Lead Structural Engineer (Carderock)

Tridentis; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Bonuses

Dental insurance

Employee assistance program

Flexible spending account

Health insurance

Health savings account

Life insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Job summary

Tridentis seeks a Lead Structural Engineer to guide a naval structural engineering group serving the U.S. Navy, MSC, and USCG. The role involves leading a small team, performing structural analyses, FEAs, and technical studies to ensure integrity of platforms and components.

You will mentor engineers, develop calculations and reports, and interface with NAVSEA and customers. A SECRET clearance with relevant naval experience is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited college or university.
• Significant relevant experience in naval structural engineering, including evaluation and analysis of ship and/or submarine structures.
• Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring engineers and providing technical direction within a multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Ability to perform and oversee structural analyses, including closed-form structural calculations, numerical analysis, drawing reviews, and failure assessments.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
• Experience interfacing with Navy customers, contractors, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and day-to-day guidance to a small team of structural engineers with the opportunity to grow the team over time.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers, providing technical direction, feedback, and support to foster professional growth and high-quality engineering practices.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for naval structural engineering activities and deliverables.
• Perform and oversee structural engineering analyses and evaluations of existing and conceptual naval structures, platforms, and structural components.
• Develop and perform structural analyses using closed-form calculations, numerical methods, and finite element analysis (FEA).
• Conduct structural evaluations, including failure assessments, drawing reviews, and investigations of structural performance and integrity.
• Perform and oversee linear and nonlinear analyses of beams, shells, and solid structural components.
• Develop, review, and document engineering calculations, technical analyses, models, and reports.
• Evaluate structural components and investigate alternate structural configurations to support design and engineering recommendations.
• Apply engineering principles to investigate structural problems and develop solutions for complex naval structural applications.
• Support the development, evaluation, and validation of analytical and numerical models used to assess structural performance.
• Support experimental investigations and structural testing, including analysis and interpretation of test results.
• Conduct engineering studies and technical research involving structures, materials, manufacturing processes, ocean dynamics, and naval structural design.
• Ensure the technical quality, consistency, and completeness of structural engineering deliverables.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams and coordinate technical activities with other contractors and engineering organizations.
• Serve as a primary technical interface with NAVSEA and industry partners.
• Represent the company in technical discussions, customer meetings, design reviews, and other client-facing activities.
• Support Program Managers with business development and customer engagement activities.
• Assist with project planning, technical execution, and successful delivery of engineering efforts.
• Expect approximately 10% domestic and international travel.

Skills

Team leadership

Structural analysis

Engineering analysis

Mentoring

NAVSEA interface

Technical communication

FEA

Documentation

Customer meetings

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree

Tools

FEMAP

Job description

Job Brief

As a rapidly growing small business, we are seeking a Lead Structural Engineer to provide technical and team leadership for our naval structural engineering group supporting the U.S. Navy, MSC, and USCG. They will lead a small, growing team while playing a critical role in evaluating the structural integrity and performance of platforms and components through engineering analysis, numerical modeling, testing, and technical studies.

As a rapidly growing small business, we are seeking a Lead Structural Engineer to provide technical and team leadership for our naval structural engineering group supporting the U.S. Navy, MSC, and USCG. They will lead a small, growing team while playing a critical role in evaluating the structural integrity and performance of platforms and components through engineering analysis, numerical modeling, testing, and technical studies.

If you also have excellent people skills, structural engineering experience, exemplary work ethic and a strong understanding of U.S. Navy, USCG or MSC ship systems, we’d like to meet you.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and day-to-day guidance to a small team of structural engineers with the opportunity to grow the team over time.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers, providing technical direction, feedback, and support to foster professional growth and high-quality engineering practices.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for naval structural engineering activities and deliverables.
• Perform and oversee structural engineering analyses and evaluations of existing and conceptual naval structures, platforms, and structural components.
• Develop and perform structural analyses using closed-form calculations, numerical methods, and finite element analysis (FEA).
• Conduct structural evaluations, including failure assessments, drawing reviews, and investigations of structural performance and integrity.
• Perform and oversee linear and nonlinear analyses of beams, shells, and solid structural components.
• Develop, review, and document engineering calculations, technical analyses, models, and reports.
• Evaluate structural components and investigate alternate structural configurations to support design and engineering recommendations.
• Apply engineering principles to investigate structural problems and develop solutions for complex naval structural applications.
• Support the development, evaluation, and validation of analytical and numerical models used to assess structural performance.
• Support experimental investigations and structural testing, including analysis and interpretation of test results.
• Conduct engineering studies and technical research involving structures, materials, manufacturing processes, ocean dynamics, and naval structural design.
• Ensure the technical quality, consistency, and completeness of structural engineering deliverables.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams and coordinate technical activities with other contractors and engineering organizations.
• Serve as a primary technical interface with NAVSEA and industry partners.
• Represent the company in technical discussions, customer meetings, design reviews, and other client-facing activities.
• Support Program Managers with business development and customer engagement activities.
• Assist with project planning, technical execution, and successful delivery of engineering efforts.
• Expect approximately 10% domestic and international travel.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited college or university.
• Significant relevant experience in naval structural engineering, including evaluation and analysis of ship and/or submarine structures.
• Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring engineers and providing technical direction within a multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Ability to perform and oversee structural analyses, including closed-form structural calculations, numerical analysis, drawing reviews, and failure assessments.
• Experience evaluating existing and conceptual structural designs and components.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
• Experience with linear and nonlinear analysis of beams, shells, and solid structural components.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, leadership, and technical communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical findings and recommendations clearly through written reports and presentations.
• Ability to effectively interface with Navy customers, contractors, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Ability to balance hands-on technical responsibilities with team leadership, mentoring, and project execution.
• Must possess at least a SECRET security clearance.

Desired Experience

• Advanced experience with finite element analysis software such as FEMAP.
• Extensive experience with naval structures, including ships, submarines, and associated structural components.
• Experience performing linear and nonlinear analysis of beams, shells, and solids.
• Knowledge of structures, materials, manufacturing, ocean dynamics, or naval structural design.
• Experience with experimental investigations, structural testing, or correlation of analytical and experimental results.
• Experience with structural failure assessment and evaluation of existing structures.
• Experience supporting U.S. Navy or other naval RDT&E programs.
• Experience interfacing directly with NAVSEA, Navy stakeholders, shipyards, or other government and industry organizations.
• Experience coordinating engineering activities across multiple contractors or technical organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with customers and teammates.

A successful Lead Structural Engineer at Tridentis will be one that helps us improve our corporate operations, successfully manages projects and assists with growing our organization.

Competitive Salary And The Following Benefits

• 401(k) matching
• Bonuses
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule & Location

M-F. Located onsite in West Bethesda, MD

About Tridentis

Tridentis is a privately held small business focused on providing naval architecture, marine engineering, program management and logistics services to the U.S. Navy, USCG, and Military Sealift Command (MSC) in addition to other federal agencies. Tridentis is headquartered in Washington, DC and has offices in Norfolk, VA; Bremerton, WA; and Kona, HI. In addition to providing engineering services to the federal government, Tridentis has a spin off company, Advanced Marine Vehicles that is entirely focused on designing, developing and building autonomous marine vehicles. Tridentis is committed to maintaining an agile company, with a flat organizational structure while achieving long term consistent growth.