Senior Electrical Engineer
About The Position
Salas O’Brien is seeking a senior technical authority for its electrical engineering group at the principal, master, or chief engineer level. The role combines project leadership, technical advising, complex problem solving, mentorship, client engagement, and business development. It is a technical leadership position with little or no formal personnel management; the Electrical Engineer works closely with the electrical discipline manager, who handles staffing, performance reviews, career development, and day-to-day personnel matters. The primary technical focus is facility power distribution at 480V and above and medium-voltage electrical engineering. Depending on experience and project needs, the position may also support high-voltage systems, substations, controls, instrumentation, and other electrical assignments. The position reports to the Department Manager and is based in Columbus, Ohio, with a hybrid schedule. Travel may be required for customer site visits. Work is typically performed in an indoor office or client-site setting. Hours average 40 per week, with additional hours, including evenings and weekends, potentially required depending on business needs. The role is divided approximately between project leadership (50–70%) and technical advising (30–50%).
Requirements
- 15+ years of electrical engineering experience with strong expertise in power and medium-voltage systems.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license.
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems and provide clear engineering direction.
- Experience leading multiple projects and reviewing the work of other engineers.
- Sound judgment in prioritizing work and delegating tasks according to technical complexity, project deliverable timing, and team capability.
- Approachable communication style and interest in coaching engineers through practical technical challenges.
- Ability to answer client questions, communicate technical recommendations professionally, and build client confidence in engineering decisions.
- Interest in sustained technical contribution, collaborative problem solving, and a long-term role within the team.
- Ability to work independently.
- Ability to sit at a desk or workstation for long periods and work at a computer terminal for extended periods.
- Ability to lift up to 20 pounds.
- Ability to speak to and hear employees and clients by phone or in person.
- Sufficient motor skills to move around an office environment.
- Ability to analyze unique situations and develop appropriate responses.
- Ability to climb ladders and perform field investigations.
Nice To Haves
- NCEES registration is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a senior resource for difficult electrical engineering questions and guide teams toward sound, practical solutions.
- Lead the technical execution of selected projects, coordinating engineering work and maintaining technical quality.
- Participate in business development through regular interaction with client peers, identifying their needs and using those relationships to generate additional project work.
- Provide internal technical support and participate in client-facing assignments, presenting technical recommendations and representing the firm professionally.
- Review proposed designs and engineering approaches, resolve complex issues, and identify ways to improve project efficiency.
- Determine which assignments require principal-level expertise and delegate appropriate production and repetitive work to junior engineers.
- Mentor early-career engineers through active project work, explaining technical decisions and helping them build independent judgment.
- Provide timely technical assistance across projects while balancing responsibilities on directly assigned work.
- Independently perform quality reviews and detailed checks of other engineers’ work beyond directly assigned projects, including marking up work products and providing technical feedback.
- Partner with the electrical discipline manager and other engineering teams to strengthen technical capability across the group.
- Travel as needed to support customer site visits.
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
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
