Lead Structural Engineer - Outdoor Structures

1000 Ternes Drive Monroe, MI At Backyard Products, we design and manufacture beautiful, high-quality outdoor wooden structures—gazebos, pergolas, and sheds—that transform backyards into places people truly enjoy. As building codes and permitting requirements continue to evolve, we're investing in our engineering team to make the customer experience faster, smoother, and stress-free. We're excited to add a Lead Structural Engineer to our Monroe, MI team—someone who's passionate about smart design, structural integrity, and leading engineering work that makes a real difference. The Opportunity In this highly visible role, you'll lead the development of permit-ready, stamped engineering plans for our outdoor product line. You'll serve as the technical bridge between Product Development and CAD, ensuring designs meet code, perform in real-world conditions, and help customers move quickly through municipal approvals. You'll lead a team of professionals. Reporting to the President of Services, you'll play a key role in reducing permit delays, strengthening product innovation, and elevating Backyard Products as an industry leader in engineered outdoor structures. This role is in-office four days per week, with one remote day to support strong collaboration, team connection, and effective leadership. What You'll Do You will be responsible for effectively leading and developing a team of engineering and design professionals, creating clarity around priorities, promoting strong collaboration, and ensuring consistent, high-quality execution across all engineering deliverables. Lead and review engineering plans, calculations, and specifications for gazebos, pergolas, and wooden sheds in compliance with IBC, IRC, ASCE, and local codes Provide wet-stamped engineering approvals to support municipal permitting Partner closely with product engineers and CAD draftsmen to embed sound structural design into new and existing products Perform structural analysis including wind, snow, seismic loads, material selection, and foundation requirements Stay current on building codes, zoning regulations, and permitting trends across U.S. jurisdictions Mentor and develop junior engineers and draftsmen, setting best practices for quality and compliance Collaborate with customers, architects, contractors, and municipalities to resolve permitting or design questions Create tools and processes—templates, checklists, QA standards—to improve efficiency and consistency Contribute to product innovation with a focus on safety, durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness Manage engineering timelines, priorities, and deliverables tied to customer and product needs What You Bring Bachelor's or Master's degree in Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or related field 4-10+ years of structural engineering experience, ideally in residential or light commercial construction Demonstrated experience preparing and stamping plans for permitting Strong command of building codes and standards Proficiency with CAD and analysis tools such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, RISA, ETABS, STAAD.Pro, or similar Experience leading or mentoring engineers and designers Practical, solution-oriented mindset for outdoor and site-specific structural challenges Clear communicator who enjoys collaborating across technical and non-technical teams Nice to Have Experience with outdoor structures, modular products, or wood construction Professional Engineer (PE) license (Structural or Civil), with ability to pursue multi-state licensure Familiarity with sustainable materials and design practices Exposure to municipal digital permitting systems Ability to support site visits or virtual assessments when needed Why Backyard Products Competitive compensation aligned with experience Comprehensive benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off Opportunities for professional growth and continuing education A collaborative, hands-on environment where engineering directly impacts customer success The chance to lead meaningful work—helping customers bring their outdoor spaces to life If you're an engineer who enjoys leading, problem-solving, and designing structures people truly use, we'd love to hear from you. Please apply with your resume and a brief cover letter outlining your experience. Backyard Products is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.