Design Associate - Geostructures

Overview

Staff Associate - Geostructures at Bunnell-Lammons Engineering (BLE). BLE is committed to people-first values, trust, clear communication, excellence, and collaborative problem solving in our multidisciplinary team.

BLE's Geostructures team is growing. We are seeking a staff associate to support the delivery of Geostructural services with day-to-day activities including preliminary Geostructural design, Geostructural plan development, and limited construction oversight. The ideal candidate is proactive, communicates well, collaborates effectively, and is eager to grow within a dynamic team.

Location: Report To:
Department Manager
Status: Full-Time, Exempt

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS:
Background checks are carried out as part of any conditional offer, including education, professional registration, employment, references, and global watchlist screening. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship and able to interview on site where the position is located.

• Associate's degree in Civil Engineering Geotechnical / Structural emphasis preferred or a closely related field from an ABET-accredited institution.
• 0-2 years of progressively responsible professional experience in relevant fields
• Currently in progress towards obtaining Engineer-in-Training (EIT)
• Required to travel regularly to local and regional project sites (typically within South Carolina and surrounding states), potentially including overnight stays and extensive fieldwork under varying environmental conditions, including adverse weather, uneven terrain, and potentially hazardous environments, while adhering strictly to health and safety protocols.

Core Competencies

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Attention to detail in drawings and calculations.
• Eagerness to learn Geostructural design principles and software tools (e.g., LPile, GROUP, RSPile, SNAP-2, Deep Ex, GEO5).
• Professional, dependable, and curious.
• Highly organized with a commitment to meeting deadlines and delivering value.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a drive to take initiative, identify opportunities, and help grow a specialized service line within a dynamic, multidisciplinary firm.

• Observe and participate in team discussions to understand project workflows.
• Receive mentoring from senior engineers on design, drafting, and field procedures.
• Develop foundational skills in collaborative engineering environments.

• Support project managers in preparing client communications and deliverables.
• Attend client meetings with supervision to build communication awareness.
• Maintain professionalism in all correspondence and interactions.

• Incorporate redlines and edits from senior reviewers.
• Learn BLE's QA/QC process through internal document review exercises.
• Support basic document checks and calculation verifications.

• Track personal task progress and provide status updates to team leads.
• Learn how project milestones are defined and monitored.
• Assist in organizing drawing packages and file systems.

• Learn applicable design codes and construction safety standards.
• Identify obvious risks during site visits and escalate to supervisors.

• Coordinate with drafters and geotechnical staff under guidance.
• Attend internal coordination meetings to understand multidisciplinary roles.
• Help integrate boring logs and testing data into design files.

• Observe interactions with specialty contractors and design team clients.
• Assist in organizing documentation from specialty contractors and design team clients.
• Learn standard contract and submittal procedures.

• Contribute to resumes and team qualifications packets.
• Maintain organized records of relevant project experience for future pursuits.
• Support proposal formatting and simple data entry.

• Log time accurately in the project tracking system.
• Understand basic metrics like billable rate and utilization.
• Participate in debriefs to learn from completed projects.

BLE is committed to fostering the growth of Staff Professionals. This role provides an excellent platform to expand technical knowledge, refine project management abilities, and develop client-facing skills. You will receive mentorship, opportunities for professional development and training, and exposure to a wide range of challenging projects. BLE supports pursuing EIT/GIT certification and beyond.

• Industry-leading reputation with a diverse and growing project portfolio.
• Collaborative, supportive work environment where leadership makes a visible impact.
• Opportunities for professional growth and advancement within a dynamic organization.

• Medical/Vision/Dental
• 401(K) with partial company matching
• Life Insurance
• Short/long term disability
• Paid vacation
• Paid…