Principal Structural Engineer

Mott MacDonald•Los Angeles, CA

4d•$158,000 - $193,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Mott MacDonald is seeking an experienced Principal Structural Engineer for its Los Angeles office to lead the delivery of architectural designs from concept through construction and to grow the architecture practice. This role serves as the senior technical and operational leader for the Buildings design team, responsible for driving project delivery excellence, business growth, and team development across a diverse portfolio of building and infrastructure projects. The successful candidate will combine technical leadership, client relationship management, business development, and people leadership to strengthen Mott MacDonald's Buildings practice throughout California and the broader Southwest region. The company values potential and diverse perspectives, encouraging applications even if not all requirements are met.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Civil or Structural Engineering from an accredited institution.
Licensed Civil or Structural Engineer (PE and/or SE) in California, or ability to obtain a California license with 6 months of the date of hire.
15+ years of architectural design and project delivery experience.
Proven experience leading multiple projects of varying size and complexity.
Strong understanding of building systems, California building codes, construction methods, and technical detailing.
Experience developing complete contract documents, including drawings, specifications, and bid packages.
Excellent communications, organization, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to lead project teams and manage priorities.
Open to limited travel to regional project sites and client locations as required.
Demonstrated success delivering building projects in California; Texas project experience is additionally desirable.
Experience leading innovative and technically complex building projects, including sustainable and high-performance facilities.
Strong client management skills with a proven ability to develop long-term relationships and grow strategic accounts.
Experience managing staffing, resource planning, recruitment, performance management, and team development.
Exceptional leadership, communication, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Proficiency with Revit
Proficiency with AutoCAD
Proficiency with Bluebeam
Proficiency with Adobe Acrobat Pro
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
Proficiency with BIM coordination and documentation workflows
Proficiency with Procore (or comparable construction project management software)
Ability to independently lead multi-discipline design teams to deliver client projects on-time, within budget, and at high-quality industry standards.
Proficient structural engineering, leadership, communications and presentation skills.
Solid technical expertise and comprehensive attention to detail.
A highly collaborative and client-focused project team approach.
The ability to solve complex design and construction challenges.
Passion for delivering sustainable and innovative solutions.
Ability to mentor and develop others.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of (one or more) building markets and facility types, including aviation, ports, transit stations, maintenance facilities, major events venues, and data centers is preferred.
Established industry relationships and/or a client program network within the region are highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage the Southwest Buildings structural design discipline, ensuring the successful delivery of projects on schedule, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
Provide collaboration and design integration between structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, civil, and specialty building disciplines.
Serve as a senior client manager, building trusted relationships and ensuring exceptional client service and project delivery performance.
Lead and oversee structural design and technical delivery on complex mid-size and large-scale projects.
Establish project design direction, technical standards, and quality expectations and develop structural design strategies in collaboration with architectural and other engineering design disciplines to develop innovative technical solutions.
Develop and oversee the production and quality review process for design submissions, construction documents, BIM models, drawings, and specifications.
Manage project scope, schedule, budget, and coordination across multiple disciplines.
Provide technical leadership during construction, including responses to RFIs and construction administration support.
Ensure performance compliance with applicable building codes, zoning requirements, and industry standards and best practices.
Conduct quality assurance reviews to support constructability and design excellence.
Coordinate closely with cost estimating and scheduling teams, specialty consultants, contractors, and project stakeholders to integrate project scopes of work in alignment with client criteria goals and objectives.
Lead client presentations and serve as a trusted advisor throughout project delivery.
Support business development activities, proposals, and pursuit interviews.
Mentor and guide junior structural engineers.
Conduct site visits and field reviews to verify alignment with design intent.
Develop and execute growth strategies for Buildings design services across the Southwest Division, with an initial focus on California.
Partner with Division and Global Leadership to identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities across targeted market sectors.
Support business development efforts by developing client relationships, identifying upcoming capital programs, positioning for pursuits, and contributing to capture strategies.
Support major proposals, presentations, interviews, and pursuit activities, by helping to develop compelling win themes and differentiators.
Drive operational excellence through effective project planning, resource management, quality assurance, risk management, and performance monitoring.
Monitor business performance in alignment with staffing resources to improve utilization, project profitability, and delivery outcomes.
Foster collaboration across offices, disciplines, regions, and business units to deliver integrated, client-focused solutions.
Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain high-performing technical professionals while supporting career progression, succession planning, and workforce growth.
Establish training and development programs that promote technical excellence and professional growth across the Buildings team.
Build strong internal and external networks to support project delivery, resource sharing, innovation, and business growth.
Represent Mott MacDonald at industry events, conferences, and professional organizations to strengthen market presence and industry reputation.
Lead and promote safety and wellbeing culture, ensuring compliance with established processes and demonstrating positive safety leadership.
Champion PRIDE Values, Our Code, and Inclusion & Diversity by fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team environment.