Structural Engineer (Lakewood)

We are looking for the energetic take charge strategic mind of a structural engineer, someone who wants to make a difference. Our clients and projects are diverse with plenty of interesting challenges that need your help. Our company has a lot going on and we’re setting a new standard for how engineering firms do business. We need an engineer who is ready to jump in head first.

See the end of this posting for an example of the OFFER LETTER we want to send to you!Who are we?

First, you need to decide whether you would want to work in this environment. The job doesn’t matter if the company is not a place you want to work.

DL Engineering Inc.

Established in 2013, we are a full-service engineering services and consulting firm in Lakewood Colorado. Our team provides structural engineering services to architects, general contractors, homeowners, and developers. Our services include observations for structural integrity of residential homes and foundations; development of construction documentation for residential remodeling, repair and new construction for buildings of all sizes.

We believe clients deserve quality engineering solutions in a timely manner

We serve our clients because we are passionate about buildings

We believe engineers have the highest responsibility to serve others with honesty and integrity

We believe life is too short to work with jerks, so we don’t and won’t

We obsess about identifying the right solution for any given problem through engineering

We believe in building our team of Stakeholders, people who can think and act for themselves in the best interest of others

We believe in people who go out of their way to do the right thing, when no one else is watching.

We believe in RESULTS.

Our team is made of Stakeholders who are individuals committed to their craft, not employees who punch clocks. Everyone at DL Engineering is a Stakeholder who works hard, collaborates with other Stakeholders and clients, and proactively responds to the needs of others. We believe in working together as a committed community to get results for each other and our clients. Our team includes five professional engineers who are licensed in Colorado and California as well as four EITs.Who are you?

If you like working in a fluid, fast paced, growing organization that is small, yet growing into a leader in the structural and forensic engineering field; and if you enjoy helping us figure out how to get there, we could be a good fit. If you are looking for a consistent set of clear repetitive tasks to perform and be told how to perform your work, please do not apply – we don’t see work the same way.

If you enjoy meaningful work, the opportunity to further developing your craft, and collaboratively working with other Stakeholders and clients with the authority to proactively drive results, we might be a good fit.

The ideal candidate loves to serve others. This position is for someone who wants to leverage their talents, skills, and knowledge as well as actively seek out the talents, skills, and knowledge of others unselfishly for the overall success of the project.You are a fit if:

1. You are looking for a company where you will make a significant impact for a very long time as an important and equal team member, not as a simple “worker”.

2. You have a drive to serve others.

3. You are highly proactive and highly detail orientated.

4. You have a solid grasp of English and writing.

5. You have a civil engineering or related degree and Colorado PE License or EIT.

6. You have a strong understanding of load paths in structures, timber, steel, concrete, and lateral design. You’re familiar with International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC)

7. You enjoy meaningful work, focus on the RESULTS, are self-motivated and detailed, and if

8. You enjoy helping us all figure out how to be the best engineering firm around, then…

We could be a good fit for each other. You MUST be highly proactive and assert yourself as an equal team member with everyone else that you support on your team. We need you to be a self-managed adult who will TELL US what needs to happen. We have no room for followers – we all lead from our areas of expertise, and we want that from you as well. The ideal candidate loves to serve others and make OTHERS successful - this is what leaders do, and people deeply respect them for that serving/leading approach to life.What will you do?

1. Live out our Vision statement – “Support others by being your best self”. You don’t just work here, you get out of bed and come to the office because you want to support others by offering your craft to help move projects and clients forward.

2. Live out our Mission statement – “Provide quality engineering support in a responsive, economical manner that best supports our clients.” Unfortunately, too many engineering businesses are unresponsive to their client’s needs. Your interactions with them, will remind our clients that they come first and their needs are important to us.

3. Be an Engineer - Support clients by creating structural drawings and designs using AutoCAD LT for residential and commercial foundation plans, framing plans, sections and details. Be familiar with timber, steel, concrete member sizing and lateral system design. Perform job site observations and inspections. Draft reports documenting observations made during site visits.

4. Be a client advocate – Support clients as they define the scope of their project and educate them on how you can support them.

5. You will take the time to focus on the details yet balance it with the need to maximize efficiencies in order to complete work quickly. We want you to proactively look around and see how you can make things better.

6. You will be an integral part of the DL Engineering community and our business, will attend our regular team meetings for planning and strategy, and will be expected to chime right in as if you owned the place.How to applyFor now, just email us answers to the following questions in your cover letter.

How is this position a fit for you, and what would you get out of working in the environment described here?

What motivates you to do your work?

What are the three biggest strengths you could bring to us?

Where do you want to go with your life (career is a part of life, not separate)?

We look forward to hearing from you!

Following is an Offer Letter we would love to be able to send to you:

October 1, 2020

Dear great team member (we look forward to inserting your name here),

I can’t tell you how thrilled we are to have you joining our team. Thanks for being willing to jump in and make a difference in the lives of our clients, and to be part of a team committed to being transformative in the world around us.

I just wanted to put in writing how we want to approach having you work with us.

Employee vs. Stakeholder

No one is an “employee” (closely managed child). Everyone is a Stakeholder (self-managed adult), and we’ll all have equal voices in where we go as a company and how we interact as a team. Your voice is as important as everyone else’s. You will be part of our monthly company leadership meetings and we expect you to be an equal contributor with others.

