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HDR

Substation Project Structural Engineer

Location

Chicago, IL

Wage

$90,682 – $145,990/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on September 3, 2026

Job Description

Overview

HDR Engineering is seeking a Substation Project Structural Engineer to join its nationally ranked Power Delivery team. The role involves executing structural engineering tasks for high voltage electrical switchyard and substation projects, contributing to the development of reliable and sustainable power systems.

Responsibilities

  • Execute structural engineering tasks for various substation structural members.
  • Perform foundation design tasks for substation structures using industry standard software.
  • Prepare and review specifications for construction and materials.
  • Assign project tasks to EITs and provide technical guidance to non-structural project team members.
  • Coordinate and perform quality checks and reviews for project deliverables.
  • Collaborate with other engineers to develop and maintain standards.
  • Mentor and train EITs and Designers.
  • Execute multiple projects concurrently, collaborating with teams in different locations.
  • Participate in project reviews as needed.
  • Some travel may be required.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Civil or Structural Engineering.
  • Professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position.
  • Minimum 5 years of technical design experience with high voltage electrical switchyard and substation projects.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, RISA, Staad, SAP, Tedds, RAM, ETABS, SAFE or similar.
  • Technical design experience with physical/outdoor design of high voltage electrical switchyard and substation projects.
  • Familiarity with industry standards such as NESC, NEC, IEEE, ANSI, ASCE-113.
  • Experience using industry standard design software including PLS-Tower and Mathcad Prime.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Strong conceptual, organizational, problem solving, and collaboration skills.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • PTO
  • 401k

Additional Information

  • Full-time position.
  • Primary Location: United States-North Carolina-Charlotte.
  • Other locations include multiple states across the U.S.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $57/hr, this posting sits about 21% above the $47/hr median for structural welder jobs in Chicago, IL — toward the top of a $43–$63/hr middle band drawn from 11 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 64% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. Pay that far above local median usually comes attached to something: a harder cert requirement, travel, night shift, or overtime that isn't really optional. Worth establishing which before you accept.

The local market in Chicago, IL

We're tracking 104 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 65 different employers. 44 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 371 other active welding openings from 241 employers. A metro this active generally means you have real leverage — employers here are competing for the same welders. Browse every welding job in Chicago, or widen the search to Illinois.

HDR currently has 1 other opening live in Illinois, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Staff on Site (13), S&C Electric Company (12), and Gerber Collision & Glass (11). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Chicago at $38/hr, Itasca at $36/hr, and Downers Grove at $36/hr. Chicago is among them.

Similar openings near Chicago, IL

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Substation Project Structural Engineer figures were last recalculated when this page was built.