Instrumentation Engineer

Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety - IBHS; Richburg (SC); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

401k/IRA

Life Insurance

Paid time off

Family leave

Disability insurance

Training & development

Job summary

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) invites applications for an Instrumentation Engineer at the IBHS Research Center in Richburg, SC. You will design, build, and maintain sensing, actuation, and data acquisition systems powering large-scale hurricane and weather testing in a controlled lab environment.

Join a hands-on engineering team that values practical, hardware‑oriented problem solving, project execution, and strong collaboration with scientists and technicians to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering; Master's preferred.
• 2–5 years of instrumentation or electromechanical experience.
• Experience with analog and digital sensors and signal conditioning.
• Experience with actuators including servo motors and solenoids.
• Experience with NI hardware and LabVIEW; Arduino is a plus.
• Strong hands-on wiring, assembly, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Able to read wiring diagrams and drawings.
• Eligible to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Design, install, calibrate, and maintain instrumentation for lab and field testing.
• Select, integrate, and control actuators such as servo motors and solenoid valves.
• Develop and maintain DAQ systems, primarily NI hardware and LabVIEW.
• Prototype and support measurements using microcontroller platforms (Arduino).
• Read, create, and update wiring diagrams and support test setups.
• Troubleshoot and resolve instrumentation and electronics issues quickly.
• Evaluate systems to improve accuracy, reliability, and performance.
• Collaborate with engineers and technicians on new instrumentation solutions.
• Maintain calibration and maintenance records.
• Follow safety standards in all lab and field activities.

Skills

Instrumentation

LabVIEW

DAQ systems

Electromechanical

Sensors

Arduino

Wiring

System troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

National Instruments hardware

Arduino

Job description

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is seeking a hands‑on, curious Instrumentation Engineer to join our research team at the IBHS Research Center in Richburg, SC — home to one of the world’s few full‑scale test chambers capable of recreating hurricanes, hailstorms, wildfire ember exposure, and other severe weather in a controlled laboratory setting. In this role, you will design, build, integrate, and improve the sensing, actuation, and data acquisition systems that power our large‑scale testing. Your work directly supports research that makes homes and businesses more resilient against severe weather.

This is a great fit for an engineer who enjoys working with real hardware — someone who likes to figure out how a system works, make it better, and see the results in action.

What You’ll Do

• Design, install, calibrate, and maintain instrumentation used in laboratory and field testing, including a wide range of analog and digital sensors
• Select, integrate, and control actuators such as servo motors, solenoid valves, and other electromechanical devices
• Develop and maintain data acquisition (DAQ) systems, primarily using National Instruments hardware and LabVIEW software
• Prototype and support measurement and control solutions using microcontroller platforms (e.g., Arduino) and other embedded systems where appropriate
• Read, create, and update wiring diagrams and support electrical and mechanical design of test setups
• Troubleshoot and resolve instrumentation and electronics issues quickly to keep research on schedule
• Evaluate existing systems and identify opportunities to improve accuracy, reliability, and performance
• Collaborate with engineers, scientists, and technicians to develop new instrumentation solutions for novel test programs
• Maintain accurate records of calibration, maintenance, and system configurations
• Follow safety standards and protocols in all lab and field activities

Requirements

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in engineering required; Master's degree preferred. Mechanical or electrical engineering are the preferred disciplines; closely related fields such as mechatronics, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, or engineering technology are also welcome
• 2-5 years of experience with instrumentation, measurement, or electromechanical systems (relevant graduate research or strong hands‑on project experience may count toward this)
• Experience with analog and digital sensors (e.g., pressure, load, displacement, temperature) and signal conditioning
• Experience with actuators, including servo motors, solenoids, and solenoid valves
• Experience with data acquisition systems — National Instruments hardware and LabVIEW architecture strongly preferred; experience with Arduino or similar platforms is a plus
• Strong hands‑on skills: wiring, assembly, testing, and troubleshooting of electromechanical systems
• Familiarity with mechanical and electrical design and the ability to interpret wiring diagrams and drawings
• Eligible to work in the United States

Nice to Have

• Experience with Python or MATLAB for data processing and analysis
• Familiarity with CAD tools for design of fixtures or test setups
• Experience collaborating with scientists, lab technicians, or multidisciplinary engineering teams

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development