitting and construction.
- What are a structural engineer’s main responsibilities? Calculating gravity and lateral loads, selecting structural systems, building analysis models, designing members and connections, coordinating foundations, producing structural drawings and notes, reviewing shop drawings, and answering RFIs in the field.
- What skills, software, and license does a structural engineer need? Strong analytical, detailing, and communication skills, plus tools such as ETABS, RISA, SAP2000, Revit Structure, and AutoCAD. Roles that seal drawings typically need a Professional Engineer (PE) license; some jurisdictions also use a Structural Engineer (SE) credential for certain structure types.
- How do you hire a structural engineer? Define the level and seal responsibility, write a specific description, review portfolios and calculation samples, use a short technical exercise, interview with your design leads, and plan onboarding before day one.
- How is a structural engineer different from a civil engineer? Structural engineering is a specialty within civil engineering focused on the strength and stability of structures. Many civil roles cover site, transportation, or water work; structural roles center on framing, foundations, and load paths.
What Does a Structural Engineer Do?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups structural engineers within the Civil Engineers occupation. Civil engineers analyze plans, survey data, soil and material tests, and site conditions; they use design software to plan structures and related systems; and a licensed Professional Engineer may approve design plans and sign off on projects. Structural engineers apply that same professional path to the framing, foundations, and lateral systems that carry a building or bridge.
In practice, a structural engineer translates architectural intent into a buildable structural system. They choose steel, concrete, masonry, timber, or hybrid framing; check gravity, wind, seismic, snow, and other loads against the governing code; and produce the drawings and notes contractors use to fabricate and erect the work. They also stay involved after the permit set is issued, reviewing shop drawings and responding when field conditions change.
The Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE is the professional home for many structural engineers in the United States and a source of standards such as ASCE 7 that shape how loads and design criteria appear in your firm’s work. Naming the codes and project types your engineer will use every week helps candidates see themselves in the role.
Structural Engineer Responsibilities Day to Day
Organizing structural engineer responsibilities around the work that fills most of the week makes the posting easy to scan. Strong structural engineer duties for a typical building or bridge design role include:
- Load analysis: Calculating dead, live, snow, wind, seismic, and other loads, then combining them according to the governing load standard and local amendments.
- System selection: Working with the architect and owner to choose steel, concrete, masonry, mass timber, or wood framing that fits cost, schedule, and performance goals.
- Analysis modeling: Building and checking models in programs such as ETABS, RISA, or SAP2000, and verifying key results with independent hand calculations.
- Member and connection design: Designing beams, columns, slabs, walls, braces, and connections to the applicable material standards.
- Foundation coordination: Designing spread footings, mats, drilled piers, or piles using geotechnical recommendations, and coordinating with the civil and geotechnical team.
- Drawings and general notes: Producing structural plans, sections, details, and general notes in Revit Structure or AutoCAD.
- Permit support: Assembling calculation packages, answering plan-review comments, and revising the structural set until it is approved.
- Shop drawing review: Checking structural steel, reinforcing, precast, and connection submittals against the design intent.
- Construction support: Answering RFIs, documenting field fixes, and visiting the site when the engineer of record needs eyes on the work.
Start each responsibility with an action verb and list the ones that take the most time first. Structural engineers also coordinate closely with architects on layouts and openings, and with BIM specialists who federate models and catch clashes before they reach the field. Naming those working relationships helps candidates picture their place on the team.
Skills, Software, and Licensure
Core Skills
Look for analytical strength, clear technical writing, careful detailing, and calm communication with architects, contractors, and plan reviewers. In a job description, turn each quality into a concrete expectation. “Explains lateral-system choices to a client in plain language” tells a candidate more than “strong communication skills,” and “Checks model output with independent hand calculations” is more useful than “detail oriented.”
Software
Name the tools your team uses every day. Many structural groups list ETABS, RISA, or SAP2000 for analysis; Revit Structure and AutoCAD for documentation; and Bluebeam Revu for markups and reviews. Some firms also mention SAFE, RAM, Tekla, or Excel-based calculation sheets. Separate required tools from nice-to-have ones so strong candidates apply with confidence.
PE License and the SE Credential
Licensure shapes which candidates can take responsible charge of sealed work. The usual path is an accredited engineering degree, the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, progressive experience under a licensed engineer, and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. A PE may oversee other engineers, approve design plans, and offer engineering services to the public, according to the BLS.
For structural specialists, NCEES offers a PE Structural exam with separate vertical and lateral components. The exam tests the ability to safely design buildings or bridges, especially in areas of high seismicity and high wind. NCEES notes that not every jurisdiction accepts the Structural exam the same way, so candidates and employers should confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Some jurisdictions also use a Structural Engineer (SE) title or practice restriction for certain structure types. Before you write “SE required” into a posting, confirm your project geography and your board’s rules. In many states a PE with strong structural experience is the right requirement; in others an SE credential is expected for specific buildings. Say which seal your firm needs and in which states.
Choosing the Right Title and Level
Structural groups use a range of titles. Picking the one that matches the work helps the right people find your posting:
- Structural Designer or EIT: Supports analysis, modeling, and detailing under a licensed engineer while working toward a PE.
