Principal Structural Engineer

Job Description

At Mott MacDonald, we trust our brilliant people to do brilliant things in engineering, management, and development services, supporting multisector project work in over 150 countries. As one of the largest employee-owned companies in the world, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes through our network of 20,000+ talented consultants. With sustainability and innovation at the heart of all our sectors in North America, including, Buildings, Energy, Transportation, and Water.

We believe in empowering our people to excel, learn, and grow, offering diverse opportunities to contribute to career-defining work. Join us and be part of a collaborative environment where your ambitions are united with ours, and you can truly shape your story.

If you share that vision, even if you don’t meet every requirement listed, we’d still love to hear from you. We value potential and diverse perspectives as much as experience. Let’s explore how we can support your growth and help you take the next step in your career, while contributing to an exciting new chapter for Mott MacDonald in North America.

We are seeking a Principal Structural Engineer to join our Los Angeles team and play a key leadership role in the development and delivery of major transportation infrastructure projects.

As a Principal Engineer, you will serve as a technical authority and project leader, guiding complex structural design work, mentoring engineering teams, and influencing project outcomes across multiple programs. Principal engineers are typically responsible for setting technical direction, overseeing design quality, and leading multidisciplinary collaboration on large-scale infrastructure projects.

Key Responsibilities:

Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Leading the conceptual, preliminary, and final design of structural systems using industry-standard software
• Acting as a technical lead and subject matter expert across multiple projects
• Reviewing, approving, and guiding design work to ensure compliance with codes and client standards
• Leading project meetings, client engagement, and technical discussions
• Mentoring and developing junior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence
• Overseeing and assisting on the delivery of projects including preparing and reviewing technical reports, engineering design plans, specifications, cost estimates, and studies and providing design services during construction
• Coordinating with multidisciplinary teams across offices to ensure integrated project delivery
• Supporting project and commercial management, including scope, schedule, and budget oversight
• Participating in site visits and stakeholder coordination across Southern California
• Driving a digital-by-default approach through modern engineering tools and workflows

We are looking for a highly experienced structural engineer who thrives in a leadership role and enjoys solving complex engineering challenges.

Candidate Specification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Structural Engineering (ABET-accredited)
• 15+ years of structural engineering experience on infrastructure projects
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in California (or ability to obtain within one year)
• Strong knowledge of relevant codes and standards (AASHTO, Caltrans, AREMA, ASCE, CBC)
• Demonstrated experience with California seismic design and analysis
• Proven ability to lead design for structures using:
  • Reinforced and prestressed concrete
  • Post-tensioned systems
  • Structural steel
• Experience overseeing complex designs, calculations, and documentation

Preferred Skills:

• Track record of acting as technical lead or project engineer on major infrastructure projects
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage clients
• Experience mentoring teams and managing distributed project delivery
• Ability to balance technical delivery with strategic project oversight

Benefits & Reward

At Mott MacDonald, our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, providing them with a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. We provide a comprehensive benefit package that includes 401k, medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term/long-term disability, paid holidays, PTO, parental leave, and company paid life insurance.

Individual pay is determined based on several factors such as work location, education, experience, and unique skills.

The expected salary for this position is $169,000 - $207,000.

Collaboration at Our Core
At Mott MacDonald, we believe great ideas happen when we’re together. Our hybrid approach centers on an in-office culture, with most of your time spent collaborating face-to-face and a minimum of three days per week in the office. We balance flexibility with connection, so you and your manager can choose how to meet client, team, and personal commitments.

Equal opportunity is the law.

We seek to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or disability status.