About this role
RINA is a global knowledge company where expertise travels across borders, disciplines, and industries. Every day, we collaborate on solving complex challenges that no single field could tackle alone. With a presence in more than 70 countries and 160 years of heritage, we turn individual know-how into collective progress.
We are currently recruiting for a Structural Engineer to join our office in Houston, TX, Boston, MA, or Chicago/Lisle, IL within the Plant Engineering Division.
Compensation Data
$120,000 - $150,000 commensurate with education and experience
Mission
In this role, you will design and evaluate structures and foundations for clients in the oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical, and industrial markets, including process plants, storage and terminal facilities, and heavy industrial sites.
Our Onshore Structures team delivers structural engineering for new facilities, expansions, and brownfield modifications across the full project life cycle, from feasibility and front-end engineering through detailed design and construction support. You will work alongside process, piping, mechanical, civil, and electrical engineers on technically demanding projects, with direct client exposure and a clear path toward senior technical leadership.
The Structural Engineer delivers the analysis and design of steel and reinforced concrete structures and foundations for energy and industrial facilities, ensuring technical accuracy, code compliance, and alignment with quality standards. Working with a high degree of autonomy, the Structural Engineer plans and coordinates structural engineering activities, guides and reviews the work of junior and intermediate engineers and designers, and contributes to the successful delivery of projects. The role serves as the structural technical lead within project teams under the overall direction of a Senior Engineer or Project Engineering Manager.
Key Accountabilities
Technical Execution & Project Support:
- Plan and execute advanced structural engineering tasks, including the analysis, design, and verification of steel and reinforced concrete structures and foundations such as pipe racks, process structures, equipment platforms, pipe and cable tray supports, static and dynamic equipment foundations, storage tank foundations, and industrial buildings, considering gravity, wind, seismic, thermal, and blast loads to ensure safety, functionality, and compliance.
- Support the development of engineering deliverables such as structural design basis documents, calculation reports, specifications, material take-offs and quantity estimates, and construction drawings, ensuring consistency with project requirements and standards; review vendor and fabricator data and participate in 3D model reviews and clash resolution with other disciplines
- Contribute to problem-solving during design and construction phases, proposing technically sound solutions aligned with project constraints.
Team Coordination & Mentorship:
- Provide day-to-day technical guidance to junior and intermediate engineers, reviewing their work and supporting their development.
- Coordinate structural engineering tasks within multidisciplinary project teams, including piping, mechanical, process, civil, geotechnical, and electrical disciplines, and manage interface data such as piping, equipment, and vendor loads, under the direction of a Senior Engineer or Project Engineering Manager.
- Foster knowledge-sharing and support the technical growth of the team through mentoring and coaching.
Quality & Compliance:
- Ensure that all assigned activities are executed in compliance with the internal Quality Management System, health and safety requirements, regulatory standards, and client requirements, including owner engineering standards and project specifications.
- Review technical documentation for accuracy, consistency, and adherence to applicable codes and standards.
- Contribute to internal reviews and participate in continuous improvement processes related to design quality and delivery.
Client & Stakeholder Interaction:
- Interface directly with clients, consultants, contractors, and vendors on technical aspects of structural work, under the guidance of senior staff.
- Participate in meetings, design reviews, and site visits to provide technical input and address project needs.
- Support the preparation of technical reports and presentations to communicate structural solutions effectively
Site & Construction Support:
- Support site inspections and construction-phase engineering services to verify implementation of the design intent.
- Assist in resolving structural issues during construction by providing timely and technically sound responses to contractor inquiries.
- Contribute to condition assessments, structural evaluations, and repair or modification designs for existing assets, including brownfield expansions and work within operating facilities where required.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Structural engineering. Master’s degree in Structural Engineering preferred.
- Minimum of 6 years of structural engineering experience, with demonstrated experience on oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, or heavy industrial facility projects; EPC or engineering consultancy experience preferred.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license required. Illinois Structural Engineer (SE) license preferred. Professional Engineering and Structural Engineering licenses in other states are a plus.
- Experience with structural design and analysis is essential, along with the ability to plan structural scopes of work, prepare man-hour and quantity estimates, and track budget and schedule for assigned structural deliverables.
- Expertise in designing and analyzing structural elements to ensure safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
- Proficiency in performing structural calculations for loads, pressures, and stresses using industry-standard methods and software, including RISA, STAAD.Pro, SAP2000, and Mathcad, along with foundation design tools such as STAAD Foundation, SAFE, or spMats, and working knowledge of AutoCAD, Revit, Tekla, Navisworks, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office.
- Working knowledge of governing codes and industry standards, including IBC, ASCE 7, ACI 318, ACI 351.3 for dynamic equipment foundations, AISC 360 and AISC 341, PIP structural design criteria, and API 650 for storage tank foundations.
- Thorough understanding of construction materials and their strengths to appropriately select materials for structural elements.
- Experience in developing engineering studies and analyses relevant to design, verification, and certification of structures and foundations, with the ability to provide technical advice on safe designs and construction practices.
- Excellent written/oral communication skills
- Collaborative working style with a solution driven mindset.
- Ability to work as part of multi-disciplinary project teams and independently manage and assign tasks required to complete structural work in accordance with client requirements
Additional Qualifications
- Valid driver’s license
- Travel of up to 10% may be required based on business need, including visits to client offices, fabrication yards, operating plants, and construction sites; candidates must be able to meet client site safety and access requirements, including use of required personal protective equipment.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of the work being performed. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.
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Competencies
- WORKPLACE DYNAMICS - Resourcefulness in shaping progress and working efficiently.
- PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT - Ownership for life, work and results, striving to grow professionally and personally.
- INTERPERSONAL INFLUENCE - Skills and strategies we use to interact effectively with others.
- DOMAIN & BUSINESS ACUMEN - Applying a scientific approach and critical thinking in operations and solution development within area of expertise.
- FORESIGHT & INSIGHT - Context awareness adopting a systemic perspective and informed decision making.
At RINA, your growth drives our innovation. We bring together engineers, inspectors, digital minds and specialists from more than 100 nationalities, creating an environment where diverse perspectives sharpen how we think, collaborate and deliver.
RINA North America provides a comprehensive benefits package, including the following insurance options: Medical, Dental, Vision, Medical Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Transit, Parking, Basic Life, Basic AD&D, Voluntary Life, Voluntary AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Voluntary Accident, Voluntary Critical Illness, Identity Theft Protection, Pet Insurance, and Employee Assistance Program. Additional benefits provided include paid time off, company holidays, tuition reimbursement, nursery grant, travel resource services, and 401K plan with company discretionary match.
Flexibility and respect drive how we work. We are committed to building a workplace where every person feels valued, empowered to develop their potential, and safe from discrimination or harassment of any kind. It is the policy of RINA to provide equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disabilities, marital status, sexual orientation, genetics, military status, disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, other protected veterans (veterans who served during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a badge has been authorized), and Armed Forces service medal veteran, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. We are strongly committed to this policy and believe in the concept and spirit of the law.
RINA does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or agencies. Any resume submitted to any employee of RINA without a prior written search agreement will be considered unsolicited and the property of RINA. Please, no phone calls or emails.