Senior Electrical Design Engineer

SCOUT BOATS INC•Summerville, SC

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Electrical Design Engineer leads the design, documentation, validation, and production support of electrical systems across the company’s boat lineup. The role owns electrical architecture for new and existing models from concept and component selection through harness release, production launch, and continuous improvement. It establishes technical standards for electrical engineering, ensures compliance with marine electrical requirements, and mentors and directs the Electrical Design Engineer I. This hands-on technical leadership role works both at a CAD workstation and on the production floor, collaborating with engineers, technicians, suppliers, and leadership to deliver electrical systems that are safe, reliable, serviceable, and efficient to manufacture. The position reports to the Electrical Department Head and is based in Summerville, South Carolina.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or a related field; significant relevant industry experience may be considered in place of a degree.
At least 4 years of professional electrical design engineering experience, including at least 3 years designing electrical systems for boats or other vehicles.
Strong working knowledge of ABYC electrical standards and USCG electrical requirements.
Proven experience designing complete DC electrical systems and working knowledge of AC shore-power and generator systems.
Demonstrated experience designing wiring harnesses and producing harness drawings, wire lists, and electrical bills of materials.
Proficiency in electrical load analysis, wire sizing, voltage drop, circuit protection, and battery and charging-system design.
Proficiency with CAD software such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, SolidWorks, SolidWorks Electrical, EPLAN, or similar.
Experience with engineering change control and revision management.
Experience troubleshooting electrical systems with a multimeter and other test equipment.
Ability to mentor, review, and develop less experienced engineers.
Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with engineering, production, purchasing, quality, and suppliers.
Comfort working in a hands-on manufacturing environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a production boat manufacturer.
ABYC Electrical Technician certification and/or ABYC Marine Systems certification.
NMEA 2000 network design experience; NMEA certification is a plus.
Experience with digital switching systems such as CZone, EmpirBus, or similar, including configuration and programming.
Experience with marine lithium battery systems and ABYC E-13.
Experience integrating modern digital outboard engine controls and gauges.
Experience working with harness suppliers, including supplier drawings, quoting, and quality issues.
Familiarity with ERP and PLM systems.
Experience with root-cause analysis tools such as 8D, 5 Whys, or FMEA.
Prior supervisory, lead, or formal mentoring experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and development of complete electrical systems for new and existing boat models, including DC distribution, AC shore power and generator systems, batteries and charging, and engine integration.
Define model electrical architecture, including power distribution, circuit protection, grounding and bonding, and network topology.
Create, review, and approve electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, harness drawings, and related documentation.
Perform and verify load analysis, wire sizing, voltage-drop, circuit-protection, battery-capacity, and charging-system calculations.
Select and specify electrical components, connectors, terminals, wire, circuit-protection devices, switching, and electronics.
Design and integrate NMEA 2000 networks, digital switching systems, displays, and marine electronics packages.
Design and specify lithium battery systems, inverters, chargers, and power-management equipment.
Lead the design of electrical enclosures, panels, and component mounting.
Collaborate with mechanical, structural, and design engineering on wire routing, component locations, chase sizing, and serviceability.
Provide technical direction, mentoring, and day-to-day guidance to the Electrical Design Engineer I; review and approve their work and provide constructive feedback.
Establish, document, and maintain electrical design standards, drawing standards, and best practices.
Lead electrical design reviews and represent electrical engineering in cross-functional engineering meetings.
Plan and prioritize electrical engineering workload to support model-year launches and production schedules.
Serve as the technical authority on applicable marine electrical standards, including ABYC, USCG, NMMA, and other requirements; keep company practices current as standards change.
Ensure designs comply with applicable requirements, including ABYC E-11, ABYC E-13, ABYC A-31, and 33 CFR 183 Subpart I.
Support NMMA certification and respond to compliance findings.
Partner with the Electrical Department to resolve build issues, improve installation methods, and reduce rework.
Design harnesses and systems with manufacturability, installation time, and serviceability in mind.
Support prototype builds and production launches, including first-article inspection of harnesses and electrical installations.
Work with harness suppliers and component vendors on specifications, quality, cost, and lead times.
Investigate warranty claims, field failures, and dealer feedback; perform root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
Develop electrical test procedures and acceptance criteria for production and prototype boats.
Lead validation and troubleshooting of new electrical systems and components.
Verify installed systems against released documentation and engineering intent.
Own electrical bills of materials, wire lists, component lists, and harness documentation for all models.
Manage revision control and engineering changes for electrical drawings and documentation.
Ensure electrical documentation is accurately and promptly released to purchasing, production, and suppliers.
Assign and prioritize tasks for the Electrical Design Engineer I, develop their skills, and retain final technical approval of electrical designs released to production.
Work closely with the Electrical Department and production leadership, spending regular time on the production floor and responding to build questions and engineering issues.