Electrical Design Engineer

NR Consulting; Chandler (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NR Consulting in Chandler, AZ, is seeking an experienced electrical engineer to lead the design of low- and medium-voltage switchgear and power distribution equipment. You will drive documentation from customer requirements through manufacturing release, ensuring compliance with UL 891, NEC, and IEEE standards.

The role involves coordinating with PLC/control systems, performing protection strategy development, and providing technical leadership during reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Strong understanding of three-phase power distribution systems (voltage, current, power, grounding).
• Experience selecting low- to medium-voltage breakers and protective devices.
• Experience with control circuits, interlocks, trip circuits, alarms, and status indications.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and maintaining BOMs and ensuring consistency with drawings.

Responsibilities

• Lead the electrical design of low- and medium-voltage switchgear and power distribution equipment from customer requirements to manufacturing release.
• Develop and review electrical diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, interconnection drawings, and other manufacturing documentation.
• Select and specify major electrical components (breakers, metering, transformers, control power) per project requirements.
• Ensure designs comply with UL 891, NFPA 70 (NEC), and IEEE C37 standards.
• Develop grounding/bonding and protection strategies, and coordinate with PLC/control systems and other external systems.
• Review customer specifications to identify design requirements and compliance concerns for manufacturing release.
• Provide technical leadership during design reviews and communicate solutions to customers, PMs, vendors, and internal teams.
• Create, review, and maintain BOMs to match drawings and manufacturing needs.

Skills

Electrical design knowledge

Three-phase power distribution

Short-circuit current calculations

Control circuits and interlocks

BOM development and maintenance

Electrical troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD/AutoCAD Electrical

Job description

This is a hands-on engineering role with approximately 70% office-based design work and 30% Panel shop and Testing support, ensuring designs transition successfully from design to production.

Job Responsibilities/Duties:

• Lead the electrical design and development of low-voltage and medium-voltage switchgear, switchboards, and power distribution equipment, from initial customer requirements through manufacturing release and project completion.
• Develop and review electrical system documentation, including single-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, control schematics, wiring diagrams, interconnection drawings, and other electrical design documentation required for manufacturing and customer approval.
• Select and specify major electrical components, including circuit breakers, protective devices, bus systems, metering, transformers, control power equipment, and related components, based on project requirements and applicable electrical standards.
• Ensure equipment designs comply with applicable industry standards and codes, including UL 891, NFPA 70 (NEC), and applicable IEEE C37 standards, as required by the product and application.
• Determine appropriate equipment voltage ratings, continuous-current ratings, interrupting ratings, and short-circuit withstand ratings based on system requirements and available fault-current information.
• Develop and review grounding and bonding requirements for switchgear and switchboard assemblies in accordance with applicable NEC, UL, IEEE, and customer requirements.
• Develop electrical protection strategies and coordinate the application of circuit breakers, protective relays, trip units, fuses, and other protective devices to provide appropriate system protection and coordination.
• Design and review control and interlock schemes, including electrical and mechanical interlocks, permissives, trip circuits, emergency power-off (EPO), alarms, status indication, and other control functions.
• Engineer and integrate automatic and manual transfer schemes, including transfer switches and breaker-based transfer systems, where required by the application.
• Develop and review auxiliary power systems, including AC and DC control power, control power transformers, battery systems, panelboards, receptacles, lighting, heaters, and other auxiliary electrical loads incorporated into equipment designs.
• Coordinate electrical interfaces with PLC/control systems, building management systems (Client), generator controls, UPS systems, HVAC equipment, fire alarm systems, and other external systems as required by the project.
• Review customer specifications, drawings, and technical requirements to identify design requirements, exceptions, potential conflicts, and compliance concerns before equipment is released for manufacturing.
• Provide technical leadership during customer drawing reviews, design reviews, and engineering discussions, and communicate technical solutions clearly to customers, project managers, vendors, and internal teams.
• Create, review, and maintain accurate Bills of Materials (BOMs), ensuring electrical components and quantities are consistent with approved drawings, engineering requirements, and manufacturing needs.
• Work closely with Mechanical Engineering, Project Management, Procurement, Production, and Quality to resolve technical issues and ensure projects are successfully transitioned from engineering into manufacturing.
• Provide engineering support to manufacturing by resolving design questions, component substitutions, wiring issues, assembly concerns, and nonconformances encountered during production.
• Evaluate alternate components and manufacturers when necessary due to availability, lead time, cost, obsolescence, or customer requirements, while maintaining electrical performance, safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Support and participate in First Article Inspections (FAI), Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), functional testing, and other product verification activities.
• Provide technical support for commissioning, startup, and field troubleshooting, including investigation and resolution of electrical equipment issues when required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited college or university, or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant electrical power distribution experience.
• Strong understanding of three-phase power distribution systems, including voltage, current, power, power factor, grounding, and system configuration.
• Demonstrated knowledge of short-circuit current, interrupting ratings, short-time withstand ratings, and equipment application requirements.
• Experience selecting and applying low-voltage power circuit breakers, molded-case circuit breakers, insulated-case circuit breakers, protective devices, metering equipment, control power components, and related switchgear components.
• Experience developing or reviewing control circuits, breaker interlocks, transfer schemes, permissives, trip circuits, alarms, and equipment status/indication circuits.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and maintaining Bills of Materials (BOMs) and ensuring consistency between engineering drawings, component selections, and manufacturing requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot electrical equipment and resolve technical issues encountered during manufacturing, testing, commissioning, or field operation.

Preferred Qualification

• Experience with equipment utilizing major circuit breaker manufacturers such as ABB, Client, Schneider Electric/Square D, and Siemens.
• Experience with automatic transfer systems, generator paralleling or generator distribution systems, UPS systems, and redundant power distribution architectures.
• Familiarity with protective relays, power meters, communication networks, and intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) used in modern switchgear and power distribution systems.
• Experience with electrical communication protocols such as Modbus RTU/TCP, Ethernet/IP, BACnet, or other industrial communication protocols used for equipment monitoring and system integration.
• Experience supporting UL/NRTL certification, product testing, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), or other regulatory compliance activities.
• Familiarity with AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, or similar electrical drafting/design software.
• Previous experience providing technical leadership, design reviews, engineering standardization, or mentorship within an electrical engineering team.