Seismic Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Do you want to help engineer what's next?
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) is a national engineering firm committed to delivering holistic advice for our clients' most complex challenges. We leverage our collective and diverse experience, technical expertise, and industry knowledge of structures and building enclosures, advanced analysis, performance & code consulting, and applied science & research to deliver unrivaled, comprehensive solutions that drive superior performance. With 800 employees in offices nationwide, SGH's industry-leading teams constantly seek to advance the meaning of what's possible.
What makes careers at SGH so special?
The only way to advance is to question and explore. Every member of the SGH team is both a learner and an educator, committed to advancing ourselves, our teams, and our industry. Together we are creating a community that never settles for what is but always seeks what could be.
There are many reasons to love SGH:

• Our Work: Our clients trust us to bring clarity and deliver outstanding solutions for their most complex projects.
• Our People: We are bold thinkers and compassionate teammates, committed to lifelong learning and professional growth.
• Our Commitment: We live with integrity and embrace an obligation to give back to our professions and communities.
• Our Contribution: We offer a comprehensive and rich compensation and benefits package with company-paid and voluntary programs to help build healthy lifestyles, strong relationships, and future prosperity.

We want someone passionate about engineering mechanics and problem solving.
Our Engineering Mechanics and Infrastructure (EMI) team at SGH is seeking an individual with an advanced degree in Structural/Civil/Seismic Engineering to join our team. EMI applies earthquake engineering, seismic engineering, probabilistic methods, dynamic analysis, performance-based structural design, risk assessment, finite element modeling, and collective expertise to solve our clients' toughest problems in an inspiring work environment that nurtures lifelong learning and growth. We provide significant advancement opportunities commensurate with performance. The EMI group in Newport Beach provides services to facilities located in the United States and internationally, requiring advanced state-of-the-art analysis, such as nuclear and non-nuclear power generation facilities, national defense installations, pipelines and tanks, precision structures, and other non-building structures and systems. These services include seismic design and evaluation, probabilistic risk assessment, finite element analysis, dynamic structure response analysis, aircraft impact analysis, fragility analysis for seismic and other external hazards, and safety evaluations.
SGH works on challenging projects for commercial utilities, national laboratories and other government organizations, research institutes, other engineering firms, and contactors on a wide spectrum of projects that include nuclear and defense.
What You'll Be Doing:
Under the direction of the principal and project supervisor, the engineer plans and performs engineering analyses of structures, systems, and components for extreme events (e.g. earthquakes, wind, explosions, and impact loads) and unconventional requirements (e.g. innovative materials/construction, resilience, business interruption, rapid deployment, monitoring, etc.). Responsibilities include:

• Seismic, Advanced Analysis, Dynamics, Infrastructure
• Work on routine problems independently and on project teams.
• Perform field walkdown assessments of power generation, national defense, industrial, and petrochemical facilities.
• Develop finite element models of structures using commercially available software and perform linear and nonlinear structural analyses using these models.
• Perform seismic soil-structure interaction analyses of building structures.
• Prepare calculations and reports documenting engineering analyses.
• Support various stages of structural design for new structures and retrofits.
• Review work by analysts, technicians, draftsmen, and others assisting the project team.
• Assist in preparation of proposals, letters, reports, calculations, budgeting, scheduling, and client communication.

What You'll Need:

• 0 - 2 years of professional experience in structural engineering. We are open to hiring someone with 2-4 years of experience.
• Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or Ph.D. in Structural/Civil Engineering, or similar field; we are also open to hiring a bachelor's degree candidate who is on track to complete a Master's degree program.
• Education must have an emphasis on structural analysis, structural dynamics, concrete/steel structural design, earthquake/seismic engineering, finite element modeling.
• Knowledge and understanding of probabilistic concepts such as risk and reliability, uncertainty quantification, random vibrations, and/or stochastic processes is preferred.
• Familiarity with commercial finite element analysis computer programs such as ANSYS, ABAQUS, LS-DYNA, GT STRUDL, and/or SAP2000.
• Ability to obtain Professional Engineer (PE) or Structural Engineer (SE) registration within five years.
• Strong written and verbal English language communication skills.
• Ability to interact professionally with technical staff and clients.
• Proficiency with use of computer programming and scripting tools for engineering computations, such as Mathcad, MATLAB, Python, and/or VBA.
• Ability to travel and perform field inspection of structures under supervision.
• May be required to work on projects that are subject to passing a security clearance check.
• Valid driver's license with an acceptable Motor Vehicle Report, if applicable

Benefits Overview:
SGH provides the following benefits to eligible employees:

• Paid Time Off (Vacation time, Sick leave, Holidays)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Profit Sharing and 401(k) plan with a discretionary company contribution
• Health Insurance (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Short and Long-Term Disability (company paid)
• Employee Basic Life and AD&D insurance (company paid)
• Optional Life Insurance
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Fertility, Family Forming, and Hormonal Health benefit
• Employee Assistance Program
• Empathy Bereavement Support
• Pre-tax Commuter Benefit
• AFLAC Accident & Cancer Insurance
• Legal & Identity Theft plans
• Tuition Reimbursement

Compensation:
This compensation range is a good faith estimate pursuant to applicable equal pay and pay transparency laws. The pay range below is effective for 2026 and based on highest degree achieved. The actual salary offered will be based on several factors including the candidate's experience, qualifications, and work location.

• Bachelor's Degree: $79,560 - $81,640
• Master's Degree: $83,200 - $85,280

Base salary is a part of SGH's industry leading Total Compensation package. Our Total Compensation package includes base salary, pay for extra hours worked, an annual discretionary bonus program, generous paid time off, and health and wellness benefits with a special emphasis on substantial SGH contributions to medical insurance premiums and SGH's Profit Sharing & 401(k) Plan.
This position is eligible for a $5,000 sign-on bonus.
Associate Project Consultant:
$79,560-$85,280 USD
SGH is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all job applicants and employees. We consider all qualified applicants and encourage individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to apply. If the application system is not accessible to you, or you need a reasonable accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email or call and ask for Human Resources.
TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: SGH does not accept unsolicited agency resumes or candidate profiles. Please do not forward resumes or profiles for any of our job postings to our career site or to any Simpson Gumpertz & Heger employee. SGH is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.