Principal Structural Civil Engineer

AES Corporation; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 181,050; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) eligibility

Paid time off including vacation and sick leave

Annual bonus potential

Job summary

AES Corporation is seeking an experienced Structural Engineer to support the design development and project engineering for photovoltaic, high voltage, and battery energy storage systems. This role requires a clear understanding of structural engineering principles and the ability to evaluate and provide technical guidance.

Candidates should have 10+ years of experience, especially with PV design, and the ability to work collaboratively on innovative foundation designs. The position may involve remote work or travel up to 25% to project sites.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in structural engineering.
• 5+ years with PV and Battery Energy Storage System design.
• Experience with Structural Engineering standards in the US.

Responsibilities

• Review structural plans and evaluate the basis of design.
• Conduct site visits to assess structural issues.
• Support project engineers in procuring services.

Skills

Structural Engineering

PV and Battery Energy Storage System Design

Geotechnical Analysis

Team Collaboration

Proficiency in Microsoft Office

Education

Undergraduate degree in Structural Engineering or equivalent

Tools

SAP2000

STAAD

Job description

AES Renewables is seeking an experienced Structural Engineer to support design development, project engineering, plan reviews, owner’s engineers, and construction of photovoltaic (PV), high voltage (HV), sub‑station, and grid‑scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in coordination with the AES Business Development, Engineering and Construction teams.

The Structural Engineer provides expert technical support across solar PV, substation, HV, and battery storage projects and serves as the team’s subject matter expert for structural design.

Responsibilities include reviewing structural plans for AES CE Engineering, evaluating the structural basis of design, economical construction alternatives, and structural solutions, performing quality control and assurance assessments, and providing technical guidance on pile load testing, L‑pile analysis, foundation types, concrete and steel design, corrosion issues, and costing.

The ideal candidate should have experience with analysis and design and review of structural steel pile foundations, reinforced concrete design, and the evaluation of other structural systems typical to PV, BESS and HV plants for utility scale projects.

The position is at one of the AES Renewables offices or remote and will include up to 25% travel to project locations and partner offices.

Key Responsibilities

Project Development

• Provide support for early‑stage foundation design options for project estimating purposes.
• Collaborate with external engineering vendors to develop conceptual design approaches and tools for various foundation systems (e.g., piles, anchors systems, grade beams, helical foundations).
• Support innovation and standardization of conceptual design methodologies across foundation types.
• Review and occasionally provide preliminary structural designs for projects in early development.
• Review geotechnical reports for structural impacts on projects in development.

Project Execution

• Support project engineering with external Owner’s Engineer (OE) engagements with SOW, vendor coordination, and review of proposals.
• Support Project Engineers in procuring OE services and/or external services; ensure consistent, high‑quality reviews.
• Support OE reviews as needed.
• Provide technical input, design solutions, and reviews for structural deliverables identifying areas for value engineering (e.g., PV Racking, BESS, HV Substation and Gen‑Tie / Overhead line).
• Review and comment on structural engineering calculations, studies and RFIs across projects (e.g., design calculations, snow, wind, corrosion studies).
• Review design packages for conformance with industry codes and standards, prudent industry practices, AES contractual technical specifications and AHJ requirements.
• Perform site visits to assess structural issues during construction and operations.
• Support or perform root‑cause analysis for structural issues.
• Conduct Job Site Assessment (JSA) and safety walks to identify job‑site hazards.
• Coordinate with HV and project engineers to assess and provide recommendations to project schedules.

Engineering Support

• Build and maintain a database of foundation designs (historical and current).
• Analyze design evolution (e.g., steel tonnage from concept to IFC) to guide cost and design decisions.
• Provide rapid, data‑backed material impact estimates for design changes.
• Draft and update structural specifications to current industry practices and trends by incorporating lessons learned from past projects.
• Verify structural calculations are complete and recommendations are incorporated into construction documents.
• Support the Project Management and Engineering to troubleshoot issues during construction or operations and maintenance and develop repair/remediation options.
• Support the Innovation team with product reviews related to structural design.

Growth and Leadership

• Develop tools, guidance, and training to enable Project Engineers and other engineering staff to review structural designs independently.
• Serve as SME for complex or ambiguous structural engineering review outcomes.
• Continuously improve internal design–review and QA processes.
• Contribute to AES Renewables growth planning through process‑improvement task forces and strategic initiatives.
• Develop and refine tools for structural concept design and estimating.
• Provide support for field design issues and escape to external engineering when needed.

Skills and Qualifications

Primary Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in Structural Engineering or equivalent technical field.
• 10+ years professional experience in structural engineering.
• 5+ years of experience with PV and Battery Energy Storage System design and WTG foundation design and/or 2+ years of experience with HV Substation and Overhead Line design.
• Proficiency in field experience with structural, civil, geotechnical, and/or design build construction.
• Experience with Structural Engineering standards and codes in the US.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Plus Qualifications

• PE or SE qualifications, or on track to become qualified.
• Master’s degree in structural engineering.
• Experience with L‑pile, finite element analysis (SAP2000, STAAD, or similar) or other advanced modeling tools.
• Spanish language skills.
• OSHA 10‑hr or comparable job‑site safety certification.

AES is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building strength and delivering long‑term sustainability through diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and/or expression, race, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. E‑Verify Notice: AES will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s I‑9 to confirm work authorization.

The expected salary for this position, at commencement of employment, is between $145,000 and $181,050 per year; base pay may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job‑related knowledge, skills and experience. The total compensation package also includes an annual bonus. Benefits offered include medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, 401(k) eligibility, and paid time off (including vacation, sick leave, and parental leave).