Coastal Engineering Co-op Opportunity in Houston, Texas

Make Waves in Your Future Career

As part of our global team, you will gain extended, hands-on experience contributing to real-world marine, coastal, and waterfront engineering projects from early design through construction. This co-op experience is designed to provide meaningful immersion over a longer term, allowing you to build technical depth, develop professional confidence, and collaborate closely with colleagues across Baird’s international offices. If you are curious, motivated, and excited to apply your academic learning in a practical, supportive environment, this opportunity offers a strong foundation for long-term professional growth while contributing to impactful work.

Company Description
Baird is a 130+ person, employee-owned engineering firm specializing exclusively in coastal, marine, and riverine engineering. With offices across the United States, Canada, Australia, Barbados, Jamaica, Chile, and the United Kingdom, Baird is one of the only firms in the world dedicated solely to marine and coastal projects. Our people are united by a shared commitment to technical excellence, collaboration, and stewardship of coastal environments.

Coastal Engineering Co-op – Houston, Texas
As a Coastal Engineering Co-op Student working under the guidance of supervising professional engineers, you will support projects across Baird’s global offices by:

• Participating in field data collection and site investigations
• Supporting engineering analyses and design of coastal and marine structures
• Assisting with the preparation of project deliverables, including technical reports, calculations, cost estimates, specifications, and drawings
• Supporting construction administration tasks for projects in active construction
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and gaining exposure to multiple phases of project delivery
  
  

What Helps You Thrive in This Role
Across the organization, people enjoy working with you because you are approachable, collaborative, and adaptable. You are comfortable in a high-accountability team environment and take ownership of your work. You manage your time effectively, balance multiple priorities, and are proactive about learning. You communicate clearly and respectfully, and you are confident raising your hand when opportunities to contribute or learn arise.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Junior, Senior, or Graduate student enrolled in an (ideally) ABET-accredited engineering program, with a focus on water resources, coastal, civil, structural, geological, or geotechnical engineering
• Availability to participate in a full-time co-op placement for approximately 9 months or one academic semester
• Ability to work on-site at our Houston, Texas office, with a hybrid schedule available based on project needs
• Interest in gaining practical, applied engineering experience in a consulting environment

Preferred

• Previous internship or co-op experience with an engineering or environmental consulting firm
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD
• Experience with, or interest in learning, GIS software
• Experience with, or willingness to learn, MATLAB and/or Python

Equal Opportunity & Inclusion
Baird is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive workplace. We value diversity in all its forms and recognize that different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences strengthen our teams and enhance the quality of our work. We are dedicated to providing equitable employment opportunities and a work environment where everyone feels welcomed, supported, and empowered to contribute and grow.

Work Authorization
At this time, Baird is only able to consider candidates who are authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future employment sponsorship, this included applicants who are eligible to work soley under a student visa for this opportunity.