Senior Structural Engineer

New Role

STV is seeking a Senior Structural Engineer to join our Transportation department at our Chicago, IL office. Join STV’s Illinois Transportation practice as a Senior Structural Engineer (S.E.) and help deliver bridge, highway, transit, and rail infrastructure across the Chicago region. Apply your Illinois Structural Engineer license and bridge design expertise to complex steel and concrete structures while collaborating with a multidisciplinary firm consistently ranked among ENR’s leading transportation, mass transit, and rail engineering providers.

Opportunity

Lead and deliver structural engineering assignments for highway, transit, freight rail, and passenger rail bridges, along with retaining walls, culverts, foundations, and related transportation structures. Provide senior technical direction, coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, mentor engineers, and work directly with Illinois agencies and clients from planning and preliminary engineering through final design and construction.

Impact

Lead structural engineering tasks and projects for highway, transit, freight rail, and passenger rail infrastructure from planning through construction. Develop and oversee designs for steel and concrete bridge superstructures, substructures, foundations, retaining walls, culverts, sign structures, and related assets. Prepare and review structural calculations, design memoranda, Bridge Condition Reports, feasibility studies, plans, specifications, quantities, and cost estimates. Perform structural evaluations, rehabilitation analyses, load ratings, and bridge inspections. Resolve complex design issues, conduct quality‑control reviews, and confirm compliance with AASHTO LRFD, IDOT, Illinois Tollway, and applicable rail standards. Coordinate with roadway, rail, geotechnical, drainage, traffic, architecture, CADD, and construction teams to produce complete, constructible packages. Manage assigned scope, fees, schedules, staffing, deliverables, risk, and technical quality. Partner with IDOT, Illinois Tollway, CDOT, CTA, Metra, Amtrak, Class I railroads, municipalities, contractors, and project stakeholders. Support construction through shop‑drawing reviews, RFI responses, field observations, and resolution of structural issues. Mentor junior and mid‑level structural engineers and coordinate CADD and technical staff. Contribute technical approaches, scopes, fee estimates, proposals, interviews, and capture planning for bridge and rail pursuits. Advance design standards, reusable tools, technical innovation, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or Structural Engineering from an accredited program.


• Active Illinois Structural Engineer (S.E.) license.


• 10+ years of progressive structural or bridge engineering experience, including the design of steel and concrete transportation structures.


• Experience designing bridge superstructures, substructures, foundations, retaining walls, and culverts using AASHTO LRFD and applicable AISC and ACI standards.


• Familiarity with IDOT and Illinois Tollway standards, procedures, and design deliverables.


• Demonstrated ability to prepare and review structural calculations, plans, specifications, technical reports, quantities, and cost estimates.


• Experience leading design tasks, coordinating multidisciplinary work, performing quality reviews, and mentoring engineering staff.


• Proficiency with MicroStation and structural analysis/design software used for bridge engineering.


• Strong technical writing, communication, organization, and problem‑solving skills.


• Ability and willingness to attend client meetings and perform project‑site and field visits as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Civil or Structural Engineering.


• Active Professional Engineer (P.E.) license and ability to obtain additional state registrations.


• Experience with CDOT, CTA, Metra, Amtrak, Class I railroads, municipalities, or other Illinois transportation clients.


• Rail bridge design experience and working knowledge of AREMA standards.


• Experience with bridge inspection, NBIS requirements, Bridge Condition Reports, load rating, rehabilitation design, or Illinois inspection Team Leader credentials.


• Project management experience involving scope, budget, schedule, staffing, client coordination, and financial performance.


• Experience supporting proposals, technical approaches, client interviews, and business development activities.


• Experience with OpenBridge Modeler or OpenBridge Designer, Mathcad, Midas Civil, LARSA 4D, CSiBridge, SAP2000, STAAD.Pro, LEAP Bridge, MDX, or comparable bridge design software.


• Construction‑phase engineering, field inspection, and shop‑drawing review experience.

Compensation

Compensation Range: $179,064.64 - $204,645.30

STV is committed to paying all of its employees in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner. The listed pay range is STV’s good‑faith salary estimate for this position. Please note that the final salary offered for this position may be outside of this published range based on many factors, including but not limited to geography, education, experience, and/or certifications.

Benefits

• Health insurance, including an option with a Health Savings Account


• Dental insurance


• Vision insurance


• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care and Transit and Parking where applicable)


• Disability insurance


• Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment


• 401(k) Plan


• Retirement Counseling


• Employee Assistance Program


• Paid Time Off


• Paid Holidays


• Back‑Up Dependent Care


• Parental Leave


• Continuing Education Program


• Professional Licensure and Society Memberships

Equal Employment Opportunity

STV provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

Company Information

STV is one of the top infrastructure‑focused professional services firms in North America. Founded in 1912, STV advises, plans, designs, engineers and delivers the infrastructure that powers local economies, including transportation systems, buildings, water and other facilities. Headquartered in New York City, the company has more than 65 offices and 3,400 employees who reimagine the solutions and structures that connect our communities. The firm is ranked 32nd in Engineering News‑Record’s Top 500 Design Firms survey and is 10th in its transportation category.

Culture & Values

STV is deeply committed to investing in its people and creating a world‑class employee experience. We are passionate about mentoring, coaching and cultivating our talent because we know they are destined to become the next generation of industry leaders. We’re also committed to delivering formative career experiences – and we do that by providing challenging and unique work experiences, by mapping multiple ways to advance (beyond the traditional career ladder!) and by recognizing those who successfully chart new and exciting paths for the firm. We value a wide range of perspectives and experiences, without regard to any factor or characteristic, regardless of whether it is a category protected by federal, state and/or local law, making them an integral part of how we work. Our approach ensures that every individual is respected, heard, and given opportunities to contribute meaningfully. We remove barriers and create pathways for growth, embedding fairness into our daily operations. Learn more at stvinc.com. STV exists to make communities better through innovative solutions that connect people, places and the present to the future. Our local teams throughout the country deeply understand the needs of their communities and have the expertise to provide solutions.

Community & Philanthropy

We are also committed to giving back to our communities and our neighbors through volunteering and philanthropic activities; fundraising events; scholarships, internships, and mentoring; and sustainability and community improvement projects. Learn more.