Structural Engineering Intern / Co-Op

Davis Engineering & Consulting is seeking a Structural Engineering Intern or Co-Op student to assist with structural engineering projects and the day-to-day technical work of a small engineering firm.

This is intended to be a hands-on position. The intern will work directly with a licensed Professional Engineer and assist with drafting, engineering calculations, field documentation, project research, organization of engineering reference materials, and preparation of project deliverables.

A major part of the position will also involve building and maintaining an organized internal library of construction drawings, permit records, design examples, manufacturer information, building-code references, and other technical resources that can be used to improve the efficiency and quality of future engineering work.

The right person should be organized, resourceful, comfortable learning independently, and willing to handle both engineering-related work and the detailed research/documentation work that supports it.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and revise structural drawings in AutoCAD based on engineer sketches, markups, calculations, and existing plans.
• Assist with structural calculations for wood, steel, concrete, masonry, foundations, and other building components under the direction of a Professional Engineer.
• Review architectural, structural, civil, and manufacturer drawings and extract information needed for engineering design.
• Research building codes, design standards, manufacturer literature, evaluation reports, and other technical references.
• Search public permit databases and other available records for construction drawings and project information.
• Download, organize, classify, and maintain an internal reference library of permit drawings, structural details, design examples, and technical documents.
• Develop organized systems for making reference drawings and engineering information easy to search and retrieve.
• Assist with field visits, measurements, photographs, existing-condition documentation, and preparation of field sketches.
• Transfer field information into drawings, calculations, reports, and project files.
• Assist with preparation of structural assessment reports, calculation packages, construction documents, and other engineering deliverables.
• Perform quality-control checks such as verifying dimensions, drawing references, project information, calculation inputs, and consistency between drawings and calculations.
• Maintain organized project files and help improve internal engineering templates, spreadsheets, standard details, calculation tools, and workflows.
• Take on progressively more engineering design responsibility as experience and ability develop.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Architectural Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Comfortable working with drawings, spreadsheets, technical documents, and large amounts of project information.
• Ability to research unfamiliar technical subjects and find reliable information without needing every step provided.
• Basic understanding of structural engineering and mechanics.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD is preferred.
• Experience with Excel or similar spreadsheet software is preferred.
• Previous construction, drafting, engineering, or field experience is helpful but not required.
• Ability to manage several small assignments and follow them through to completion.

What We Are Looking For

This position is a good fit for someone who enjoys figuring things out.

We are not looking for an intern who only wants to perform textbook calculations. The position includes engineering design, but it also includes the research, drafting, documentation, organization, and investigative work that allows an engineering firm to operate efficiently.

A successful intern should be comfortable receiving an objective, researching the available information, organizing what they find, and bringing back a useful result.

As the intern demonstrates capability, the position can expand into more advanced structural calculations, design work, field evaluations, client projects, and project responsibility.

What You Will Learn

The position provides exposure to real structural engineering projects including residential, commercial, industrial, existing-building, and specialty structural work. The intern will gain experience with how projects actually move from initial information and field conditions through analysis, drawings, reports, and final engineering deliverables.

Because this is a small engineering firm, the intern will work directly with the Principal Engineer and will have significantly more exposure to the complete engineering process than is typical in a narrowly defined internship.

Pay: $18.00 - $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 15.0 – 30.0 per week

Work Location: In person