Work Hours

Our core office hours are 9-4pm. And whenever possible, we’ll work around family and personal life, because that is why we’re all doing this. So, don’t hesitate to speak up when work collides with home in an unhelpful way. We have a job to do, we all work 40 hours or more of flexible time; we’re all in, to achieve results so that we can have a life, too.

Teamwork

We’re a team and we’ll help each other be successful. No rugged individualists. We aren’t co-dependent, and we’re not completely independent. We all help each other out as needed.

Job Descriptions

We will avoid these as much as possible. We will be driven by RESULTS REQUIRED, not by the process of getting there. All of us should have a very clear idea of the results we personally are responsible for, and which results the team is responsible for, and then we figure out how to build the processes that will best get us those results. Our Freedom Maps will guide how we contribute on a daily basis (we should all find ourselves on the maps), but our focus will be on getting results.

Silos/Departments

We will avoid these as much as possible. We don’t think in “departments” (IT Dept, Admin Dept, Sales Dept, etc.), but in functions (Engineering, Admin, Sales, etc.). If someone is good at engineering rowhomes, as well as sales, we’ll try to have them doing both as much as we can. However, we’ll will always ask, “What is the highest and best use of that person’s time?”, and then we’ll do whatever we can to get them doing that. We want people doing things they are really good at (and what energizes them), and will not pigeonhole them as “engineering” or “sales”, etc. It’s important that all the functions are covered that make the company successful, but it’s not important that we build fiefdoms or functional silos to contain narrow functions.

Promotions & Titles

We don’t have these. Everybody comes in at the top. This position is tentatively “Structural Engineer”, but you’ll get input on that. We will all make more money and gain more responsibility, sometimes very quickly, as we broaden our learning and broaden our impact in the business. Finding your own destiny and discovering how you can make the company more successful, moving us into things we’ve never imagined, etc. - these will result in you making more money and having more responsibility.

Leading

Nobody works for anybody, everyone works for everyone. We’re a team. That’s not chaos, and that doesn’t mean there isn’t hierarchy, but hierarchy is very deemphasized. Everyone will work for the self-directed, self-managed team, and the team will “manage” us. Since promotions are off the table, people will become leaders in various things as people follow them on that subject. Everyone deserves a regular raise – they just need to go find it (take on more responsibility, save us money, make us money, be incredible, etc.) This may sound fuzzy, but the sky is the limit.

No one person can decide if someone is hired or let go – usually it will be as many people as possible. No one individual can hire or fire you. The team hires, the team defines results desired, the team trains and mentors, and the team as a whole would decide if someone needed to go. You will be part of that team. The principle - whoever is affected by a decision should have a voice in it.

Nothing is by consensus, but not everything is by vote, either. Whenever possible, everyone affected by a decision will have a voice in that decision, and whenever possible, we’ll go with the overwhelming majority. As rarely as possible, decisions will not be by consultation, and even rarer as we grow.

Ownership

We’re fanatic about being owners of our tasks, functions, responsibilities, processes, teamwork and company contribution. Everybody thinks and acts like an owner. We are all encouraged to lead the company into whatever next thing we ought to be doing, and those who do will be compensated for doing so. If somebody invents the sticky note here, they will own some to a lot of it, not just get a thank you written on a sticky note. Owners make more time and money for making good things happen. We are all owners in that regard.

Decision-Making

Decision-making is one of the most important ways we all express ownership. Whenever possible, decisions should be made a) by those who are affected, and b) by those who will have to carry them out. Before making a decision ask yourself, “Who else could be affected by this decision?” and then get them involved. If it only affects you, there is no need to ask. Example: If you make 75% of the copies and you think we need a new copier, ask, “Who else makes copies?” and “Who would be affected by the copies we make?”, and then get those people involved. If it takes a committee, elect a tie-breaking leader before starting, then get it done. Managers don’t exist, so only those affected should need to be involved.

Some decisions will affect everyone. Whenever possible, everyone will be involved in those decisions.

Health, Wellness, and Investing

After 90-days your welcome to participate in our subsidized health care plan and 401K plan. DL Engineering contributes 90% of the health policy premium for stakeholders. For the 401K program, DL Engineering matches contributions of up to 4% of stakeholder’s salary. Everyone is 100% vested after the 90-day waiting period.

Profit-Sharing

Everyone who regularly works more than 30 hours a week will start getting profit-sharing after January 1 following their first 12 months with the company. Not everyone will own a physical piece of the company, but that is very possible for everyone as we demonstrate the mindset and work of an owner. But those who work 30+ hours or more will all get profit-sharing, which is identical to ownership, as long as you are with the company. The percentage of profit-sharing will flex as the company grows, we will always work to make it a meaningful reflection of your contribution.

Your Compensation

We’ll work this out with you – you’re worth what you bring to the game, and we’ll want your input on that. We don’t have archaic concepts like “pay ranges”, so how much you can bring to the game is the biggest factor in what you will get paid.

Starting Date

Let’s make it as soon as possible!

Thanks for jumping on board!

Best,

The DL Engineering Team

and

Daniel & Mary LeMier