- Project Structural Engineer: Owns design packages on mid-size projects, coordinates with architects and MEP, and prepares calculations for review by the engineer of record.
- Senior Structural Engineer or Engineer of Record: A licensed PE (or SE where required) who seals drawings, leads complex systems, and mentors junior staff.
- Structural Project Manager: Leads delivery, client communication, schedules, and budgets while staying close to the technical work.
Pair the title with a clear experience range and the project types the person will handle—commercial buildings, multifamily, industrial, schools, healthcare, bridges, or renovations. A sentence about typical span ranges, materials, or seismic design categories goes a long way.
Structural Engineer Job Description Template
Copy this structural engineer job description template and replace the bracketed text with your firm’s details.
Job title: [Structural Designer / Project Structural Engineer / Senior Structural Engineer]
Location and schedule: [City, State / Remote], full-time, [working hours and time zone]
About us: [Firm name] is a [structural / multidisciplinary / design-build] firm serving [client types] across [region]. We design [project types], and our structural team is growing.
Role summary: We are looking for a structural engineer to design and document [steel / concrete / timber / hybrid] structures from schematic design through construction administration. You will work with our architects, civil engineers, and project managers to deliver clear calculations and coordinated drawing sets.
Responsibilities:
- Calculate gravity and lateral loads and document load paths
- Build and check structural analysis models in [ETABS / RISA / SAP2000]
- Design members, connections, and foundations to applicable material standards
- Produce structural drawings, details, and general notes in [Revit Structure / AutoCAD]
- Coordinate openings, equipment supports, and interfaces with architects and MEP
- Prepare calculation packages and respond to plan-review comments
- Review shop drawings and answer RFIs during construction
- Mentor junior designers and review their calculations and details
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in civil or structural engineering [from an ABET-accredited program]
- [X]+ years of structural design experience on [project types]
- [EIT / PE in state / SE where required] [required / preferred]
- Proficiency in [ETABS / RISA / SAP2000] and [Revit Structure / AutoCAD]
- Working knowledge of [ASCE 7 / AISC / ACI / NDS] as used by our office
- Clear written communication and careful attention to detailing
What we offer: [Salary range], [benefits], [PE/SE exam support and continuing education], [growth path].
How to apply: [Application instructions; please include a portfolio or sample calculation package].
How to Hire a Structural Engineer: A Simple Process
With your description ready, a clear process makes it easier to hire a structural engineer who fits your firm:
- Define seal responsibility first: Decide whether the hire must be the engineer of record, or will produce work under a licensed lead.
- Match materials and project types: List the framing systems and building or bridge types that fill your pipeline.
- Share the posting widely: Use your website, professional network, and structural or civil engineering communities.
- Review portfolios and calculations: Ask candidates to explain their own role on each project and walk through a sample calc package.
- Use a short technical exercise: A load-path sketch, connection redline, or model-check exercise shows judgment quickly.
- Interview with design leads: Include the architect or project manager the engineer will support every week.
- Plan onboarding: Prepare templates, typical details, and the first project assignment before day one.
If you are writing descriptions for related roles, our civil engineer job description guide follows the same approach for site and infrastructure seats. For a broader hiring process across civil specialties, see how to hire civil engineers for a growing team.
Hiring Structural Capacity Through Remotation
Remotation helps US architecture, engineering, and construction firms add dedicated, full-time engineering professionals who work only for your firm. Share your structural engineer job description with us, and we recruit and shortlist candidates whose experience matches your materials, analysis software, drawing standards, and project types. You interview the shortlist and choose who joins. Your engineer works during your US business hours, follows your processes, and becomes part of your team like an in-house hire.
We handle recruitment, HR, and payroll, so your principals and engineers of record stay focused on design and delivery. With offices in Houston, USA, and Karachi, Pakistan, we help firms grow structural and civil capacity as their project pipeline grows.
Learn more about how to hire dedicated civil engineers and our other dedicated AEC professionals, or book a 15-minute intro call.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a structural engineer job description?
A structural engineer job description is a document that defines a structural engineer role at your firm. It covers the title and level, a role summary, responsibilities, qualifications and licensing, software, and who the engineer reports to.
What does a structural engineer do day to day?
Structural engineers calculate loads, model and design framing systems, produce drawings and notes, coordinate with architects and other engineers, support permitting, and review shop drawings and RFIs during construction.
What license does a structural engineer need?
Roles that seal drawings typically require a PE license in the states where your firm practices. Some jurisdictions also expect an SE credential for certain structure types. Confirm the exact requirement with your state board before you post the role.
What is the difference between a civil engineer and a structural engineer?
Structural engineering is a specialty within civil engineering focused on the strength and stability of buildings, bridges, and similar structures. Other civil roles often emphasize site development, transportation, or water resources.
How do I hire a structural engineer for my firm?
Define the level and seal responsibility, write a specific structural engineer job description, review portfolios and calculations, use a short technical exercise, interview with your design leads, and prepare onboarding before the start date.
