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Sargent & Lundy

Structural Engineer 1 (Entry-Level) - Nuclear (January 2027)

Location

Chicago, IL

Wage

$62,998 – $90,586/yr

Employment Type

Full-time

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Posted on November 10, 2026

Job Description

Overview

This entry-level Structural Engineer position at Sargent & Lundy offers the opportunity to apply and expand your academic background in structural engineering while working on the design of new nuclear facilities and associated modifications. The role involves collaboration with a diverse team and provides training and mentorship from experienced engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Prepare design calculations and develop specifications.
  • Support designers with drawing development.
  • Perform structural analysis and design of steel frames, connections, concrete members, equipment and piping supports, and foundations.
  • Conduct structural analyses under various loading conditions such as wind and seismic.
  • Travel to client and vendor offices for design reviews and to plant site locations for construction coordination and field verification of designs.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s of Science in Structural/Civil Engineering or Architectural Engineering.
  • Completion of coursework in steel and concrete design.
  • Knowledge of practical application of structural engineering including loads analysis for structural supports.
  • Understanding of structural design techniques, tools, and principles.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Proficiency with MS Office applications.

Benefits

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

Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
PTO
401k
Apply for This Position

How this job compares in Chicago, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $37/hr, this posting lands within a few percent of the $37/hr median for welding jobs in Chicago, IL, whose middle half runs $31–$45/hr across 66 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 47% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. In other words it is a market-rate offer, so benefits, overtime, and shift schedule are where the real difference between this and the next posting on the list shows up.

The local market in Chicago, IL

We're tracking 96 other active welding openings in Chicago, IL right now, from 51 different employers. 27 of them were added in the last week. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 329 other active welding openings from 201 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.

Sargent & Lundy currently has 7 other openings 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 Gerber Collision & Glass (14), S&C Electric Company (11), and Venteon (10). 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 $37/hr, Elk Grove Village at $34/hr, and Franklin Park at $31/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. Structural Engineer 1 (Entry-Level) - Nuclear (January 2027) figures were last recalculated when this page was built.