Senior Structural Engineer – Substation

Location

Chicago, IL

Wage

$114,400 – $150,075/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on August 26, 2026

Job Description

Overview

At Jacobs, we are seeking a Senior Structural Engineer to support our Energy & Power business in delivering electrical transmission and generation projects across North America. This role involves design, oversight, and coordination with clients and early career professionals to build a cleaner and more resilient energy future.

Responsibilities

  • Work effectively with multi-disciplinary global project teams, clients, and other stakeholders.
  • Contribute to a learning environment, support fellow engineers, and take advantage of career development opportunities.
  • Support the team to instill an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought.
  • Provide technical direction and review of designs developed by intermediate and entry level engineers.
  • Review existing client standards for incorporation into program and project delivery.
  • Review designs for cost-saving opportunities and consistencies in design.
  • Develop conceptual designs and Scopes of Work for projects undergoing regulatory approvals.
  • Respond to contractor requests for information (RFI).
  • Attend and participate in project pre-bid meetings.
  • Perform a technical review of bids received and make recommendations on most qualified bid.
  • Attend construction kickoff meetings.
  • Lead constructability meetings with construction oversight team.
  • Guide the project through the engineering activities in the stage gate process.
  • Review As built drawings and approve them when finalized.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in civil/structural engineering from an accredited university.
  • Licensed Professional Engineer preferred.
  • 10+ years of experience in structural engineering preferably for electrical utility clients.
  • Experience in structural engineering aspects of utility projects.
  • Proficient in structural analysis tools such as Mathcad, RISA, STAAD, STAAD Foundation, RISA3D, RISA Foundation, LPile, etc.

Benefits

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

Additional Information

  • This role can sit at any of our Jacobs office locations nationwide.
  • Employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan.
  • Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees.
  • Certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.
  • We empower employees with our hybrid working policy.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401k
PTO

How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $64/hr, this posting sits about 18% above the $54/hr median for structural welder jobs in Chicago, IL — toward the top of a $49–$63/hr middle band drawn from 14 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 79% 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 111 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 76 different employers. 44 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 367 other active welding openings from 265 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.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are S&C Electric Company (18), Gerber Collision & Glass (8), and Aerotek (7). 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 $36/hr, Itasca at $36/hr, and Melrose Park at $34/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. Senior Structural Engineer – Substation figures were last recalculated when this page was built.