Structural Engineering Intern

About Us

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is the national association representing Canada's wood products industry in the construction sector. As a leading voice for technical innovation and sustainability, CWC works to advance the use of wood as a safe, efficient, and climate-resilient material in the built environment.

Established in 1959, CWC supports a network of manufacturers, engineers, architects, and policymakers across the country. Through research, advocacy, and expert guidance, the organization helps shape building codes and design standards while expanding opportunities for wood use in residential, commercial, and institutional construction. CWC plays a critical role in connecting industry expertise with decision-makers and design professionals. Its team of engineers and technical specialists contributes directly to the development of national building codes and product standards. The organization also leads Canada’s CSA O86 wood design standard and plays an active role in advancing wood-based solutions for fire safety, seismic performance, and low-carbon construction.

Primary focus The Structural Engineering Intern will support the software testing and validation of major changes to the Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks® software for structural wood design. The role will provide day-to-day engineering review and testing of software updates delivered by the software developer. The incumbent will review software inputs and outputs, prepare structured testing reports, and help ensure that implemented changes do not result in unintended calculation errors.

The incumbent may also assist with other structural engineering activities under the guidance of senior engineers, including Python programming and the development of content and design examples for Canadian Wood Council publications.

Specific Accountabilities

•  Build test cases: Help create test scenarios and project files that can be used to compare design results between the versions of WoodWorks software before and after any change and using two different user interfaces.
•  Check engineering calculations:  Run identical project files in the old and new versions, then document and investigate any calculation differences. 
• Review software workflow: Assess and provide documented feedback on the usability and user-friendliness of the design workflow of the new software, including the clarity and consistency of software inputs and outputs.
  
• Coordinate with senior engineers: Prepare software testing reports for internal review, clearly communicate approved feedback to the software developer and attend working meetings.
• Assist with software documentation: Support updates to software online help and user guides as products move to the new software.

Qualifications

• Final Bachelor year or Master students in civil or structural engineering, or a closely related field; graduates in these programs will also be considered
• Understanding of gravity and lateral load paths, structural design for wood members, shearwalls and connections
• Methodical and detail-oriented, comfortable comparing software results and documenting differences clearly
• Coursework in wood design (CSA O86), or strong interest in it; familiarity with the National Building Code of Canada Part 4 are assets
• Clear written English; French is an asset
• Experience with WoodWorks or other structural design software, basic programming skills (Python or similar), software testing, or issue-tracking tools such as Azure DevOps are assets

What you'll gain

• Direct involvement in major changes to engineering software
  Mentoring from the CWC’s structural engineers working on codes and standards
  Experience with structural wood design including wind and seismic designs
  Experience with software development, validation and release practices
  

Position Details

• Start Date: As soon as possible
• Contract Term: 6 months, with the possibility of extension for up to an additional 6 months
• Work arrangement: Full-time or part-time, depending on the candidate’s availability