Manager - Structural Design

Jordan Sitter Associates

$110K — $130K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of hands-on structural engineering experience with welded constructions and castings
  • Expertise in fatigue life analysis, cyclic load profiles, and S-N curves
  • In-depth knowledge of weld design and its geometric impacts
  • Proficient in free body diagram analysis
  • Skilled in 3D modeling software (Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA, or Siemens NX)
  • At least 2 years of direct management experience in a technical environment

Responsibilities

  • Lead and mentor a team of 4-6 engineers, including performance evaluations
  • Own the design of structural systems including superstructures and dump bodies
  • Conduct fatigue life analysis, designing for finite fatigue life
  • Review and develop weld joint designs, evaluating various joining techniques
  • Utilize 3D modeling, preferably using PTC Creo and a top-down approach
  • Foster understanding of FEA physics in the engineering team
  • Create business cases to justify resources and support across the organization
  • Collaborate with cross-functional and international teams, with travel up to 20%

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on advanced engineering challenges in heavy machinery
  • Engagement with a tenured team to elevate engineering standards
  • Chance to influence the full structural design lifecycle
  • Involvement in diverse projects with cross-functional teams
  • Opportunity for professional development and mentoring others
  • Flexibility with occasional travel for collaborative projects
Full Job Description
11th September, 2026

Role Overview

Hands-on engineering leader to own the full structural design lifecycle for the company's ultra-class rigid-frame haul trucks (250 to 375 ton machines) built for the world's most demanding mining environments. This is not a caretaker role. The mandate is to elevate a tenured team and set a higher bar for engineering rigor, while personally engaging with the technical challenges that make this work genuinely interesting: fatigue life, weld design, and structural weight optimization.

Responsibilities
  • Lead the Structural Design department (4-6 engineers), including performance reviews, coaching, and personnel decisions
  • Own full structural system design: superstructure, dump body, front/rear running gear, castings, and weld design
  • Drive fatigue life analysis using cyclic load profiles and S-N curves; designing to finite fatigue life, not just static ultimate load
  • Develop and review weld joint designs, including full-penetration welds, fillet vs. groove tradeoffs, and toe geometry
  • Apply 3D modeling using PTC Creo (preferred) or equivalent platform; strong preference for top-down methodology
  • Mentor engineers to understand the physics behind FEA outputs, not just produce results
  • Develop business cases and written justifications to unlock resources and support across the organization
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams and international counterparts; up to 20% travel
  • Contribute to root cause analysis, failure analysis, and field warranty investigations as needed
Requirements
  • Hands-on structural engineering experience with welded fabrications, castings, and/or heavy machined structures; must have designed or co-designed real hardware
  • Fatigue life analysis depth: cyclic loading, S-N curves, finite fatigue life design
  • Weld design knowledge: full-penetration welds, joint selection, and fatigue impact of geometry decisions
  • Free body diagram fluency; can trace force flow independently from software output
  • Proficiency in 3D modeling (Creo/Pro-E, SolidWorks, CATIA, or Siemens NX)
  • Minimum 2 years directly managing technical staff (reviews, coaching, personnel decisions)
Strong Preferences
  • Heavy equipment structural experience: mining, construction, crane, agriculture, or similar cyclic-loading environment
  • Material selection experience with HSLA steel - weldability, tensile strength, and cold-weather properties
  • Top-down 3D modeling methodology - must be able to discuss and demonstrate approach
  • Sand casting design experience with wall thickness and fatigue geometry considerations
  • Ability to write clear business cases and engineering justifications
#StructuralEngineering #MechanicalEngineering #EngineeringLeadership #StructuralDesign #FEA #FatigueAnalysis #HeavyEquipment #Mining #JordanSitter #Virginia

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