Principal Electrical Engineer

Principal Electrical Engineer

Aspen Technical Staffing is seeking an experienced Principal Electrical Engineer for an exciting contract-to-hire opportunity with a leading engineering client in Billings, Montana. This is a leadership role for an accomplished electrical engineering professional who is passionate about delivering complex industrial projects while mentoring engineering teams and driving technical excellence.

The successful candidate will lead the electrical engineering discipline across a portfolio of oil, gas, and chemical projects, providing technical oversight, project leadership, and engineering expertise from concept through commissioning.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of electrical engineers and designers supporting multiple industrial projects.
• Plan, organize, and direct electrical engineering activities to ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
• Serve as the technical authority for electrical engineering deliverables across multiple projects.
• Collaborate closely with project managers, clients, and multidisciplinary engineering teams to achieve project objectives.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships while ensuring customer satisfaction throughout project execution.
• Review and approve engineering designs, calculations, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Participate in project planning meetings, prepare progress reports, and ensure compliance with quality assurance procedures.
• Manage project scope and support change management processes throughout project execution.
• Provide engineering support during procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup activities.
• Prepare equipment requisitions, perform technical bid evaluations, and review vendor documentation.
• Lead electrical engineering activities on assigned projects when designated as the discipline lead.
• Assign work, monitor team performance, and promote collaboration across engineering disciplines.
• Ensure compliance with applicable industry codes, standards, regulations, and client specifications.
• Resolve technical challenges and develop practical engineering solutions.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, industry standards, and electrical engineering best practices.
• Mentor junior engineers and support the professional development of team members.
• Foster a collaborative, positive, and high-performing work environment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of 12 years of electrical engineering experience, preferably within the oil and gas, chemical, or heavy industrial industries.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in the United States.
• Extensive experience designing medium-voltage (MV) and low-voltage (LV) electrical distribution systems.
• Strong background in:
  • Power distribution system design
  • Equipment selection and specification
  • Protective relay selection and coordination
  • Power management system configuration
  • Interface management
  • Power system studies
  • Protective device settings
• Working knowledge of applicable electrical codes, industry standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience working on multidisciplinary engineering and EPC projects.
• Proficiency with:
  • ETAP
  • SPL
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Other electrical engineering design and analysis software
• Excellent technical, analytical, leadership, and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or other advanced engineering, management, or project management credentials.
• Extensive experience leading engineering teams on large industrial capital projects.
• Previous experience supporting engineering during procurement, construction, and commissioning phases.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong client relationships and successfully lead multiple projects simultaneously.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under the law. Assistance with the application process is available upon request.