Director, Electrical Engineering

Reworld Waste•Florham Park, NJ

About The Position

Scope of Role: The Director of Electrical Engineering leads the Electrical Design Engineering team and is accountable for all electrical design activities supporting the Energy-from-Waste process across more than 30 facilities across North America. This role provides design leadership for electrical infrastructure across high-voltage (26 kV to 230 kV), medium-voltage (5 kV to 13.8 kV), and low-voltage systems, including high-voltage breakers, step-up transformers, turbine generators, balance-of-plant equipment, medium-voltage switchgear, motor control centers (MCCs), fans and motors, protective relaying, and short-circuit and arc-flash studies. The Electrical Design Engineering team also supports a broad range of plant systems and disciplines, including steam generation boilers and auxiliaries, feedwater pumps, deaerator systems, turbine generators, condensers, air pollution control equipment, ash handling and conveying equipment, and metals recovery systems. This position leads a team of electrical subject matter experts (SMEs) supporting key growth initiatives, including routine capital projects, major plant expansions, and feasibility studies for new facilities. Annual capital and maintenance reinvestment at Reworld exceeds $300 million and supports long-term assets planning. While this is a corporate engineering role, it requires extensive collaboration with site/regional teams; approximately 30% of travel is expected. Reporting to the Vice President of Engineering, this role also supports talent development, goal settings, budgeting, resource planning, feasibility studies, and project prioritizations. The Director Electrical Engineering, partners closely with cross-functional leaders, including Plant Support Engineering, Sourcing, PMO, Operations, Electrical Field Services, and Regional Engineering, to ensure discipline needs are met. The position may also support business development efforts by providing technical expertise and resourcing input.

Requirements

Bachelor of Engineering/Science (Electrical Engineering) from an accredited institution.
15–20 years of experience in an electrical engineering role, including at least five years of leadership experience.
Prior electrical design engineering experience in one or more of the following (or similar) industries: Architectural Engineering firms Data centers Power generating plants Large industrial facilities (Chemical, paper, co-generation or similar industries)
Experience with MV and HV systems (e.g., switchgear, motor control centers, protective relaying, transformers).
Demonstrated experience managing technical teams is required.
Experience across the project execution lifecycle preferred: concept design, construction, commissioning, and start-ups.
Experience supporting facility operations and/or maintenance is preferred.
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze data and identify trends.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with key stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with minimal direction while providing guidance and support to a technical team of direct and indirect reports.

Nice To Haves

Technical due diligence experience for equipment sourcing from Low-cost countries (e.g. in Asia) will be a plus.
Professional Engineer (PE) license in the United States is highly desired.
Six Sigma certification (minimum Green Belt) is highly desired.

Responsibilities

Manage, prioritize, and assign work across the Electrical Engineering team and SMEs.
Lead electrical infrastructure design engineering for capital projects.
Lead technical programs of strategic importance to the company.
Develop, maintain, and continuously improve Reworld’s Electrical specifications/design standards library.
Provide engineering support to operations, including evaluation and implementation of technology upgrades aligned with the business needs.
Engage and manage outside engineering firms to deliver technically sound, business-feasible electrical designs.
Lead front-end design activities for capital projects in alignment with FEL processes and tools.
Mentor, coach, and develop SMEs, including training on FEL tools and best practices.
Lead feasibility studies for new or retrofit designs, evaluating total cost of ownership (Capital and O&M) and recommending solutions that balance technical and economic considerations.
Lead RCAs and coach SMEs in problem-solving methodologies to implement sustainable corrective actions.
Drive the lessons learned program, incorporate site feedback, and update standards and specifications to improve future designs.
Lead improvement initiatives to reduce downtime and deliver operational savings across facilities.
Lead technical risk assessments for electrical designs and retrofits, including SEOLDS, arc-flash studies, and protective relaying scheme reviews.
Lead FMEA activities to support critical troubleshooting and reliability improvements at site locations.
Perform Technical Due Diligence and provide recommendations for Projects involving Equipment sourcing from Low-cost countries.
Attract, develop, and retain talent; lead performance management processes for internal teams.
Provide guidance and support for talent development of Engineering SMEs.