Principal Structural Engineer

Principal Structural Engineer

At Rimkus, our Built Environment Solutions team operates on a global scale with the advantage of local expertise. Our licensed engineers, architects, and technical specialists bring deep knowledge of regional requirements and industry best practices, enabling us to deliver customized, high-quality solutions that maximize the success of our clients' investments. With a comprehensive portfolio that spans nearly every engineering and architectural discipline, we help organizations plan, build, and manage assets with confidence.

What sets us apart is our forward-thinking approach. We integrate carbon footprint reduction, resiliency, maintainability, and long-term sustainability into everything we do helping clients not just meet today's needs but prepare for tomorrow's challenges. From design and pre-construction through construction, closeout, and ongoing operations, we provide tailored support at every stage. By identifying potential issues before they arise, we mitigate risks, extend asset life, and reduce costly unplanned repairs. Whether an asset is newly constructed, leased, or purchased, our innovative solutions empower clients to operate more efficiently and sustainably. Joining Rimkus means being part of a team that's shaping the future of the built environment—one smart, resilient solution at a time.

In this position, you will use your technical knowledge to evaluate new and existing buildings and design solutions for the complex and unique problems for our clients. New projects consist of residential, multi-family, commercial, retail, industrial, and hospitality properties. Repairs include buildings damaged by fire, wind, flood, and impact. The candidate must have experience with adaptive reuse of older buildings and enhancements to existing facilities to accommodate changes in use and implementation of equipment and machinery.

The Salary Range for this position is $130,100 - $195,100 and is dependent on education, experience, location, and certifications/licensure.

Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Structural Engineering

• Lead the preparation and review of construction drawings, specifications, and structural calculations for new and existing structures.
• Oversee complex structural evaluations of existing (and sometimes damaged) buildings, including load path verification and stability assessments.
• Direct investigations and condition assessments to determine appropriate repair or retrofit strategies for damaged, deteriorated, or underperforming structural systems.
• Lead design assignment for upgrades, maintenance, restoration, adaptive reuse, and rehabilitation of existing buildings (including phased construction planning).
• Apply advanced engineering judgment to resolve technically challenging issues involving constructability, sequencing, and risk reduction.
• Develop and review repair details and technical specifications (means/methods considerations where appropriate and within professional role boundaries).

Codes, Standards & Quality Assurance

• Ensure all deliverables comply with applicable building codes, standards, and industry best practices (local and national as applicable).
• Research current and historical codes, zoning/ordinance impacts (when relevant), and determine applicable code upgrades for renovation/retrofit scopes.
• Establish quality control standards for the team (checklists, calculation templates, drawing standards, peer review processes).
• Perform senior-level technical reviews of calculations, drawings, reports, and specifications produced by others (QA/QC sign-off).
• Serve as Engineer of Record (EOR) where appropriate, including sealing/signing documents in accordance with licensure requirements and firm policy.

Fieldwork, Site Support & Construction Phase Services

• Plan and lead field assessments, including working from ladders, lifts, scaffolds, rooftops, and within confined spaces as required (following safety protocols).
• Coordinate and direct site investigations (openings, probes, material sampling, NDT, monitoring), including managing specialty subconsultants when needed.
• Provide construction-phase engineering support, including:
• Responses to RFIs and submittal reviews
• Site observations and field reports
• Evaluation of unforeseen conditions and design modifications
• Review of temporary works interfaces (as required/appropriate)
• Communicate technical findings clearly to clients, contractors, and internal stakeholders to support timely decision-making.

Team Leadership, Mentoring & Resource Management (Team Leader Enhancements)

• Act as team leader responsible for delivering projects successfully across scope, schedule, budget, and quality.
• Assign and manage work across project engineers, designers, and drafters; balance utilization and capability development.
• Mentor and coach staff, including technical development, report-writing, design approach, and professional growth planning.
• Lead internal coordination between disciplines (architecture, MEP, envelope, Geotech, etc.) to ensure integrated project delivery.
• Support hiring and onboarding as needed (interviews, role definition, training plans).
• Build a strong safety and quality culture, reinforcing field safety, ethical decision-making, and documentation standards.

Project & Financial Management

• Develop and manage project plans, including execution strategy, deliverable schedules, and milestone tracking.
• Prepare and manage budgets, including staffing forecasts, burn-rate tracking, and change management.
• Lead scope definition and change control, including change orders, additional services, and managing client expectations.
• Manage project risk, including technical risk, safety risk, and contractual risk (in coordination with leadership/PMO).

Client Service & Business Development Support

• Serve as a practice-area expert in client meetings, providing technical insight, options analysis, and recommendations.
• Support Business Development efforts by:
• Participating in pursuit strategy and interviews
• Reviewing/authoring technical proposals
• Developing fee estimates and scope assumptions
• Presenting qualifications and project approaches
• Maintain and grow client relationships through responsiveness, technical credibility, and consistent delivery.

Reporting, Documentation & Professional Practice

• Prepare and/or review technical reports (assessment reports, feasibility studies, repair recommendations, load ratings, basis-of-design narratives).
• Document field observations and investigations with clear photos, sketches, and defensible engineering conclusions.
• Ensure compliance with professional ethics, licensure obligations, and firm standards for recordkeeping and document control.
• Perform other duties as assigned, consistent with senior leadership responsibilities.

Suggested "Team Leader" Additions

• Lead lessons-learned reviews and continuously improve standards, tools, and workflows.
• Develop technical thought leadership (white papers, conference presentations, internal training).
• Champion innovation (analysis tools, BIM coordination, standard details, automation of calculations/deliverables).

Required Skills and Abilities

Structural Engineering Expertise (Technical Depth)

• Expert knowledge of commercial and residential structural systems, including gravity/lateral systems across common materials (steel, concrete, masonry, wood, light gauge, etc.).
• Strong material and system selection ability, choosing appropriate solutions based on:
• Building use/occupancy and performance requirements
• Site conditions and location (wind/seismic/snow, corrosion, exposure)
• Constructability, lifecycle cost, and maintainability

Ability to perform and/or oversee:

• Load determination and combinations
• Performance criteria definition (serviceability, strength, drift/deflection/vibration)
• Member sizing/selection and connection concepts
• Retrofit/repair design strategy development
• Strong diagnostic/forensic mindset for existing buildings: interpreting distress, damage mechanisms, and load path behavior.
• Codes, Standards & Technical Quality (QA/QC)
• Proficiency with building codes and referenced standards (current and historical where needed), including the ability to interpret intent and apply to existing-building scenarios.

High competency in QA/QC leadership, including:

• Establishing calculation/drawing/report standards
• Performing senior technical reviews and constructability reviews
• Coaching others on quality expectations and risk reduction
• Ability to manage engineering risk, making defensible decisions