Permit Philly is looking for a full-time, Pennsylvania-licensed structural engineer. We need a capable P.E. to create plans, reports, and calculations for various construction projects in our docket, especially small residential projects. Much of the work will be to bring illegal or unfinished construction projects into compliance with relevant codes. This role reports to our Permitting Director, who reports to the owner of the company.
In this role, you will:
- Visit sites throughout Philadelphia to map existing buildings
- Create and seal structural plans, floorplans, and structural details for existing work throughout Philadelphia. These plans will document partially or fully-completed construction, whether the construction was legally performed or not.
- Write and seal reports to document unsafe conditions in buildings, and propose remedies for those conditions
- Write and seal reports certifying that no structural work is necessary in certain alteration projects
- Provide plans, details, and calcs as needed to architecture firms working with Permit Philly
- Potentially create structural plans for new buildings, though the primary focus of the role is to legalize existing construction and assist architecture firms with alteration projects
- Assist Permit Philly’s coordinators with plan review, building code research, and miscellaneous administrative tasks at times when you have no drafting work or site visits on your schedule
This position is full-time and hybrid: you must live in or near Philadelphia, but you will – after beginning work in person – have the option to work remotely; except (obviously) when working at client sites. You will be given 24/7 access to a coworking space near City Hall.
You will have some flexibility in how you design your schedule after the first 90 days of employment, but you will be expected to be available within normal business hours Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm). You will be expected to keep to the same basic hours every week.
Benefits:
- Generous paid time off
- Generous health insurance contribution
- Unlimited SEPTA transit pass
- Competitive parental leave (after one year of employment)
- Medical, dental, or other necessary personal appointments during work hours without using PTO (provided you give Permit Philly advance notice)
Requirements:
- A Pennsylvania Professional Engineer license in good standing
- Experience with any industry-standard drafting software (Permit Philly doesn’t require you to use AutoCAD, but any alternative must be able to create equivalent drawings)
- A means of transportation to any part of Philadelphia. This doesn’t have to be a car, but you need to be able to reach clients’ properties without company-funded Uber rides.
- Willingness to follow the direction of non-engineers (in matters outside structural design)
- Willingness to suggest improvements to the company at appropriate times. This office is small but growing, and we need everyone's best ideas!
This position will begin with a 90-day training and evaluation period. During this time, the new hire will be expected to work from our Center City office when not in the field. The goal for the hire, within those 90 days, is to reliably reach sites on 24-72 hours’ notice, reliably create acceptable plans or reports, and learn to use Permit Philly’s project management software to log work and receive new tasks.
Preferences:
- Previous experience with permitting or land use processes
- Special Inspections credentials, or a willingness to pursue them
- Experience using Microsoft applications
About Permit Philly
We consult homeowners and businesses to obtain municipal approval for their projects and determine the feasibility of proposed development. Whether a client wants to build a new apartment tower or open a restaurant, we figure out how to get their project approved, then secure the paperwork they need – all while keeping everyone involved in the process up to date and on schedule.
You can learn more about Permit Philly at PermitPhilly.com/about.
