Electrical Engineer

Columbia Vehicles; Aiken (SC); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia Vehicle Group in the United States is seeking an Electrical Engineer to lead the development of electric drivetrain and vehicle electrical systems. This role collaborates with R&D, Operations, Service, and Product Development to design, validate, and troubleshoot electrical systems.

You will design low-voltage systems for EVs across the lifecycle, partnering with battery, powertrain, firmware, manufacturing, and quality teams to meet safety, reliability, and cost standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related field.
• 1 to 3 years of electrical engineering experience, ideally in EV systems.
• Experience with power electronics such as traction motor controllers, onboard chargers, and DCDC converters.
• Experience supporting a vehicle program through SOP in high-volume manufacturing.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop EV electrical systems including battery pack layouts, PDUs, DCDC converters, chargers, and low-voltage systems.
• Create and maintain schematics, wiring harness designs, connector specs, and BOMs using RapidHarness or SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
• Perform analysis for current/thermal loading, voltage drop, fusing, isolation monitoring, and EMC/EMI.
• Support integration of BMS, traction inverters, motors, and charging systems (AC Level 1/2, DC fast charging).
• Develop DV/PV test plans and conduct bench and in-vehicle testing.
• Diagnose and resolve electrical faults using CAN bus tools.
• Ensure designs comply with ANSI, ISO, SAE standards and safety requirements.
• Lead or contribute to DFMEA/PFMEA, design reviews, and root cause investigations.
• Partner with manufacturing to support production launches, DFM, end-of-line testing, and troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with suppliers on component selection, qualification, and PPAP approval.
• Support engineering change management and maintain current documentation through production.

Skills

Analytical skills

Time management

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

RapidHarness

SOLIDWORKS Electrical

CAN bus analysis tools

Job description

Columbia Vehicle Group, a market leader in industrial, commercial, and consumer electric vehicles, is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented Electrical Engineer to lead the development of electric drivetrain and vehicle electrical systems. This role works closely with Engineering R&D, Operations, Service, and Product Development to design, validate, and troubleshoot electrical systems.

The Electrical Engineer will design, validate, and support production of low-voltage electrical systems for our electric vehicles across the full product lifecycle, from concept and prototype through validation and full-scale manufacturing. You’ll partner with battery, powertrain, firmware, manufacturing, and quality teams to deliver systems that meet applicable standards for safety, reliability, and cost.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop EV electrical systems, including battery pack electrical layouts, power distribution units, DCDC converters, onboard chargers, and lowvoltage (12V/48V) vehicle systems.
• Create and maintain schematics, wiring harness designs, connector specifications, and electrical BOMs using tools such as RapidHarness or SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
• Perform engineering analysis for current and thermal loading, voltage drop, fusing and circuit protection, isolation monitoring, and EMC/EMI performance.
• Support integration of battery management systems (BMS), traction inverters, electric motors, and charging systems (AC Level 1/2 and DC fast charging, CCS/NACS).
• Develop and execute design verification and production validation (DV/PV) test plans, including bench and invehicle testing.
• Diagnose and resolve electrical faults using CAN bus analysis tools.
• Ensure designs comply with applicable ANSI, ISO, and SAE standards and safety requirements.
• Lead or contribute to DFMEA and PFMEA activities, design reviews, and root cause investigations using 8D or similar problemsolving methods.
• Partner with manufacturing engineering to support production launch, including design for manufacturing (DFM), endofline testing, and process troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with suppliers on component selection, specification, qualification, and PPAP approval.
• Support engineering change management and maintain accurate, current documentation through production.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, or a related field.
• 1 to 3 years of electrical engineering experience, ideally in EV systems.
• Experience with power electronics, such as traction motor controllers, onboard chargers, and DCDC converters.
• Experience supporting a vehicle program through start of production (SOP) in highvolume manufacturing.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.

Preferred

• Experience with battery pack design, celllevel characteristics, or BMS hardware.
• Experience with document management systems and Odoo ERP.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong analytical and problemsolving skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• High level of professionalism and discretion with confidential information.
• Commitment to producing accurate, highquality documentation.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.
• Ability to walk throughout the manufacturing facility on an occasional basis.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally.
• Ability to safely access manufacturing areas while wearing required PPE.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer systems.

Why This Role Is Important

The Electrical Engineer plays a critical role in developing the core systems of our vehicles and upholds our brand promise of safety, performance, and style.

Ready to grow your engineering career while building the next generation of electric vehicles?