What does a structural design engineer do?
A Structural Design Engineer designs drawings, specifications, and computer models of structures for building contractors. They help design hospitals, office blocks, houses, bridges, ships, and other structures.
Structural design engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real structural design engineer resumes:
- Lead a team on a year-long retrofit design effort for the F/A-18 E/F wing.
- Review of design standards and procedures to conform to current IBC, ASCE, AWWA and ACI codes.
- Perform stress analysis by hand and using FEA.
- Load rating analysis and calculation methods base on AASHTO LRFR specifications.
- Design steel pipe supports & frames for liquid natural plants using ASCE & AISC.
- Perform seismic and wind load calculations in compliance with the ASCE 7-05, IBC and Ohio building codes.
- Apply AISC code with ASD method.
- Store engineering data using ENOVIA.
- Create PowerPoint presentations for sale pitches.
- Design system improvements using 3D CATIA V4.
- Prepare the documentations for audits and ISO.
- Write the informational guide of services with Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Assess existing bridges for transverse deck cracking through RISA 3D modeling.
- Plan and identify the yearly bridge maintenance repair and rehabilitation list.
- Bridge deck slab (concrete with steel form) design using MathCAD.
Structural design engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Structural Design Engineers are proficient in Structural Design, CAD, and Autocad. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Structural Design Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Structural Design, 15%
Work assignments included structural design of Naval Hawk and Presidential helicopters in direct relation to various systems and aircraft modifications.
- CAD, 10%
Developed design processes that more efficiently produce organized and highly accurate CAD models.
- Autocad, 7%
Supervised preparation of structural drawings from preliminary check prints up to approved for construction drawings using AutoCAD.
- Aerospace, 6%
Formulated conceptual design of aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements.
- GD, 5%
Created drawings using computer aided design techniques and ASME Y14.5M GD & T drafting standards and generated materials lists.
- Aided Design, 5%
Operate multiple computer-aided designer drafting systems to design and manufacture prototype samples.
"structural design," "cad," and "autocad" are among the most common skills that structural design engineers use at work. You can find even more structural design engineer responsibilities below, including:
Math skills. A big part of what structural design engineers do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to structural design engineer responsibilities because "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical structural design engineer tasks: "convert cad geometry to finite element model (fem) using ug and ansys. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for structural design engineer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of structural design engineers all the time, as "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." An excerpt from a real structural design engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a structural design engineer does: "offered technical solutions using structural analysis knowledge, codes and specifications. "
The three companies that hire the most structural design engineers are:
- Black & Veatch140 structural design engineers jobs
- Boeing88 structural design engineers jobs
- CDM Smith84 structural design engineers jobs
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Compare different structural design engineers
Structural design engineer vs. Representative projects
Civil engineer interns work to improve their knowledge about construction and its relevant works. An internship provides them insight into various aspects of construction and how things run at the site. Through an internship, they learn how to differentiate between reality and engineering. Civil engineering interns will typically perform various tasks, including preparing and monitoring documents, working closely with the civil engineer to resolve issues and review complaints, and preparing plans and maps. They are also expected to visit construction sites to do their planning, quality control, documentation, and site execution.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, structural design engineer responsibilities require skills like "structural design," "cad," "aerospace," and "gd." Meanwhile a typical representative projects has skills in areas such as "construction projects," "construction management," "infrastructure," and "osha." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Representative projects tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $64,096. In contrast, structural design engineers make the biggest average salary, $88,526, in the manufacturing industry.On average, representative projects reach similar levels of education than structural design engineers. Representative projects are 3.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Structural design engineer vs. Civil engineering internship
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. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that structural design engineer responsibilities requires skills like "cad," "autocad," "aerospace," and "gd." But a civil engineering internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "civil 3d," "gis," "roadway design," and "powerpoint."
Civil engineering interns may earn a lower salary than structural design engineers, but civil engineering interns earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $65,780. On the other hand, structural design engineers receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $88,526.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Civil engineering interns tend to reach lower levels of education than structural design engineers. In fact, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for structural design engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.
Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering, Tufts University
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.
Structural design engineer vs. Engineer
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from structural design engineer resumes include skills like "structural design," "autocad," "aerospace," and "gd," whereas an engineer is more likely to list skills in "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #. "
Engineers earn the best pay in the automotive industry, where they command an average salary of $97,672. Structural design engineers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $88,526.engineers typically earn similar educational levels compared to structural design engineers. Specifically, they're 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Structural design engineer vs. Civil engineer
Types of structural design engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
