Lead Structural Engineer — Carports (SHIELD)

Collage; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RRSP contributions

Generous vacation time

Career growth opportunities

Equal opportunity workplace

Job summary

Polar Racking Inc. is a North American leader in PV mounting systems design and manufacturing. We seek a senior structural engineer to lead SHIELD product-line work, coordinating steel calculations, reviews, and defending design decisions with customers and their EORs.

This full-time role in Mississauga requires PE/P.Eng., 7+ years of structural experience, and strong communication. You’ll mentor drafters, support RFIs, coordinate with geotechnical and installation teams, and partner with Sales

Qualifications

• Professional Engineer license in structural engineering or actively pursuing.
• 7+ years of hands-on structural engineering with steel framing experience.
• Demonstrated structural calculations on real projects and coordination with EORs.
• Ability to manage technical workstreams from design through construction close-out.

Responsibilities

• Lead structural engineering for the SHIELD product line and prepare review-ready packages.
• Review drafter/designer work for accuracy and constructability, serving as technical checkpoint.
• Engage directly with customers and their EORs to discuss site constraints and defend design decisions.
• Own RFIs, field questions, and coordinate with geotechnical and installation teams.
• Coordinate with Sales on feasibility and with SCM on tolerances and fabrication.

Skills

PE/P.Eng. license

7+ years structural engineering

Structural calculation experience

Project management

Strong communication

Team collaboration

EORs / construction admin

Education

PE/P.Eng. license in structural

Job description

Engineering Full Time Mississauga, ON $95,000 - $115,000 CAD per year

Polar Racking Inc. is a North American leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of PV mounting systems. We are at the forefront of PV innovation, leading the industry in cutting-edge design with a focus on continuous innovation, with a vision to deliver the highest value to our clients at the lowest cost per kWh. Our diversified portfolio of rooftop and ground mount products for the residential, commercial, and utility scale markets, coupled with our unique suite of engineering collaboration tools, technical services, and installation support, allows us to deliver turnkey solutions that are modular, lighter, and quicker to install. We support our North American clients from our locations in North America.

Polar Racking's SHIELD line, engineers solar carports across different structural configurations, ranging from standard parking-lot installations to large government and municipal sites and top of existing buildings. We're looking for a senior structural engineer to lead the technical work specific to this product line — coordinating steel calculations, reviewing drafters' connection details, and standing in front of a customer's engineer to defend a design decision — in close partnership with Polar's Structural Engineering Manager, who holds final sign-off authority on structural standards company-wide.

What you'll own

• Structural engineering for the SHIELD line.Own structural calculations and connection design across the carport configuration family — wide-flange steel members (W-shapes) sized per project load, span, and tilt, not off a fixed catalog spec. Prepare structural packages for review and final sign-off by the Structural Engineering Manager.
• Design review and mentorship.Review drafters' and designers' work for accuracy and constructability before it goes out. You're the carport-specific technical checkpoint; cross-cutting structural standards and final authority sit with the Structural Engineering Manager.
• Customer-facing technical engagement.Work directly with customers and their engineers of record to understand site constraints (sloped terrain, clearance requirements, utility conflicts, foundation conditions) and propose feasible, buildable solutions — including defending Polar's design under direct engineering scrutiny from a customer's own structural/EOR team.
• RFI and field engineering support.Own the RFI process during construction for carport projects: field questions on foundation deviations, connection modifications, broken-fastener remediation, and site conditions that don't match the drawings. Escalate to the Structural Engineering Manager when a deviation falls outside established standards or precedent.
• Foundation and site coordination.Work alongside geotechnical engineers and foundation contractors (typically a separate scope from Polar) to confirm soil bearing capacity, frost depth, and site-specific conditions are compatible with the structural design — including unusual sites (landfills, sloped terrain, brownfield).
• Installation support.Be the technical escalation point for install crews on carport projects — clarify ambiguous details, approve routine field fixes, and know when something needs to go up to the Structural Engineering Manager.
• Cross-functional collaboration.Partner with Sales on technical feasibility during quoting, and with SCM on constructability and fabrication tolerances.

What you bring

• Professional Engineer (PE/P.Eng.) license, structural discipline, or actively pursuing
• 7+ years structural engineering experience, with direct experience insteel building/structure erection — not purely desk-based design
• Demonstrated structural calculation experience on real built projects
• Project management experience — comfortable owning a technical workstream from design through construction close-out
• Strong written and verbal communication — RFI responses carry engineering liability, and you'll present design rationale to customers' engineers directly
• Comfortable collaborating closely with another senior engineer who holds final authority — this is a partnership-heavy role, not a solo-authority one
• Experience with EORs, structural review comments, and construction administration (RFIs, submittals, field changes)

Nice to have

• Experience specifically with solar carports, canopies, or ground-mount racking
• Familiarity with ASCE 7, IBC, or regional equivalents (NBC, OBC) for wind/snow/seismic design
• Experience with geotechnical coordination on non-standard sites (landfills, variable soil conditions)

Why Polar Racking?

Join our team and become part of a dynamic company at the forefront of the renewable energy sector. In addition to competitive compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including RRSP contributions, generous vacation time, and the opportunity for career growth.

We value an innovative, diverse workplace where all colleagues feel empowered to be their authentic selves. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.