Remote | Structural & Mechanical Engineering Benchmark Consultant — $60–$90/hour
About The Position
We are sharing a specialised part-time consulting opportunity for structural and mechanical engineering professionals experienced in finite element methods, scikit-fem, computational mechanics, beam analysis, elasticity problems, mesh convergence studies, variational formulations, Python scientific computing, and benchmark evaluation workflows. This role supports current and upcoming remote consulting opportunities focused on structural and mechanical engineering problem design, scientific software evaluation, finite element workflow development, Python-based validation, and high-quality project execution. Selected professionals will design challenging research-grade computational problems, create precise expected outputs, develop validation logic, and refine task difficulty based on structured calibration feedback.
Requirements
- Graduate-level expertise in structural engineering, mechanical engineering, computational mechanics, applied mechanics, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, materials science, or a closely related STEM field
- MS, PhD, or equivalent research experience in a relevant domain
- Hands-on experience using scikit-fem or comparable finite element and computational mechanics tools in real research or engineering workflows
- Strong Python programming skills for scientific computing, validation logic, and task setup
- Experience writing code that calls scientific software libraries to solve actual engineering or mechanics problems
- Ability to understand software edge cases, numerical limitations, and what makes a problem genuinely difficult
- Comfort working independently and iterating on problem designs based on feedback
- Ability to work in Linux, terminal-based environments, or remote compute sandboxes
Nice To Haves
- Experience across multiple finite element tools, structural analysis libraries, or computational mechanics methods
- Familiarity with benchmark design, evaluation design, calibration workflows, or technical task validation
- Background in scientific pedagogy, exam design, problem-set creation, or graduate-level technical assessment
- Experience with computational reproducibility, containerized environments, remote compute, or research software packaging
Responsibilities
- Design original graduate-level computational problems grounded in real structural engineering, mechanical engineering, and computational mechanics workflows
- Create tasks involving finite element analysis, beam analysis, elasticity problems, variational formulations, or mesh convergence studies
- Develop problems that require precise outputs from fully specified computational setups
- Design tasks that test strategic reasoning, physical interpretation, numerical judgment, and careful analysis of partial simulation outputs
- Work with scikit-fem or similar finite element libraries for structural and mechanical engineering analysis
- Create problems involving Timoshenko beam theory, elasticity, finite element discretization, computational mechanics, or convergence behavior
- Evaluate whether tasks require genuine engineering reasoning rather than surface-level computation
- Identify edge cases, numerical artifacts, solver limitations, or reasoning traps that make a problem genuinely challenging
- Write Python problem setups, oracle functions, and solution validators
- Refine tasks through calibration feedback until the difficulty reaches the target range
- Create structured evaluation materials that support reproducible scoring and consistent review
- Maintain technical accuracy, reproducibility, and clear documentation across submitted task materials
Benefits
- Competitive hourly compensation
- Flexible scheduling
- Weekly payments via Stripe or Wise
- Projects may be extended, shortened, or adjusted depending on scope and performance
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Part-time
Career Level
Entry Level
