Substation Structural Engineer

HDR; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 78,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Retirement match

Tuition reimbursement

Employee referrals bonus

Job summary

HDR is seeking a Substation Structural Engineer to join our Power Delivery team in North Carolina. You will lead structural design tasks for high‑voltage substation projects, perform calculations, and coordinate with civil and electrical engineers across the full project life cycle.

The role requires a Civil or Structural Engineering degree, a PE, and at least five years of experience with HV substations, plus proficiency in AutoCAD, RISA, and related tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil or Structural Engineering is required.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license is required or recognized by the licensing board for the position.
• Minimum 5 years of technical design experience with HV substations.
• Experience with AutoCAD, RISA, Staad, RAM, ETABS, SAFE or similar software.

Responsibilities

• Lead, oversee, review, and execute structural engineering tasks for substation structures.
• Design foundations (piers, footings, piles) and related detailing.
• Coordinate with civil/structural engineers and other teams; review specs and material lists.
• Mentor junior staff and support multiple projects concurrently.

Skills

Strong communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Verbal/written communication

Self-starter

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil or Structural Engineering

Professional Engineer license (PE)

Tools

AutoCAD

RISA

Staad

RAM

ETABS

SAFE

Job description

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'

Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

We believe electricity powers modern life. As part of our Power sector, you’ll help shape how electricity is generated, transmitted and delivered as global energy demands grow. From massive data centers to modernizing transmission systems, our industry-recognized engineers and scientists have been at the forefront of grid transformation for more than a century. You’ll work side‑by‑side with these experts and contribute to reliable, resilient and sustainable power systems, helping communities thrive and industries expand. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to drive infrastructure forward, power innovation and leave your mark on our energy future.

HDR is looking for a Substation Structural Engineer to join our Power Delivery Team. At HDR, the Substation Structural Engineer is a key contributor within the Power Delivery team, providing engineering design and technical support for high‑voltage substation projects. This role supports HDR’s mission to deliver safe, resilient, and high‑quality infrastructure solutions for utility and energy clients. The engineer will work in a collaborative, multi‑discipline environment and contribute to projects across their full lifecycle from conceptual design through construction and commissioning support.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead, oversee, review, and/or execute structural engineering tasks for a variety of substation structural members such as rolled steel shapes, lattice steel framing, and folded plate tubular steel shapes. Engineering duties include detailed design, calculations, and detailing for fabrication or development of loading and concept drawings for submittal to a steel fabricator to design and fabricate.
• Lead, oversee, review, and/or execute foundation design tasks for substation structures, including drilled piers, spread footings, driven piles, and potentially other types, using industry standard software.
• Work with physical substation layout designs, plans, elevations/sections, details, and associated bills of materials.
• Prepare and/or review specifications for construction & materials.
• Coordinates and/or performs quality checks and reviews for project deliverables per the HDR Quality Management Systems (QMS) requirements, processes, and procedures to deliver a world class quality product to the client. Performs quality checks and/or reviews of projects from other teams on an as needed basis.
• Collaborate with transmission line civil/structural engineers to cross‑train and share resources
• Collaborate with other engineers to develop and maintain standards.
• Work independently and direct, mentor, train, and/or supervise one or more EIT's or CADD/Designers.
• Ability to support multiple projects concurrently, utilizing teams in different locations.
• May also assist with developing technical papers and/or presentations that showcase HDR's technical capabilities at industry conferences or other events.
• Participate in project reviews as needed.
• Some travel may be required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical design experience with physical/outdoor design of high voltage electrical switchyard and substation projects of varying complexity.
• Familiarity with the latest NESC, NEC, IEEE, ANSI, ASCE-113 and other industry standards
• Experience using industry standard design software, including Risa 3D, RisaFoundation, L-Pile, MFAD, Mathcad Prime, AutoCAD or MicroStation
• Minimum 5 years of technical design experience with high voltage electrical switchyard and substation projects, including foundation and steel structural design
• Working knowledge of the latest AISC-360, ASCE-7, ACI-318, and other industry standards
• Self‑starter with strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong conceptual, organizational, problem solving, and collaboration skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, local candidates are preferred

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil or Structural Engineering
• Requires professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position offered. Example: Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.
• Previous structural engineer experience
• Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, RISA, Staad, SAP, Tedds, RAM, ETABS, SAFE or similar
• Previous experience with an architectural/engineering or engineering consulting firm
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture is a must

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long‑term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. The expected compensation range for this position depends upon skills, experience, education and geographical location. (Stated benefits are for full‑time regular positions. Temporary and part‑time roles eligible for limited benefits.) Roanoke, VA: $77,539.00 - $110,770.00

Primary Location: United States-North Carolina-Charlotte

Other Locations: United States-North Carolina-Winston‑Salem, United States-North Carolina-Raleigh, United States-Virginia-Roanoke, United States-North Carolina-Asheville, United States-South Carolina-Fort Mill

Industry: Power

Schedule: Full‑time

Employee Status: Regular

BusinessClass: Substation Engineering

Job Posting: Aug 5, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.