Entry Level Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Entry Level Engineer (Lighting/Distribution Design) - Duke Energy

Job Description

This entry-levelEngineer role supporting Duke Energy's lighting design department by serving as a customer-facing designer for operations centers on the west coast of Florida. You will guide lighting work orders from initial customer engagement through design, proposal, permitting, and final closeout, ensuring projects are economical, compliant, and delivered with outstanding customer service. This position offers long-term growth, exposure to utility distribution engineering, and the opportunity to work on site within an operations center alongside an engaged, supportive team.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary customer-facing designer for lighting projects once work orders are assigned by the Engineering Design Associate.
• Communicate with customers by phone, email, and in person to understand their lighting needs and provide clear updates throughout the project lifecycle.
• Visit customer sites and locations to field-verify existing conditions, gather necessary technical details, and review requests directly with customers.
• Review and true-up billing information prior to design, ensuring accuracy before proceeding with project development.
• Develop complete lighting designs for assigned work orders, incorporating technical, financial, and operational requirements.
• Prepare and present lighting proposals and contracts to customers, clearly explaining scope, costs, and project timelines.
• Calculate and communicate Contribution In Aid of Construction (CIAC) costs when required, ensuring customers understand any upfront payments needed before work can proceed.
• Log and maintain detailed records of all customer contacts and communications in the designated systems throughout the project.
• Proactively communicate with customers at key milestones, providing status updates and addressing questions or concerns promptly.
• Assemble permit packages as needed, including completing locate and outage information within the required systems.
• Stake future point locations such as poles, pedestals, and other field assets to support accurate and constructible designs.
• Maintain accurate Target Start and Target Finish dates for each work order and update them throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure each job is designed in the most economically efficient manner, balancing customer needs, engineering standards, and cost-effectiveness.
• Demonstrate financial discipline by producing accurate designs that minimize the need for as-built true-ups and rework.
• Collaborate with operations center staff, project managers, and other engineering team members to coordinate design activities and project execution.
• Apply basic engineering theories, principles, and design practices to evaluate alternatives and develop sound recommendations.
• Prepare and present design recommendations and project information clearly to internal stakeholders and customers.
• Support long-term programs and contribute to future distribution engineering work as opportunities arise.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering from a four-year college or university.
• Understanding of basic engineering theories and principles.
• Understanding of fundamental practices for researching engineering and design issues, evaluating alternatives, and making sound recommendations.
• Ability to prepare and present engineering and design recommendations clearly.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills suited for a client-facing role.
• Ability to interact effectively with individuals from a variety of socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated outstanding customer service skills.
• Strong orientation toward organization and detail, with solid data management skills.
• Assertive, driven personality with the confidence to manage customer interactions and project responsibilities.
• Foundational knowledge or interest in electrical engineering, power distribution, and lighting design.
• Ability to use or learn engineering design tools and software commonly used in utility environments.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification or successful completion of the Engineering Fundamentals Exam preferred.
• Understanding of basic principles of project management, including scheduling, coordination, and resource planning.
• Experience in the electric utility industry, particularly with primary and secondary distribution systems.
• Familiarity with utility standards and general construction practices related to distribution and lighting projects.
• Ability to use design software packages relevant to utility engineering and distribution design.
• Lighting design or lighting engineering experience.
• Knowledge of enterprise design and asset management systems commonly used in utilities.
• Experience or familiarity with Smallworld, Bentley Open Utility Designer, and MicroStation.
• Background or coursework in electrical engineering, electrical design, or related disciplines.
• Experience in utilities, distribution design, power distribution, engineering design, or distribution engineering.
• Ability to work effectively within a structured, process-driven environment while managing multiple work orders.

Work Environment

This role is based on site within a utility operations center on the west coast of Florida, reporting functionally to an operations manager at the utility and a project manager at the engineering services provider. You will work in a professional office environment with a positive culture, engaged leadership, and a collaborative team focused on long-term utility programs. The position involves both office-based design work and regular travel to customer locations for field verification, site meetings, and staking activities. You will use modern engineering and design tools, including utility-specific software platforms, to develop and manage lighting projects. The opportunity offers long-term stability, involvement in large-scale utility programs, and potential to expand into broader distribution engineering work. Once converted to a direct role, you can expect access to comprehensive benefits, including an employee stock ownership program, a 401(k) with employer match, yearly performance-based raises, and robust healthcare coverage. Professional attire is expected in the office and during customer visits, reflecting the client-facing nature of the position.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Clearwater, FL.

The pay range for this position is $26.00 - $27.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Clearwater,FL.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 3, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.