PROJECT ENGINEERING

Job Description

Job Description

ABOUT THIS ROLE:

Paradigm Controls of Texas (PCTX) is hiring a Project Engineer to support the design and execution of industrial electrical equipment projects. This role is open to recent graduates and early-career engineers (0–5 years of experience) who hold a degree in Electrical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Technology and want to combine technical design work with hands-on project execution.

This is a hybrid technical design and project execution role, with a strong AI-augmented workflow component. Roughly half of your time will be spent working with AI tools to analyze customer specifications, produce and review engineering documentation, coordinate schedules, and manage project communications. The other half is hands-on engineering: single-line drawings, panel layouts, bills of materials, vendor coordination, kickoff and FAT meetings, and driving projects from purchase order through delivery. We are looking for someone who treats AI as a daily working partner, not an occasional aid.

You will work with Application Engineers on the front end of projects, then own the technical design and execution as projects move through the shop and out to customers. You will interface daily with customer project managers and engineers at major industrial customers in the oil & gas, midstream, and data center industries, as well as our vendor and supplier network. PCTX engineers and delivers Power Distribution Centers, switchgear, motor control centers, variable frequency drives, and UPS systems for these markets.

WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT:

• Structured onboarding with mentorship shared across a team of senior Project Managers and Engineers

• Real technical ownership of live customer projects from day one — you will not be fetching coffee

• Daily use of advanced AI tools as a core part of the job — develop skills that will define the next decade of industrial engineering

• Direct customer and vendor exposure — kickoff meetings, design reviews, FATs, delivery coordination

• Clear career path into Senior Project Engineer, Engineering Manager, or Project Manager within 3–5 years

• Small enough company that your work is visible; large enough to deliver multi-million-dollar projects

• Located in Tomball, TX, approximately 25 minutes from northwest Houston

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Project Engineer is responsible for the technical design and execution of PCTX customer orders across our full product portfolio — Power Distribution Centers, medium-voltage switchgear, motor control centers, variable frequency drives, and UPS systems. This role sits at the intersection of engineering design (drawings, layouts, BOMs, technical documentation) and project execution (customer coordination, vendor management, schedule and cost tracking, kickoff through delivery). Approximately half of the role involves AI-augmented workflows: using AI tools to analyze specifications, draft technical documents, review submittals, and coordinate project communications. Onboarding is structured to scale with your experience — new graduates work alongside senior staff for their first 12–18 months, while candidates with prior project engineering experience will ramp up more quickly and take on independent project ownership sooner.

AI-AUGMENTED WORKFLOW (APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THIS ROLE):

• Use AI tools as a daily working partner — these are core tools at PCTX, not optional aids

• Extract and cross-check technical requirements from 100–300 page customer specifications, drawings, and approved-vendor lists

• Draft and refine engineering documentation — submittals, single-line diagrams, panel schedules, BOMs, test procedures, O&M manuals — with AI assistance

• Review vendor submittals and drawings against customer specifications, using AI to flag discrepancies and non-conformances

• Draft and review technical and commercial correspondence with customers and vendors for senior review

• Build and maintain project schedules, cost tracking spreadsheets, and status reports with AI support

• Prepare kickoff, design review, and FAT meeting agendas, presentations, and minutes using AI drafting

• Critically evaluate AI outputs for technical accuracy — never issue AI-generated drawings, calculations, or customer documents without review

• Develop, document, and share reusable prompts and AI workflows that the broader engineering team can adopt

WHAT YOU WILL DO — LEARNING PHASE (WITH MENTORSHIP):

• Support senior Project Engineers on active customer orders, learning our design and execution workflow

• Read and AI-summarize customer specifications, one-lines, and datasheets to build project requirement documents

• Assist with production of engineering drawings using AutoCAD Electrical (single-lines, three-lines, panel layouts)

• Build bills of materials, vendor packages, and submittal packages under senior review

• Coordinate with vendors on lead times, drawing submittals, and technical clarifications

• Attend customer kickoff meetings, design reviews, and Factory Acceptance Tests as an observer and contributor

• Complete product training on switchgear, VFDs, motor control centers, PDCs, UPS systems, and related equipment

• Shadow senior Project Engineers and Project Managers to learn the end-to-end project execution lifecycle

WHAT YOU WILL DO — INDEPENDENT PHASE:

• Own the technical design and execution of assigned customer projects, from purchase order through delivery

• Lead engineering document production — single-lines, panel layouts, BOMs, submittal packages, O&M manuals

• Lead customer-facing kickoff meetings, design reviews, and Factory Acceptance Tests

• Manage vendor and supplier relationships — negotiate lead times, review submittals, resolve technical issues

• Coordinate with the PCTX shop and production team on build sequencing, quality, and schedule

• Track project cost, schedule, and margin; flag risks and recovery options to senior leadership

• Interface with Sales / Application Engineers to support proposal accuracy and clean handoff of new orders

• Travel to customer and vendor sites for design reviews, FATs, and delivery coordination (approximately 10–25% travel)

• Own and improve PCTX's library of AI prompts, engineering templates, and workflows

EDUCATION:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. university in one of the following:

• Electrical Engineering (B.S.E.E.)

