Protective Design Engineer Internship - Summer 2027

Company Description

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 over 1,500 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 www.kpff.com.

Our Protective Design team focuses on an area of structural engineering that most students do not encounter in a typical internship: designing buildings and critical infrastructure to better withstand extreme events and security-related threats.

Job Description

As a Protective Design Engineering Intern, you will work alongside engineers in San Francisco on projects focused on the safety, resilience, and security of the built environment.

You may contribute to projects involving blast analysis, progressive collapse evaluation, anti-ram design, structural hardening, and other specialized protective design strategies for federal, commercial, and infrastructure clients.

This is an opportunity to apply what you are learning in school to engineering challenges that go beyond conventional building design. You will see how structural behavior, dynamic loading, materials, analysis, and constructability come together when the performance requirements are especially demanding.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Hands-on engineering: Support structural modeling, analysis, calculations, and design for active protective design projects.
• Specialized experience: Learn how engineers evaluate structures for blast loads, progressive collapse, and other extreme conditions.
• Mentorship: Work alongside engineers who specialize in both structural and protective design.
• Project exposure: Gain insight into project coordination, construction administration, and site visits when opportunities allow.
• Collaboration: Work with multidisciplinary teams, clients, and project partners to solve complex engineering challenges.
• Career development: Build technical skills and explore a specialized career path within structural engineering.

You will be part of the project team, not simply observing from the sidelines. Our goal is to give interns meaningful engineering experience, strong mentorship, and a better understanding of where a career in structural and protective design could take them.

Qualifications

• A strong passion for pursuing a career in structural or protective design engineering, ideally with interest in resilience, safety, and security of structures.
• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s program in Civil or Structural Engineering (junior level or higher, with at least three years of completed coursework) or a Master’s program in structural engineering.
• Coursework or exposure to structural dynamics, steel design and/or concrete design is preferred.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Strong time management and organizational abilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word; experience with structural analysis software (ETABS, SAP2000, RISA, or LS-DYNA) is a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work on a computer for extended periods of time.
• Comfort with conducting site visits and navigating construction sites, including climbing ladders and walking on uneven terrain.
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds of equipment or materials.

Additional Information

Application Instructions

If you’re excited to start your career with us, submit your application online, including your resume, cover letter, and current unofficial transcripts. Please upload your cover letter and unofficial transcripts under “Additional Attachments” on page 2 of the application.

Your cover letter should briefly address what interests you about protective design and structural engineering consulting, and why you are interested in the opportunity to intern with KPFF’s Protective Design team.

Please note that this internship requires you to be onsite and is not a remote position.

Compensation
KPFF is committed to recognizing the valuable contributions of our interns by offering compensation that reflects market standards and aligns with the local cost of living. This role offers a competitive hourly rate ranging from $34.00 to $37.00, based on experience and qualifications.

In addition to hourly pay, interns at KPFF benefit from:

• Paid overtime opportunities when project needs require additional hours.
• Exposure to a wide variety of projects that add real value to your academic and professional development.
• Mentorship and training that are part of KPFF’s investment in future engineers.
• Networking and career growth opportunities, including the potential for full-time employment after graduation.

Culture
At KPFF, interns are valued as key contributors to our success. We cultivate a collaborative, innovative, and supportive work environment that empowers individuals to take ownership of their projects. Interns at KPFF experience a dynamic workplace where autonomy and creativity are encouraged. Our team takes pride in mentoring interns and sharing professional insights to help shape the next generation of engineers.

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KPFF Consulting Engineers participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

KPFF Consulting Engineers is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, religion, marital status, sex/gender (including sexual orientation or gender identity), pregnancy, veteran status, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, or any other protected basis.