Civil/structural Engineer

The Senior Civil / Structural Engineer (PE) develops innovative, highly technical designs to solve complex engineering challenges across a wide range of civil and structural applications. This role serves as both a task lead and an individual contributor, providing PE-stamped designs and detailed design criteria based on customer requirements. The engineer creates robust and reliable solutions for test fixtures, custom mechanical assemblies, concrete foundations, steel support structures, pressure vessels, piping systems, weldments, and related civil works such as geometric design, paving, drainage, and grading. The position requires close collaboration with multidisciplinary engineers, designers, and operators to ensure designs are fully integrated, manufacturable, and maintainable, while also mentoring junior engineers and supporting a cutting-edge hypersonic wind tunnel project.

Responsibilities

• Lead assigned tasks and act as task lead to ensure thorough due diligence, technical rigor, and compliance for all designs within your scope of responsibility.
• Develop innovative civil and structural designs for custom hardware, including test fixtures, mechanical assemblies, concrete foundations, steel support structures, pressure vessels, piping systems, and weldments.
• Translate customer requirements into detailed design criteria and apply sound engineering principles and tools to deliver robust and reliable solutions.
• Perform civil design tasks such as geometric layout, paving, drainage, and grading to support project and facility requirements.
• Provide professional engineering (PE) stamp on designs you oversee, ensuring adherence to applicable codes, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Review local city, county, and state codes and coordinate with government offices and authorities having jurisdiction as required to support permitting and compliance.
• Collaborate regularly with engineers from other disciplines to ensure proper integration of civil and structural designs into larger systems and facilities.
• Work closely with designers and operators to ensure that designed hardware is practical, manufacturable, maintainable, and aligned with operational needs.
• Lead and mentor junior engineers, fostering strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and disciplined engineering processes through on-the-job guidance and structured mentorship.
• Review and critique design documentation produced by internal and third-party engineers, providing clear, constructive technical feedback.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive design documentation, including presentations, white papers, calculation packages, and technical reports.
• Present designs and design progress to customers, clearly communicating technical concepts, trade-offs, risks, and recommendations.
• Perform structural analyses using hand calculations and appropriate software tools to validate mechanical and structural designs; potentially perform aerothermal, thermo-structural, and flow analyses as needed.
• Interpret and review engineering drawings, providing guidance to designers on correct design intent, detailing, and standards application.
• Oversee the steel and concrete build-out and stand-up of structures associated with the hypersonic wind tunnel, ensuring quality, safety, and design conformance.
• Apply relevant engineering codes and standards throughout the design and review process to ensure safe, compliant, and high-performance solutions.

• Current Professional Engineer (PE) license in civil or structural engineering.
• 10 years of relevant civil and/or structural engineering experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Strong background in civil and structural engineering, including design of foundations, steel support structures, and custom structural hardware.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and interpret detailed design criteria from customer requirements.
• Proficiency in performing structural analyses using hand calculations and engineering software tools.
• Experience applying engineering codes and standards such as ASME B31.3, AISC 360-10, AWS D1.1, and related civil and structural codes.
• Ability to review and interpret engineering drawings and guide designers on proper design practices and standards.
• Strong verbal communication skills, including the ability to present designs and progress to customers and stakeholders.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to prepare technical papers, reports, white papers, and calculation packages.
• Ability to work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, designers, operators, and government stakeholders.
• Ability to understand and apply local city, county, and state codes in civil and structural design.
• Eligibility to obtain a Secret DoD security clearance.

• Existing active Secret DoD security clearance is highly desirable.
• Experience with analysis and design tools such as ANSYS, ABAQUS, RISA, Revit, CAESAR, AFT Fathom, AFT Arrow, MATHCAD, and AutoCAD Civil 3D.
• Familiarity with CAD modeling, drawing development, and the application of GD&T principles.
• Experience working on hypersonic or other advanced aerospace test facilities is a plus.
• Comfort presenting technical material directly to government customers and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop junior engineers in a fast-paced, technically demanding environment.
• Experience working within highly technical, competitive, and quality-focused engineering cultures.

This is an onsite position based in Huntsville, Alabama, supporting a hypersonic wind tunnel program within a highly technical engineering organization. You will work as part of a focused team of approximately eight engineers dedicated to the wind tunnel project, within a broader group of around twenty engineers. The work environment emphasizes cutting-edge, technically challenging projects with high engineering standards and strong peer collaboration. The schedule offers flexibility, with core hours typically Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., allowing some autonomy in structuring the rest of your workday. The culture combines a fun, engaging atmosphere with rigorous technical expectations, providing direct exposure to government customers, significant opportunities for learning, and professional growth in the hypersonics domain.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Huntsville, AL.

The pay range for this position is $65.00 - $86.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Huntsville,AL.

This position is anticipated to close on May 12, 2026.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent
• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000 extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.

Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.

Salary : $65 - $86