Freelance Structural Steel Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Civil / Structural Designer to join our engineering team in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This position will support the developmentof civil and structural design deliverables for industrial facilities, with an emphasis on the refining, petrochemical, chemical, energy, and manufacturingsectors. The Civil / Structural Designer will work closely with engineers, project managers, other designers, clients, vendors, and construction personnel toproduce accurate, practical, and constructible design documents. The successful candidate will support projects involving new facilities, equipmentinstallations, facility expansions, infrastructure improvements, and modifications to existing operating plants.

Responsibilities Develop civil and structural drawings, models, layouts, plans, sections, elevations, and construction details. Prepare reinforced-concrete foundation drawings for equipment, vessels, tanks, pipe racks, buildings, structures, and packaged systems. Develop structural-steel framing drawings for platforms, pipe racks, equipment supports, stairs, ladders, handrails, access structures, and miscellaneousindustrial structures. Prepare site-development drawings, including grading, drainage, paving, roadways, containment systems, earthwork, and underground utility plans. Develop demolition, modification, and retrofit drawings for existing civil and structural systems. Create and maintain three-dimensional models and two-dimensional construction documents in accordance with project standards. Incorporate engineering calculations, design sketches, vendor information, survey data, and field measurements into design deliverables. Review process and instrumentation diagrams, equipment layouts, piping plans, vendor drawings, and multidisciplinary design documents. Coordinate design interfaces with civil, structural, piping, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, architectural, and construction teams. Coordinate equipment locations, foundation dimensions, anchor-bolt arrangements, support locations, elevations, and interface points. Participate in site visits, field walkdowns, laser scans, surveys, and the collection of existing facility information. Perform field measurements and document existing structural and civil conditions. Interpret topographic surveys, geotechnical information, point-cloud data, existing drawings, and site records. Identify and communicate design conflicts, incomplete information, constructability concerns, and potential field issues. Support the development of material takeoffs and quantity estimates. Review vendor, fabricator, and subcontractor drawings for dimensional coordination and consistency with project requirements. Assist with the preparation and review of structural-steel shop drawings, reinforcing-steel details, anchor-bolt plans, and concrete details. Maintain drawing registers, model files, revisions, and supporting design documentation. Follow company drafting standards, client specifications, project procedures, and quality-control requirements. Perform self-checks and participate in interdisciplinary and independent design reviews. Revise drawings and models based on engineering comments, client feedback, construction requests, and field conditions. Support construction activities by preparing sketches, responding to redlines, and incorporating field changes into record drawings. Manage multiple assignments while meeting project schedules, budgets, and quality expectations.

Qualifications Associate degree, technical diploma, or equivalent training in drafting, design technology, civil design, structural design, or a related field is preferred. Minimum of five years of relevant civil and structural design experience is preferred. Experience supporting industrial, refining, petrochemical, chemical, energy, or manufacturing facilities is strongly preferred. Experience developing reinforced-concrete foundation drawings and structural-steel fabrication or construction drawings. Experience with equipment foundations, pipe racks, platforms, buildings, pipe supports, tank foundations, and miscellaneous industrial structures. Proficiency with AutoCAD and related drafting and design applications. Experience with AutoCAD, Advance Steel, Plant 3D, Navisworks, or similar software is preferred. Experience working with three-dimensional models, laser scans, and point-cloud data is preferred. Ability to interpret engineering sketches, calculations, surveys, geotechnical information, vendor drawings, and multidisciplinary design documents. Working knowledge of civil and structural drafting standards, construction practices, and industrial facility requirements. Familiarity with structural-steel detailing, reinforced-concrete detailing, anchor-bolt layouts, reinforcing-steel placement, and foundation construction. Experience with brownfield projects, field investigations, and modifications to existing operating facilities is preferred. Strong attention to detail, spatial awareness, organizational skills, and design-documentation accuracy. Ability to recognize design conflicts and coordinate effectively with engineers and other design disciplines. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary project team.