Five years into structures and still waiting to run a job?

Five or so years into a structural career, the question changes. It stops being can you do the work and becomes will anyone let you run it. If your current practice keeps answering not yet, here is a place that answers differently.This is an agile structural practice with studios in London and several other cities, working across residential, commercial, retail and refurbishment schemes for developers and architects who come back repeatedly. It is the size of firm where a capable engineer is visible immediately: no layers of hierarchy to dissolve into and no waiting for someone senior to retire before responsibility moves.You would take projects from concept through to construction with genuine autonomy: your analysis, your details, your site visits, your client calls, with directors close enough to back you up rather than mark your homework. The workload is varied enough that the same month can hold a new build frame and a tricky piece of existing fabric.You will need around five years of structural design experience in consultancy, confidence with the standard analysis tools, and progress towards chartership. What matters more is the instinct to own an outcome rather than a task list.Salary is between £43,000 and £55,000.If you are done waiting for permission to be the engineer you already are, send a CV.If you've read this far and you're still unsure and would prefer a detailed market insight including salary bands and market trends - then check out our free guide here: https://www.responsumltd.com/uk-salary-guide-2026