Protective Design Engineer; Structural​/Blast Engineering

• Full-time
• Sub-Discipline:
  Protective Design/Blast Engineering
• Discipline :
  Specialty Engineering

At
KPFF Consulting Engineers
, we are more than just an
engineering design firm
. For 65 years
, we have dedicated ourselves to
innovative, sustainable engineering
that shapes the
built environment
and tackles
complex infrastructure challenges
. Our
team culture
emphasizes
balance, growth, and well-being
, supporting each member’s professional journey with
flexibility, generous benefits,and a
collaborative approach
to work-life integration.

With over1,500 professionals across 36 offices nationwide
, KPFF’s
decentralized structure
allows each office the
flexibility to pursue projects
aligned with their
regional strengths
. Learn more at  .

Start your structural engineering career working on challenges that go beyond conventional building design.

As a Protective Design Engineer at KPFF, you’ll be part of a specialized team working across San Francisco and Portland to help make buildings and critical infrastructure safer and more resilient. Our work considers how structures respond to extreme events, including both intentional threats and accidental hazards, and develops practical engineering solutions to reduce risk and protect people.

You’ll apply structural engineering fundamentals while building expertise in areas such as blast effects and design, structural dynamics, progressive collapse, and hostile vehicle mitigation. Depending on the project, your work may include structural analysis, computational modeling, design development, technical calculations, coordination with multidisciplinary teams, and support during design and construction.

This is an opportunity for an early-career structural engineer who enjoys analytical problem-solving and wants to explore specialized applications of structural engineering while developing a strong technical foundation.

• Specialized technical work: Develop experience with protective design methodologies, structural dynamics, advanced analysis, and the behavior of structures under extreme loading conditions.
• Challenging engineering problems: Work on projects where standard solutions may not apply and thoughtful analysis, creativity, and engineering judgment matter.
• Meaningful project impact: Contribute to designs intended to improve safety, resilience, and protection of people and critical infrastructure.
• Variety across markets: Support projects in sectors such as aviation, aerospace, manufacturing, industrial facilities, and other complex or mission-critical environments.
• Collaborative project teams: Work alongside structural engineers and multidisciplinary teams of architects, contractors, consultants, and clients.
• Early-career development: Learn directly from engineers experienced in protective design while gradually taking on greater technical responsibility.

We’re looking for an early-career structural engineer who is interested in developing expertise in protective design and enjoys solving technically challenging problems.

• Master’s degree in Structural Engineering, or a closely related graduate program with a strong structural engineering emphasis.
• Strong foundation in structural engineering principles, analysis, and mechanics.
• Coursework, research, internship, or professional experience related to areas such as structural dynamics, blast engineering, progressive collapse, extreme loading, or nonlinear analysis.
• Curiosity and an analytical mindset, with an interest in understanding how structures behave beyond conventional design conditions.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and work effectively with engineers, architects, contractors, consultants, and other project partners.
• Ability…