• Electrical Engineering Technology (EET)

Degree must be conferred prior to start date.

IMPORTANT QUALITIES & CHARACTERISTICS:

• AI fluency — treats AI tools as a daily working partner and continues to learn new techniques

• Strong attention to detail, especially with technical drawings, specifications, and numbers

• Critical thinker — can spot when an AI output, vendor submittal, or calculation is wrong

• Comfort communicating in writing and in person with senior engineers, customer PMs, and vendors

• Genuine curiosity about how power equipment actually works — schematics, wiring, protection, controls

• Ownership mindset — takes projects across the finish line, does not hand off problems

• Coachability and willingness to learn from senior engineers with 20+ years of industry experience

• Ability to juggle multiple active projects at different phases simultaneously

• Team-oriented, problem-solver, and dependable

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or Electrical Engineering Technology, conferred prior to start date

• 0 to 5 years of relevant engineering, project engineering, or electrical equipment industry experience (recent graduates are encouraged to apply)

• Coursework or project experience in power systems, electrical machines, or industrial controls

• Working proficiency with AutoCAD or AutoCAD Electrical (will train on shop-specific standards)

• Demonstrated comfort with at least one AI assistant, including ability to write effective prompts and iterate on outputs

• Willingness to make AI a core daily tool — at least half of your work will involve AI-augmented analysis, drafting, and coordination

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce clear technical documents

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)

• Willingness to work onsite in Tomball, TX

• Willingness to travel approximately 10–25% for customer meetings, vendor visits, and Factory Acceptance Tests

• U.S. work authorization required; PCTX supports OPT and STEM OPT, with H-1B sponsorship considered on a case-by-case basis

PREFERRED (NOT REQUIRED — WE WILL TRAIN THE RIGHT CANDIDATE):

• Coursework, capstone, or personal projects using generative AI tools for analysis, writing, or engineering work

• Experience with prompt engineering, building reusable AI workflows, or working with AI APIs

• SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, or Revit experience (used for PDC enclosure and skid layouts)

• Exposure to industrial or commercial electrical construction, panel building, or equipment assembly

• Internship, co-op, or capstone experience in industrial, energy, or electrical equipment sectors

• Familiarity with NEC, NEMA, IEEE, UL, or ANSI standards

• Exposure to ERP, PLM, or engineering document control systems

• Prior experience in the oil & gas, midstream, power generation, or data center industries

• IEEE membership or involvement in Power & Energy Society or related professional organizations

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Base salary range: $90,000 – $120,000, commensurate with degree, coursework, and relevant experience

• Annual performance bonus eligibility

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) with company match

• Paid time off and standard holiday schedule

• Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates

• PCTX-funded subscriptions to AI tools used in the role

• Company-paid travel for customer, vendor, and FAT trips

TRAINING & CAREER GROWTH:

PCTX invests in mentorship shared across a team of senior Project Managers and Project Engineers who will guide your work on real customer projects. Beyond formal product training, you will learn how industrial engineering actually works in practice: how to read a 300-page customer specification, how to challenge a vendor submittal, how to run a Factory Acceptance Test, and how to keep a multi-million-dollar project on schedule. Onboarding is calibrated to your experience level — recent graduates receive a structured 12–18 month mentorship track, while experienced hires ramp into project ownership more quickly.

You will also receive dedicated training on AI-augmented workflows — how to prompt effectively, how to build reusable workflows, and how to integrate AI into engineering, coordination, and customer communication tasks. This is a skillset that will define the next decade of industrial engineering, and you will be at the front edge of it at PCTX.

Successful Project Engineers at PCTX progress into Senior Project Engineer, Project Manager, or Engineering Manager roles within three to five years.

ABOUT PCTX:

Paradigm Controls of Texas (PCTX), founded in 2007, is a control systems integrator and electrical equipment supplier headquartered in Tomball, TX. We engineer and deliver Power Distribution Centers, switchgear, motor control centers, variable frequency drives, and UPS systems for the oil & gas, midstream, and data center industries. Our Paradigm Critical Power division serves the rapidly growing data center market. We deliver critical power infrastructure to major industrial and energy customers across North America.