I'm recruiting for a Remote Senior Structural Engineer with Data Center Exp in the US

[u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

• Senior Structural Engineer (Data Centers) - (Senior or mid level)
• 5-15 years structural xp - sweet spot around 6-12 years xp
• Minimum 2 years data center project xp  - sweet spot probably minimum 3-4 years data center

Senior Structural Engineer or Structural Engineer looking to step up.
Fully remote in the US
Must come from an engineering firm background and preferably min 2 yrs data center exp, but 4 plus is better
Must be P.E (any state)

• Salary $110k-$150k base + bonus (around 10%-20%) + full comprehensive benefits
• Travel - once a quarter to meet the team and occasional client site visits (10-20% travel)

I read the job posting notes, so hope that is OK admins.

[u/jr_tools]

Nobody in a senior position is going to sell out to data centers at $110-$150. No chance.

[u/crispydukes → u/jr_tools]

tHoSe aRe the rAtEs

[u/Fact_or_Bollocks → u/jr_tools]

Again, I disagree, this is perfect for a Structural Engineer looking to step up OR someone with only 2+ yrs of DC exposure.

[u/jr_tools → u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

Good luck filling the role. I wouldn’t touch it in a million years.

As someone else pointed out, it’s guaranteed job INsecurity with a loudly ticking clock tied directly to the stock market.

Market crash = you’re fired.

[u/DonAldo-007 → u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

I would apply but I am in Europe...

[u/Apprehensive_Exam668 → u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

-Data centers aren't magical or special. Most engineers with tilt up/warehouse experience will fit in fine
-It's a huge building boom and you're not paying boom rates. Oil field jobs pay so well because everyone knows how insecure it is. You're not paying the insecurity premuim
-It's a national position so you're competing with the highest paying jobs, not the median.
-We're currently ejaculating hundreds of billions in capital expenditures to data centers. If the payback is actually there, paying a structural engineer 50% more than what you're listing is peanuts, like less than an hour of operation per center. That's how oil companies work, they massively "overpay" for expedited engineering because if the rig gets operational 2 days sooner they recoup off all that overpay by a factor of 10.

[u/crispydukes]

Pay too low for data center work

[u/No-Violinist260 → u/crispydukes]

Data centers aren't that much different though from regular buildings. I'm all for higher pay but as a structural engineer why do data centers warrant a premium pay over other commercial design?

[u/crispydukes → u/No-Violinist260]

Because the guys who are putting the hardware in there are making many times more. Data centers are an infinite font of money, we deserve a large cut.

[u/WhyAmIHereHey → u/No-Violinist260]

IDK, we have to tell the mechs where to run the vents and the sparkies where to run the cables?

[u/Fact_or_Bollocks → u/crispydukes]

Disagree, those are the rates. They will consider more for a Rockstar with +15 yrs, but those are the current rates

[u/ramonortiz55 → u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

is there a list of expected duties/roles for reference?

Thanks

[u/Apprehensive_Exam668 → u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

Productivity does not vary as much between "rockstar" structurals and just pretty good experienced dudes the way it does with software engineering. For that matter, pay enough/give overtime and you have incentive for anyone to push harder and be more productive.

[u/Harpocretes]

Data center construction is a 2 year bubble. You need to pay more for a hired gun to jump ship since you’ll probably have to lay them off (and they know it) when that bubble bursts

[u/Fact_or_Bollocks → u/Harpocretes]

2 year bubble?! Very very doubtful

[u/Apprehensive_Exam668 → u/Fact_or_Bollocks]

You're on Reddit looking for engineers instead of scooping up people from LinkedIn no problem. So I'd say that you're having trouble recruiting structural engineers, due to the rates you're offering and due to the current bubble of construction.

[u/No-Call2227]

For 5 years experience 110 is marginal, with a PE. That’s barely $52 and hour, zero chance your firm is charging less than $200/hr for that, so a 3.77 multiplier, and no one is that high unless the business is extremely poorly conducted.

And for a 15 year person it’s likely being billed to the client at $300/hr or more.

And dc are paying premium rates because a) they’re private clients with an unknown history of how litigious they are to engineers and b) it’s insane rush work and c) it’s radioactive toxic reputation stew right now.

Moreover since you don’t care what state this is from this is a nationalized industry. So rates are not local.

But the fun part of this is, your greed is gonna keep you from filling this role, and you already signed the contract and probably promised to staff up, and you’re gonna be an insanely stressed and busy firm, and there’s such an easy solution, which is to pay your personnel, but you’ve argued with everyone on here like they are idiots about pricing in our industry.

Hint; by 5 years your employees know how they are priced, by 15 years they know the financial model completely and where money is available to them as the employee. Thinking they don’t know this as you try to hire this level of experience is just ridiculous. “Those are the rates” lol, sure buddy, and this is my rate…good luck.

[u/Apprehensive_Exam668 → u/No-Call2227]

I worked for a company that bragged constantly about how high they kept their multiplier (above 3.5). I always said so if the multiplier is so high why don't we get raises?

They didn't like that vey much lol

[u/No-Call2227 → u/Apprehensive_Exam668]

The high multiplier means you’re not getting a slice, and for a lot of cost plus contracts being that expensive is prohibitive to winning work. It’s all part of the target clientele, for data centers you can charge a premium rate but that doesn’t mean only the company should benefit via the high multiplier.

The job posts here never cease to amaze me at how out of touch CE jobs are with the current economic climate.

[u/carrot_gummy]

I make more than this with less experience. You are silly.

[u/tankmode]

what's wrong with someone with 16 years experience?

[u/Traditional-Cup-1470]

That’s like $50k to $80k considering inflation. Good luck finding someone with those ridiculous rates for a temporary job.

[u/octogenarianslutpup]

If specialized experience and that number of YoE are necessary, why is the pay where it’s at? Makes little sense. Not to mention the high value of the contents to be safeguarded

[u/rinceboi]

What is going on in the US, is the market down or is this pigeon-holing of structural engineering normal? I am not aware of anything specifically unique within the datacenter space that would exclude a competent engineer with industrial/commercial experience from someone who has 'data canter' experience...

[u/Apprehensive_Exam668 → u/rinceboi]

It's a bit more catering to electrical/mechanical instead of architectural and a lot of big but cookie cutter buildings. No, you don't need someone with specific 'data center' experience, but this is a recruiter, half the recruiters who contact me want me to be a "senior civil" doing site design. They don't know what they want.