Principal Electrical Engineer

SURGE Staffing; Ormond Beach (FL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Generous paid time off

Paid holidays

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Job summary

SURGE Staffing seeks a Principal Electrical Engineer in Ormond Beach, FL to lead electrical design across multiple product lines, from concept through production and field deployment. The role focuses on scalable controls, automation platforms, and safety-conscious power distribution in healthcare and life sciences environments.

The ideal candidate brings 15+ years of experience, strong mentoring skills, and a hands-on approach to prototyping, testing, and commissioning in production settings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering required.
• 15+ years designing engineered products, systems, or capital equipment.
• Experience with both low-voltage control systems and facility/industrial power distribution.
• Strong background in industrial controls and automation.
• Experience taking products from concept through production.
• Ability to coach and mentor engineers and technicians.
• Ability to collaborate with manufacturing teams, suppliers, installers, and customers.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and technical decision-making skills.
• Willingness to stay involved in design, testing, production support, and field execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead electrical design for new products and major enhancements.
• Develop scalable electrical, controls, and automation platforms.
• Guide products from concept through production, installation, commissioning, and support.
• Improve product reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and cost.
• Establish electrical design standards and promote consistency.
• Coach and mentor engineers and technicians in technical skills.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Technical decision-making

Mentorship

Collaboration with manufacturing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

UL 508A panel design

NFPA 70 (NEC)

NFPA 79

EtherNet/IP

Modbus

BACnet

PROFINET

Job description

Principal Electrical Engineer

Location: Ormond Beach, FL
Department: Engineering
Reports To: Director of Engineering
Employment Type: Full-time, onsite in a production environment

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Principal Electrical Engineer to provide technical leadership and hands-on engineering expertise across a portfolio of equipment and facilities serving healthcare, pharmaceutical, life sciences, and government customers.

This senior technical role leads the design, development, and continuous improvement of electrical, controls, and automation systems for pharmacy compounding equipment, aseptic isolators, biological safety cabinets, cleanrooms, mobile healthcare facilities, modular pharmaceutical facilities, and custom-engineered systems.

The ideal candidate combines strategic technical leadership with direct involvement in design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and field support. This individual will help establish long-term engineering direction while working closely with engineers, technicians, manufacturing teams, suppliers, and customers to deliver reliable, high-performing products.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead electrical design for new products and major enhancements to existing products.
• Develop scalable electrical, controls, and automation platforms across multiple product lines.
• Guide products from initial concept through production, installation, commissioning, and ongoing support.
• Improve product reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and cost.
• Establish electrical design standards and promote consistency across the product portfolio.
• Coach and mentor engineers and technicians in technical skills and professional development.

Electrical, Controls & Automation Design

• Design and integrate low-voltage control systems, line-voltage systems, and facility power distribution.
• Develop industrial control panels, PLC and HMI platforms, motor controls, variable frequency drives, and electronically commutated motors.
• Integrate instrumentation, sensors, Building Management Systems (BMS), and Environmental Monitoring Systems (EMS).
• Design HVAC controls, pressure cascade systems, and building automation interfaces.
• Integrate emergency power, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and generators.
• Develop industrial communication networks and interfaces.
• Incorporate electrical safety, grounding, and protection systems into equipment and facility designs.

Engineering Execution & Product Support

• Create electrical schematics, single-line diagrams, panel layouts, wiring diagrams, and supporting design documentation.
• Select and qualify electrical components and strategic suppliers.
• Support prototype builds, verification testing, fabrication, and manufacturing.
• Participate in commissioning and troubleshoot equipment at production and customer locations.
• Lead root cause investigations and implement practical corrective actions.
• Reduce component complexity and reliance on sole-source suppliers.
• Work directly with manufacturing teams, technicians, installers, suppliers, and customers to resolve technical challenges.

Success in the First 12-18 Months

• Standardize electrical architecture across product platforms.
• Advance BMS and EMS capabilities for modular and mobile facilities.
• Improve product reliability and simplify manufacturing.
• Reduce electrical component complexity and supply risks.
• Strengthen controls, diagnostics, and serviceability.
• Establish engineering standards that support continued growth.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• At least 15 years of experience designing engineered products, systems, or capital equipment.
• Strong experience designing both low-voltage control systems and facility or industrial power distribution.
• Strong background in industrial controls and automation.
• Experience taking products from concept through production.
• Ability to coach and mentor engineers and technicians.
• Ability to collaborate directly with manufacturing teams, suppliers, installers, and customers.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and technical decision-making skills.
• Willingness to remain actively involved in design, testing, production support, and field execution.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred.
• Technical leadership or project management experience.
• Experience in precision medical, aerospace, or other environments with critical performance requirements.
• Product development experience involving pharmaceutical equipment, medical devices, laboratory equipment, cleanrooms, modular facilities, mobile equipment, or custom machinery.
• Experience with PLC and HMI development, industrial automation, BMS, EMS, HVAC controls, or building automation.
• Experience with 480V/277V and 208V/120V power distribution and 24VDC control systems.
• Familiarity with UL 508A panel design, NFPA 70 (NEC), and NFPA 79.
• Knowledge of industrial communication protocols, including EtherNet/IP, Modbus, BACnet, and PROFINET.
• Experience designing engineered products in addition to facility infrastructure.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate enjoys developing products and takes ownership from initial design through implementation. They ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions, work through technical details, and remain engaged until solutions are tested and functioning.

This individual is equally comfortable establishing technical direction, reviewing schematics, designing control panels, troubleshooting on the production floor, commissioning systems, and working alongside technicians to resolve customer issues.

Relevant industry backgrounds include medical devices, pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment, cleanroom and containment systems, industrial and building automation, HVAC equipment, critical infrastructure, aerospace and defense, and special-purpose machinery.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• Optional pet insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Employee referral bonuses.
• Safety shoe and prescription safety-glasses reimbursements.
• 80 hours of paid holidays, including a year-end shutdown.
• Generous paid time off.
• Two paid volunteer days annually.
• Paid paternity leave after one year.
• A supportive environment focused on employee well-being, growth, and work-life balance.

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