Principal Electrical Engineer ¦ Data Center Design & Engineering

Hunter Philips Executive Search; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related bonus

Long-term incentive opportunity

Principal-level technical influence

Shape electrical engineering standards

Job summary

Hunter Philips Executive Search is seeking a Principal Electrical Engineer for the U.S. data center portfolio, driving design from concept through energization.

You will own MV/LV distribution, substations, switchgear, transformers, UPS and critical power systems, guiding consultants and partners to ensure high availability and scalable standards. You will lead power-system studies, set design controls, and mentor a broader engineering team to balance resilience, cost, and long-term operability

Qualifications

• 6+ years of electrical engineering experience in hyperscale data centers or mission-critical infra.
• Deep expertise across critical power, MV/LV distribution, substations, switchgear, transformers, UPS and standby generation.
• Strong understanding of data center electrical topologies, resilience and redundancy requirements.
• Experience leading electrical design through concept, detailed design, construction, energization and commissioning.
• Strong knowledge of power-system studies, protection, coordination, grounding and electrical safety requirements.
• Proven ability to direct consultants, utilities, OEMs and engineering partners on complex projects.
• Technical judgement to balance resilience, capacity, cost, constructability and operability.

Responsibilities

• Lead electrical engineering across major data center developments from concept through energization and commissioning.
• Own technical design across MV/LV distribution, substations, switchgear, UPS and critical power systems.
• Drive electrical design reviews and key technical decisions on capacity, resilience and system performance.
• Direct electrical consultants, engineers, OEMs and partners while maintaining quality.
• Lead power-system studies and reviews covering protection, grounding and arc-flash requirements.
• Collaborate with other teams to resolve complex system interfaces and ensure design intent.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Critical power systems

MV/LV distribution

Substations

Switchgear

Transformers

UPS systems

Data center topologies

Power-system studies

Protection & grounding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

PE registration advantageous

Job description

Are you a senior electrical engineer with deep critical-power expertise and the ability to influence major data center developments from concept through energization? Do you want greater ownership of the technical decisions behind increasingly large and power-dense infrastructure? Are you looking for a Principal-level role that keeps you close to the engineering while giving you influence across an expanding portfolio? If so, read on...

The Company

A scaling data center infrastructure platform developing large-scale capacity to meet the increasing demands of AI and high-performance computing.

As the U.S. portfolio grows, the business is expanding its Design & Engineering team with experienced technical leaders who can drive engineering quality, challenge conventional solutions and establish scalable designs across future developments.

The Role

As Principal Electrical Engineer, you will:

• Lead electrical engineering across major data center developments from concept and detailed design through construction, energization and commissioning
• Own technical design across MV/LV distribution, substations, transformers, switchgear, UPS, generators and critical power systems
• Drive electrical design reviews and key technical decisions around capacity, resilience, redundancy and system performance
• Direct electrical consultants, engineers, OEMs and specialist partners, maintaining technical quality throughout delivery
• Lead power-system studies and technical reviews covering protection, coordination, grounding, short-circuit and arc-flash requirements
• Drive constructability and value engineering, balancing reliability, programme, CapEx and long-term operational requirements
• Establish and continuously improve electrical engineering standards and repeatable design solutions across the portfolio
• Partner with Mechanical, Controls, Utility, Construction, Commissioning and Operations teams to resolve complex system interfaces
• Maintain technical ownership through construction, energization and commissioning, resolving critical field issues and protecting design intent
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship across the wider engineering team

The Person

The successful candidate will likely bring:

• 6+ years’ electrical engineering experience, including significant exposure to hyperscale data centers or comparable mission-critical infrastructure
• Deep expertise across critical power, MV/LV distribution, substations, switchgear, transformers, UPS and standby generation
• Strong understanding of data center electrical topologies, resilience and redundancy requirements
• Experience leading electrical design through concept, detailed design, construction, energization and commissioning
• Strong knowledge of power-system studies, protection, coordination, grounding and electrical safety requirements
• Proven ability to direct consultants, utilities, OEMs and engineering partners across complex projects
• The technical judgement to balance resilience, capacity, cost, constructability and operational performance
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline; PE registration would be advantageous

Salary & Benefits

• Performance-related bonus
• Long-term incentive opportunity
• Principal-level technical influence across a growing U.S. portfolio
• Opportunity to shape electrical engineering standards as the platform scales

Due to the continued growth of the platform, this role offers significant scope to develop into broader technical and engineering leadership as the organisation expands.