Structural Engineering New Graduate

Structural Engineering New Graduate at IMEG — Research Report

Introduction

The Structural Engineering New Graduate role at IMEG in Idaho Falls is an entry-level, full-time opportunity for engineers who want immediate exposure to building design, analysis, documentation, and construction support. The position is listed for Summer 2027 new graduate opportunities, with an application deadline of October 16, 2026, according to the listing.

This is more than a calculation-focused first job. New graduates can work alongside experienced structural engineers, architects, and project managers while contributing to commercial and institutional projects across western markets. The role also offers a practical path toward technical specialization, professional licensure, and long-term advancement inside a 100% employee-owned firm.

Overview of IMEG

IMEG is an integrated architecture and engineering consulting firm serving commercial, institutional, healthcare, education, government, and other built-environment markets. Its work brings multiple disciplines together, including structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, technology, and specialty engineering services.

The company combines the resources of a large national practice with local project teams. That model appeals to early-career engineers because it can provide access to sophisticated tools and complex projects without eliminating day-to-day contact with senior staff. IMEG positions its culture around people, communities, sustainability, and practical project outcomes.

IMEG is also 100% employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan. That ownership structure gives employees a direct financial connection to the firm’s performance and helps explain why collaboration, accountability, and long-term development are emphasized in recruiting materials.

In Idaho Falls, the structural team is likely to serve clients in a region shaped by education, public infrastructure, healthcare, commercial development, and specialized institutional work. The office environment is listed as full-time in office, with travel of up to 5%, making local collaboration a meaningful part of the job rather than an occasional exception.

Structural Engineering New Graduate Role

Role Overview

The new graduate supports structural projects from early concept and design development through construction administration. The work may involve steel, reinforced concrete, masonry, timber, and foundation systems, depending on project type and team needs.

At this level, success is not measured by independently owning an entire building. It is measured by producing accurate work, asking useful questions, learning design standards quickly, and making senior engineers more effective. A strong new graduate becomes dependable on calculations, drawings, coordination, and follow-through.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Assist with structural analysis and design for commercial and institutional buildings.
• Prepare calculations, design narratives, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Develop and revise structural plans, details, schedules, and construction documents.
• Apply building codes, material standards, and IMEG quality-control procedures.
• Coordinate structural systems with architectural, mechanical, electrical, civil, and technology disciplines.
• Participate in site observations, field investigations, submittal reviews, and responses to contractor questions.
• Support project managers by completing assigned tasks within budgets and agreed schedules.
• Contribute to sustainable design objectives, including work aligned with SE2050 goals.

Day-to-Day Workflow

A typical day may begin with a short coordination meeting to review deadlines, project changes, and outstanding questions. The morning could involve modeling a framing bay, checking member forces, or updating calculations after an architectural revision. Later, the engineer may coordinate a penetration with mechanical designers, review redlines with a senior engineer, or prepare a response to a contractor’s request for information.

Early-career staff should expect frequent review cycles. A senior engineer may mark up drawings, question an assumption, or ask for a clearer calculation path. These reviews are not a sign that the work failed; they are one of the fastest ways to learn how design decisions affect constructability, cost, code compliance, and schedule.

Tools and Technologies

The exact software stack depends on the Idaho Falls team and project, but candidates should be prepared to work with structural analysis, drafting, building information modeling, and document-management platforms. Familiarity with the following tools can be valuable:

• Autodesk Revit for structural modeling and interdisciplinary coordination.
• AutoCAD for drafting and legacy documentation workflows.
• RISA-3D, RAM Structural System, ETABS, SAP2000, or similar analysis software.
• Bluebeam Revu for PDF review, markups, and construction documentation.
• Microsoft Excel for calculations, schedules, and engineering checks.
• Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and other collaboration or project-management systems.

Software familiarity helps, but engineering judgment matters more. A candidate who can explain assumptions, load paths, boundary conditions, and code references will generally be more compelling than someone who simply lists many programs.

Skills and Requirements

Technical Skills

The baseline qualification is typically a bachelor’s degree in civil, structural, or architectural engineering, or an equivalent discipline. Related IMEG new graduate postings also identify graduate-level education requirements in some locations, so applicants should verify the Idaho Falls listing carefully before applying.

Strong candidates understand statics, mechanics of materials, structural analysis, steel design, reinforced concrete, seismic principles, and foundation behavior. They should also be comfortable reading architectural plans and recognizing how building geometry, occupancy, loads, and construction sequencing affect the structural system.

Experience with building codes such as the International Building Code, ASCE 7, AISC 360, ACI 318, and NDS is useful. Candidates do not need to know every provision by memory, but they should demonstrate a disciplined process for finding, interpreting, and documenting requirements.

Soft Skills

Structural engineering is highly collaborative. The best new graduates communicate technical concerns without creating unnecessary friction, respond promptly to markups, and know when an issue requires escalation. Clear writing is especially important because calculations, review comments, meeting notes, and contractor responses become part of the project record.

• Curiosity and willingness to learn from review comments.
• Attention to detail without losing sight of schedule.
• Professional communication with clients, consultants, and contractors.
• Comfort receiving feedback and revising work.
• Organization across multiple projects and deadlines.
• Practical problem-solving when drawings, models, and field conditions conflict.

Experience Expectations

Internship experience is helpful but not always mandatory for a new graduate. A capstone project, steel design project, seismic design study, research assignment, or student competition can demonstrate relevant ability when described concretely.

Include the project type, your personal contribution, the materials analyzed, the software used, and the result. A resume bullet such as “Designed a three-story steel frame using RISA-3D and checked beams against AISC strength and serviceability criteria” is far stronger than “Used structural software in class.”

