Senior Structural Engineer (P.E./S.E.) — Forensics & Projects

Exponent; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Exponent seeks a Senior Structural Engineer (MS/PhD, P.E./S.E.) to join its Civil & Structural Engineering Practice in Atlanta, GA; Menlo Park, CA; Irvine, CA; New York, NY and other offices. This on-site role focuses on forensic investigations, complex design interpretation, and evaluating performance of buildings and bridges.

You will author technical reports, mentor staff, and develop client relationships while applying state‑of‑the‑art analysis tools and collaborating with multidisciplinary

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or MS in Civil Engineering with a Structural Engineering focus.
• P.E. or S.E. license in at least one state is required.
• Presently legally authorized to work in the United States. No immigration sponsorship or processing required.
• 3+ years of relevant work experience post-graduation.
• Interest in growing expertise in project management and client development.
• Excellent creative problem-solving ability.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as lead and work in multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Conducting field investigations and site inspections of buildings, infrastructure, and specialty structures to document conditions, evaluate structural performance, and identify potential contributors to damage, distress, or failure.
• Problem solving to determine root causes of structural performance issues, construction defects, material degradation, and damage associated with events such as extreme weather, earthquakes, flooding, explosions, fire, or damage accumulation under long-term service conditions.
• Modeling failures through structural calculations, quantitative risk analyses, and engineering assessment of load paths, capacity, durability, serviceability, code compliance, and risk to buildings and infrastructure.
• Developing and applying state-of-the-art analytical tools, models, and engineering frameworks to characterize structural risks and evaluate failure mechanisms.
• Collaborating with teams of structural, geotechnical, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, and material science professionals to solve complex multidisciplinary problems.
• Preparing clear, technically rigorous reports, presentations, calculations, and exhibits that communicate engineering findings, conclusions, and recommendations to clients, insurers, attorneys, industry stakeholders, triers of fact, and other technical or non-technical audiences.
• Managing local projects related to your area(s) of expertise, including coordinating field work, organizing technical tasks, maintaining schedules and budgets, communicating with clients, and ensuring high-quality deliverables.
• Contributing to client service and business development by supporting proposals and developing trusted client relationships.
• Establishing and maintaining professional expertise through continued professional development, technical publications, conference participation, and professional licensure.

Skills

Legal work authorization in US

Problem solving ability

Verbal and written communication

Independent work and leadership

Client development interest

Education

Ph.D. or MS in Civil Engineering with a Structural Engineering focus

P.E. or S.E. license in at least one state

Job description

Exponent seeks a Senior Structural Engineer (MS/PhD, P.E./S.E.) to join its Civil & Structural Engineering Practice in Atlanta, GA; Menlo Park, CA; Irvine, CA; New York, NY and other offices. This on-site role focuses on forensic investigations, complex design interpretation, and evaluating performance of buildings and bridges.

You will author technical reports, mentor staff, and develop client relationships while applying state‑of‑the‑art analysis tools and collaborating with multidisciplinary