What does a structures engineer do?
A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
Structures engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real structures engineer resumes:
- Lead group meetings with participants from various interfacing IPT s to coordinate design.
- Authore substantiation documents in compliance with FAA regulations and customer requirements to achieve type certifications and supplemental type certifications.
- Perform structural modeling and design calculation using 3-D FEA software for seismic design and wind design.
- Design steel & concrete structures for above mention analyses base on AISC, ACI and local building codes.
- Prepare calculation and review drawings which provide modifications for the concrete building to meet ACI and building code requirements.
- Recommend retrofitting consist in replacing existing gypsum shear wall to 1.2 in plywood in accordance with ASCE 41-13 and IBC 2015
- Perform unconventional connections design by manual calculation applying AISC.
- Work from high reach ladders and mobile platforms.
- Review the structural drawings make by cad person.
- View projects using NavisWorks to locate potential issues.
- Design software used - Tekla viewer & AutoCAD.
- Design involve usage of Staad-Pro, Enercalc, Mathcad and
- Used LGBeamer and Enercalc softwares for the design of cold-form structures.
- Prepare BIM list to assist in material estimates relate to contract.
- Prepare structural calculations, reports, estimates, specifications and cad drawings.
Structures engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Structures Engineers are proficient in Structural Analysis, Revit, and RISA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Math skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Structures Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Structural Analysis, 10%
Performed structural analysis on models to study static and dynamic effect of aerodynamic loads on parts and determine optimal design configurations.
- Revit, 8%
Performed detail structural drawings, layouts, and specification using Auto-CAD and REVIT
- RISA, 5%
Designed a 40 foot pedestrian bridge, steel stairs and seismic bolts for computer equipment including calculations and drawings using RISA.
- CAD, 4%
Designed and implemented different aircraft interior seating configuration on regular basis using CAD tools including cost estimates for wet lease.
- ACI, 4%
Prepared calculation and reviewed drawings which provided modifications for the concrete building to meet ACI and building code requirements.
- Engineering Design, 4%
Review engineering design packages required to support projects in accordance with applicable federal, state and local codes and regulatory requirements.
Most structures engineers use their skills in "structural analysis," "revit," and "risa" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential structures engineer responsibilities here:
Math skills. Many structures engineer duties rely on math skills. "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting.," so a structures engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways structures engineer responsibilities rely on math skills: "studied provided construction drawings to determine geometry of existing towers and additional documents to determine existing and proposed loads. "
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of structures engineers is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday structures engineer duties, as "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "enabled organizational growth and increased project approval by training engineers in project management. "
Problem-solving skills. structures engineer responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." This resume example shows what structures engineers do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "leaded a team of designers to prepare construction drawings and resolved technical queries from fabrication and construction. "
The three companies that hire the most structures engineers are:
- CDM Smith607 structures engineers jobs
- Black & Veatch156 structures engineers jobs
- Sargent & Lundy51 structures engineers jobs
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Compare different structures engineers
Structures engineer vs. Representative projects
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, structures engineer responsibilities require skills like "structural analysis," "revit," "risa," and "cad." Meanwhile a typical representative projects has skills in areas such as "construction projects," "construction management," "infrastructure," and "autocad." 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, structures engineers make the biggest average salary, $81,360, in the manufacturing industry.On average, representative projects reach lower levels of education than structures engineers. Representative projects are 10.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Structures engineer vs. Civil designer
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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real structures engineer resumes. While structures engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "structural analysis," "revit," "risa," and "cad," civil designers use skills like "civil 3d," "autocad," "civil engineering," and "civil design."
Civil designers may earn a lower salary than structures engineers, but civil designers earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $74,665. On the other hand, structures engineers receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $81,360.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Civil designers tend to reach lower levels of education than structures engineers. In fact, they're 18.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for structures 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.
Structures engineer vs. Civil engineering internship
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.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a structures engineer is likely to be skilled in "risa," "cad," "masonry," and "aisc," while a typical civil engineering internship is skilled in "civil 3d," "gis," "roadway design," and "powerpoint."
Civil engineering interns earn the best pay in the construction industry, where they command an average salary of $65,780. Structures engineers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $81,360.When it comes to education, civil engineering interns tend to earn lower degree levels compared to structures engineers. In fact, they're 11.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Structures engineer vs. Civil engineer
Types of structures engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
