Lead Electrical Engineer

Senior Electrical Engineer – Industrial Automation

Locations: Atlanta, GA; Nashville, TN; Cincinnati, OH; Arlington, VA/Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Austin, TX; or Seattle, WA

Work arrangement: In-office

Travel: 20–30%

About the Role

Our client is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to design electrical power and controls systems for large-scale material handling and industrial automation projects.

You will own electrical design from concept through installation and commissioning. The work includes power distribution, electrical schematics, industrial networks, variable frequency drives, field devices, machine safety, and design standardization for conveyor, sortation, and automated material handling systems.

Candidates must live near an approved office or be willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Design three-phase and single-phase power distribution systems.
• Develop single-line diagrams, electrical schematics, panel schedules, control diagrams, device layouts, and wiring documentation.
• Design scalable electrical architectures for material handling and industrial automation systems.
• Specify and integrate variable frequency drives, motors, sensors, encoders, and industrial field devices.
• Design industrial communication networks using EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET.
• Integrate machine-safety systems, including emergency stops, light curtains, safety relays, safety circuits, and safety PLCs.
• Produce complete electrical design packages using AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or equivalent software.
• Review electrical drawings, equipment specifications, vendor submittals, and contractor documentation.
• Conduct field installation audits for design quality and National Electrical Code compliance.
• Support commissioning, startup, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis.
• Work with mechanical, controls, software, project management, construction, and site teams.
• Develop reusable electrical standards, specifications, and design templates.
• Provide technical guidance to junior engineers.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 5+ of electrical design experience in industrial automation, manufacturing, logistics, or material handling.
• Experience designing three-phase and single-phase power distribution systems.
• Strong knowledge of the National Electrical Code and industrial electrical installations.
• Experience creating electrical schematics, single-line diagrams, panel layouts, control architectures, and installation documentation.
• Experience with variable frequency drives, motors, sensors, encoders, and machine-safety devices.
• Experience with EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, or similar industrial communication protocols.
• Proficiency with AutoCAD Electrical, EPLAN, or comparable software.
• Experience conducting field installation audits and supporting commissioning.
• Ability to work in-office at one of the approved locations and travel 20–30%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or a related field.
• Professional Engineer license.
• Experience with conveyors, sortation systems, cross-belt sorters, AS/RS, or other automated material handling equipment.
• Experience with PLC, industrial PC, or SCADA architectures.
• Knowledge of UL 508A, NFPA 70E, arc-flash analysis, or power-system studies.
• Experience developing repeatable engineering standards and specifications.
• Familiarity with predictive maintenance, IoT, or Industry 4.0 applications.