Salary and Benefits

Available compensation data places the Idaho Falls Structural Engineering New Graduate role around $76,000 to $80,000 annually, with one listing showing an $80,000 pay figure. That range is consistent with broader early-career structural engineering compensation in Idaho, where early-career pay is reported near $78,990.

Benefits associated with IMEG roles include health, dental, vision, and life insurance eligibility from the first day of employment, generous paid time off, flexible scheduling in applicable roles, tuition reimbursement assistance, and professional development opportunities. The Idaho Falls position itself is described as full-time in office, so applicants should not assume a fully remote arrangement.

The employee-ownership plan is an important long-term benefit. In addition, new graduates may receive mentoring, technical training, and support toward professional development. Many IMEG internship and co-op programs also describe a path to full-time conversion, which signals that the company treats early-career hiring as a pipeline rather than a short-term staffing solution.

IMEG Hiring Process

Step-by-Step Hiring Stages

1. Submit a targeted application through the company or authorized job platform.
2. Complete an initial recruiter or hiring-team screening.
3. Discuss academic projects, technical interests, and relevant software experience.
4. Interview with structural engineers, project leaders, or office representatives.
5. Receive an offer followed by location, start-date, and onboarding discussions.

Application Timeline

Apply well before the October 16, 2026 deadline rather than waiting until the final week. University recruiting often operates on a rolling basis, and early applicants may be reviewed while the posting is still open.

A realistic process can take two to six weeks from application to decision, although timing varies with office workload, interview availability, and graduation schedules. Candidates should keep their phone and email information current and respond quickly to scheduling requests.

Screening Methods

Applicant tracking systems and recruiters will likely look for terms such as structural analysis, Revit, AutoCAD, RISA, steel design, concrete design, building codes, BIM, construction documents, and interdisciplinary coordination. Use these terms naturally in a skills section and in project descriptions supported by evidence.

A portfolio is not always required for engineering roles, but a concise technical work sample can help. Include a few pages showing a design problem, assumptions, calculation method, drawing excerpt, and short reflection on what you learned. Remove confidential or copyrighted project information.

Interview Preparation

Example Interview Questions

• Walk us through a structural design project and explain the decisions you made.
• How would you approach checking a steel beam for strength and deflection?
• Tell us about a time your design or calculation received significant criticism.
• How would you handle a coordination conflict between structural framing and mechanical systems?

How to Answer

Use the STAR method for behavioral questions: describe the situation, explain the task, outline your actions, and finish with the result. For technical questions, use a transparent process: define the problem, state assumptions, identify loads and governing criteria, explain the analysis method, and describe how you would verify the result.

Do not bluff when you do not know a code provision. Explain how you would locate the applicable standard, confirm the interpretation with a senior engineer, and document the decision. That response demonstrates engineering maturity and respect for quality control.

What Recruiters Evaluate

Recruiters and hiring managers are evaluating technical fundamentals, learning speed, communication, reliability, and genuine interest in building design. They also want evidence that the candidate will work well in an office-based, multidisciplinary environment.

Strong answers connect academic knowledge to real project outcomes. Explain how you reduced errors, improved a model, met a deadline, resolved conflicting information, or communicated a technical issue to a nontechnical teammate.

How to Get Selected

Practical Tips

• Tailor the resume to structural design, commercial work, institutional work, and BIM coordination.
• Lead with a clear degree, graduation date, location preference, and work authorization.
• Quantify project scope where possible, such as building stories, square footage, or team size.
• Prepare one detailed project story involving steel, concrete, timber, or seismic design.
• Review basic load paths, lateral systems, serviceability, and code terminology before interviewing.
• Ask how the Idaho Falls team structures mentoring, quality review, and licensure support.

Common Mistakes

• Submitting a generic resume that does not mention structural software or design coursework.
• Listing software without explaining how it was used.
• Ignoring constructability, coordination, or construction-phase work.
• Giving technically correct answers with no explanation of assumptions.
• Failing to acknowledge the full-time in-office schedule.
• Waiting until the deadline when the team may already be interviewing candidates.

How to Stand Out

Build a small, polished portfolio rather than a long academic archive. Show one complete design process from problem definition through verification. Include a clean calculation excerpt, a readable drawing or model image, and a short explanation of the design tradeoffs.

Networking can also help. Contact IMEG employees or university alumni in structural engineering with a concise message focused on the Idaho Falls role. Ask about the office’s project types and early-career expectations, then use what you learn to make the application more specific.

Final Thoughts

The IMEG Structural Engineering New Graduate role offers a strong launch point for engineers who want practical building-design experience, structured mentorship, and exposure to the full project lifecycle. The strongest applicants will combine solid fundamentals with evidence of careful communication, coachability, and genuine interest in collaborative design.

Update the resume, prepare a concise technical portfolio, review core structural concepts, and apply before October 16, 2026. For candidates searching for how to get hired at IMEG, the clearest strategy is to show not only what was studied, but how that knowledge can help a project team produce accurate, buildable, and well-coordinated work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Salary?

The advertised compensation is approximately $76,000 to $80,000 per year for the Idaho Falls role, with one listing reporting $80,000. Final pay may depend on education, relevant experience, qualifications, and internal compensation practices.

How Competitive Is Hiring?

The role is likely competitive because it offers national-firm resources, local-team exposure, employee ownership, mentorship, and a clear early-career path. Candidates improve their odds by applying early, demonstrating structural project experience, and showing that they can communicate clearly in a multidisciplinary office.

Which Skills Matter Most?

The most important skills are structural analysis fundamentals, code-based design thinking, familiarity with tools such as Revit or RISA, careful documentation, and collaborative communication. Coachability is equally important: new graduates are expected to learn quickly, respond well to review, and steadily take on more responsibility.