Electrical Designer - Recent Graduate
About The Position
Summer Consultants is seeking a recent graduate or early-career Electrical Designer with up to three years of experience to join their McLean, VA team. This role is ideal for someone curious about building systems, seeking hands-on project and field experience, and eager to learn the MEP/FP consulting industry from experienced engineers. The company designs mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for buildings, with a focus on renovating and modernizing existing federal, institutional, higher education, and historic facilities. This involves technical, hands-on projects that require engineers to spend time in the field surveying existing conditions, understanding constraints, and developing practical design solutions within existing structures. The role emphasizes problem-solving, understanding how electrical systems interact with other building systems, and developing designs that contractors can build. Field surveys are crucial for learning, developing the ability to assess buildings, understand system installation and operation, identify constraints, document findings, and translate these into design decisions, ultimately building the judgment needed for a well-rounded consulting engineer.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or Architectural Engineering (Electrical/Lighting focus).
- Genuine interest in power, lighting, electrical distribution, building systems, existing-building renovation, and learning how systems work in the field.
- Curiosity about how buildings are constructed, operated, maintained, and modified over time.
- Willingness to spend meaningful time in the field surveying existing conditions.
- Ability to learn from experienced engineers, ask questions, seek and apply feedback, and take increasing ownership as experience grows.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong Microsoft Word and Excel skills.
- Ability to support day-long field surveys outdoors and indoors, including conditioned and unconditioned spaces, with or without reasonable accommodation. Field work may include walking 10,000 to 20,000 steps in a day, climbing up and down a 6-foot ladder, kneeling, squatting, and bending.
- Ability to obtain site access at client locations, including federal facilities, as required by project assignments.
- Ability to travel up to 10 nights per year, in addition to day-long field surveys.
Nice To Haves
- AutoCAD and Revit experience preferred.
Responsibilities
- Support electrical design for renovation and existing-building projects.
- Participate in field surveys to observe, investigate, document, and understand existing building conditions and systems.
- Assist with lighting and power design, electrical calculations, lighting calculations, electrical distribution, and system layouts.
- Help turn survey findings, calculations, client requirements, and existing constraints into practical design solutions.
- Support the development of drawings, calculations, reports, specifications, and other project documentation.
- Coordinate with engineers and designers from other disciplines as part of integrated project teams.
- Think about how designs will actually be constructed and operated, not simply how they appear on drawings.
- Help solve client problems with curiosity, precision, quality, and follow-through.
- Pursue EIT certification, if not already completed.
Benefits
- Medical insurance: Options where Summer pays 100% of the employee-only premium.
- Dental and vision insurance.
- 401(k): 3% automatic Company contribution, plus up to a 2% additional match, with additional profit-sharing contributions historically made based on Company performance.
- Eleven (11) paid holidays and seventeen (17) to twenty-two (22) days of PTO per year, based on professional experience.
- Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees.
- Professional licensure support: FE and PE exam and registration reimbursement, preparation support, test-day leave, and recognition payments.
- Education Assistance up to $5,000 annually for qualifying job-related coursework.
- Flexible scheduling, including a 4.5-day compressed workweek option for eligible employees.
- Flexible work environment, including hybrid work options after six months with the company, based on role, project, and client needs.
- Company-paid life, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
