How to hire a civil/structural engineer

How to hire a civil/structural engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step civil/structural engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a civil/structural engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new civil/structural engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a civil/structural engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a civil/structural engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A civil/structural engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, civil/structural engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents civil/structural engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Civil/Structural Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Civil/Structural Engineer	Civil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.	$25-50
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   Civil Designer	A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.	$19-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Structural Engineering
   • Civil Engineering
   • ACI
   • Autocad
   • Structural Analysis
   • ASCE
   • AISC
   • Engineering Design
   • RISA
   • Oil Gas
   • Project Management
   • Design Criteria
   • IBC
   • Ladders

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Authore substantiation documents in compliance with FAA regulations and customer requirements to achieve type certifications and supplemental type certifications.
   • Design, plot, and simulate reinforce concrete structural projects in accordance of ACI and ASCE codes.
   • Design the masonry & concrete retaining and perimeter walls of the project in accordance with ACI and IBC.
   • Analyze soil reports prepare by geotechnical engineers and implement their findings in civil and structural design drawings.
   • Ensure that calculations conform to WEC procedures and validate calculation methodology and FEA model setup.
   • Supervise Geotechnical laboratory tests on samples to evaluate the physical and engineering properties of the strata encounter.

   More civil/structural engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the civil/structural engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A civil/structural engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a civil/structural engineer in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level civil/structural engineer. Additionally, a civil/structural engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average civil/structural engineer salary

   $74,421yearly

   $35.78 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level civil/structural engineer salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average civil/structural engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$105,380	$51
   2	Washington	$81,603	$39
   3	New Jersey	$79,242	$38
   4	North Carolina	$75,678	$36
   5	New York	$75,618	$36
   6	Oregon	$75,235	$36
   7	Delaware	$75,155	$36
   8	Connecticut	$74,644	$36
   9	Massachusetts	$74,251	$36
   10	Utah	$73,675	$35
   11	Virginia	$72,417	$35
   12	Texas	$71,695	$34
   13	Florida	$71,367	$34
   14	Louisiana	$70,767	$34
   15	Illinois	$70,268	$34
   16	Colorado	$68,974	$33
   17	Alabama	$66,939	$32
   18	Missouri	$65,345	$31
   19	Georgia	$63,537	$31
   20	Nebraska	$59,259	$28

   Average civil/structural engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BP America Inc	$128,389	$61.73
   2	American Tower	$111,635	$53.67	3
   3	Pacifi	$102,650	$49.35	4
   4	Texas Instruments	$102,045	$49.06	2
   5	Constellation Energy Partners	$98,773	$47.49	8
   6	Parsons	$97,816	$47.03	275
   7	Chevron	$97,335	$46.80
   8	Technip USA Corporation	$96,613	$46.45
   9	McDermott International	$94,809	$45.58	2
   10	Nucor	$94,392	$45.38	21
   11	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	$92,067	$44.26	1
   12	Woods Services	$91,105	$43.80
   13	Koch Industries	$88,549	$42.57
   14	PSEG	$87,935	$42.28	4
   15	Fluor Corporation	$87,208	$41.93	17
   16	Areva Np	$87,002	$41.83
   17	BWX Technologies	$86,024	$41.36
   18	Rimkus Consulting Group	$85,998	$41.35	31
   19	Burns & McDonnell	$85,827	$41.26	137
   20	Sierra Lobo	$85,110	$40.92

4. Writing a civil/structural engineer job description

   A good civil/structural engineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a civil/structural engineer job description:

   Civil/structural engineer job description example

   KEY RESPOSABILITIES:
   
   • Broad and comprehensive knowledge of civil/structural engineering fundamentals and design principles including an extensive knowledge of design and drawing checking procedures.
   • Maintains a detailed understanding of current applicable engineering codes and leverages that extensive knowledge to provide safe and economical designs, while also accounting for special requirements and situations related to the glass making process.
   • Provides as well as directs detailed and complete analysis and calculations, general arrangement and detail drawings, specifications and complete bid packages for the civil/structural portion of projects at O-I glass container facilities.
   • Provides as well as directs civil/structural input on scoping, cost estimates, design and construction package generation for O-I glass container projects. Structural responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, building modifications, equipment supports, site development and security, roadways, railroad lines and site drainage related items
   • Broad and comprehensive knowledge of the financial impact of design choices on project budgets.
   • Provides new approaches to solving complex problems and identifying innovative opportunities by using sound judgment and civil/structural related experience.
   • Provides significant guidance and input to the regional Civil/Structural resource teams as well as within the corporate civil/structural group.
   • Provides leadership to teams of other engineers and designers, as required.
   • Ensure the safety in every work performed by contractors under his responsibility .;
   • Providing guidance, assistance, advice and comments to subcontractors on civil construction matters.
   • Check compatibility and approval of documents and drawings from different vendors in order to ensure the success of projects .
   • Elaborate technical specifications for equipment and systems compliant with technical, safety and O-I Standards and best engineering practices.
   • Prepares descriptive memorials for contracting services.
   • Support other disciplines such as electrical and mechanical.
   • Know and apply the technical standards relevant to your area of expertise.
   • Support Procurement Team checking technical proposals and providing any technical information needed.
   • Ensure that the project documentation is tracked, updated, organized.
   • Provide mentoring and coaching on 3D CAD design.
   
   REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
   • The Civil/Structural Engineer will report directly to the Regional Process Area Manager
   • Secondary reporting responsibilities to Project Manager of the plant construction team
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find civil/structural engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any civil/structural engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level civil/structural engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your civil/structural engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality civil/structural engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit civil/structural engineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new civil/structural engineer

   Once you've found the civil/structural engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a civil/structural engineer?