Principal Engineer - Automation

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 209,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

401(k) plan

Competitive pay & benefits

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. is seeking a Principal Engineer to unite customer needs, market opportunities, and technical innovation in the automation space.

This role serves as a strategic bridge among customers, Marketing, Product Management, Sales & Customer Service, Engineering Services, and R&D, turning insights into differentiated products that create value and fuel growth. The successful candidate will lead discovery, market analysis, and strategy, influence roadmaps, mentor

Qualifications

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering or applicable discipline.
• 15+ years working knowledge and experience of electric power systems or equivalent.
• Demonstrated leadership, advocacy and expertise within SEL and industry practices.
• Strong ability to mentor engineers and lead cross-functional teams.
• Excellent training, speaking, writing, and customer service skills.
• Willingness to travel as needed.
• Strong documentation and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery, development, evaluation, and advancement of ideas and technologies in automation.
• Drive market analysis, benchmarking, customer engagement, and trend analysis.
• Establish and manage a pipeline of strategic opportunities from market inputs and innovation initiatives.
• Translate market opportunities into product requirements with cross-functional teams.
• Provide deep technical expertise to ensure offerings address market needs.
• Influence product strategy, roadmaps, and technical narratives to drive growth.
• Drive customer adoption, market expansion, and revenue through ongoing engagement.
• Act as a primary bridge between customers and internal teams and participate in industry forums.
• Monitor product performance and customer value realization to guide decisions.
• Educate internal and external audiences about SEL capabilities and emerging tech.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring engineers

Communication

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's and/or PhD in Engineering

Job description

Principal Engineer Responsibilities

Lead the union of customer needs, market opportunities, and technical innovation by identifying, developing, and advancing opportunities that invent the future in the automation area. Serve as the strategic bridge between customers, Marketing, Product Management, Sales & Customer Service, Engineering Services, and R&D, transforming ideas, insights, and emerging technologies into differentiated products and solutions that create sustainable customer value, drive business growth, and strengthen SEL's leadership in the industries it serves.

• A typical day as a Principal Engineer might include: 1. Lead the discovery, development, evaluation, and advancement of innovative ideas, technologies, applications, market opportunities, and growth initiatives that invent the future and support long-term business objectives.
• 2. Drive market analysis, technology benchmarking, competitive intelligence, customer engagement, customer feedback collection, application discovery, and trend analysis to identify unmet needs, emerging opportunities, and differentiated value propositions.
• 3. Establish and manage a continuous pipeline of strategic opportunities derived from the union of customer needs, market dynamics, industry developments, technology advancements, and SEL innovation initiatives.
• 4. Translate market opportunities into product requirements and development initiatives by collaborating with Product Management, Sales & Customer Service, Engineering Services, R&D, Subject Matter Experts, Application Leaders, and other stakeholders.
• 5. Provide deep expertise in technologies, systems, applications, and customer challenges to ensure products and solutions address validated market needs and deliver differentiated value.
• 6. Influence product strategy, portfolio planning, technology roadmaps, business cases, value propositions, positioning strategies, and technical narratives that support business growth and customer success.
• 7. Drive customer adoption, market expansion, application growth, revenue realization, and long-term commercial success through continuous engagement, feedback integration, market learning, and value realization initiatives.
• 8. Serve as the primary bridge between customers, Marketing, Product Management, Sales & Customer Service, Engineering Services, and R&D while providing leadership through industry forums, standards organizations, technical committees, and customer advisory groups.
• 9. Monitor product performance, customer adoption, revenue growth, market penetration, and customer value realization to identify barriers, guide decision‑making, and improve business outcomes.
• 10. Educate internal and external audiences regarding customer needs, market opportunities, SEL capabilities, and emerging technologies through mentoring, technical content, presentations, training, intellectual property development, and knowledge sharing.
• 11. Model, teach, and apply SEL Values, Principles of Operations, and World Class Manufacturing Principles; create, protect and advance intellectual property; and contribute to organizational success through innovation, creativity, and the principles of Understand, Create, and Simplify.

Qualifications

This job might be for you if:

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering or an applicable discipline.
• 15+ years working knowledge and experience of electric power systems or other equivalent transferable knowledge and industry experience.
• Recognized as a leader, advocate and expert within SEL and industry practices.
• Demonstrated expertise in the primary focus area (Automation), with strong working knowledge of adjacent technologies, applications, products, and market segments necessary to support cross‑functional innovation, product strategy, and customer engagement.
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for developing and mentoring engineers.
• Excellent technical training, speaking, writing, and customer service skills.
• Willingness to travel per business need.
• Strong writing, documentation, and speaking skills.
• Ability to learn new skills and assume new responsibilities.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a team environment.
• Background check results satisfactory to SEL.
• Negative drug test result(s).

Preferred Qualifications

It is a plus if you have:

• Master’s and/or PhD in Engineering discipline.
• Accomplished author and presenter of technical papers.
• Holder and major inventor of US patents related to SEL's mission.
• Registered Professional Engineer.

Location

Location: Boise, ID or Pullman, WA

Benefits

• We recognize the importance of a healthy life balance and offer: 10 paid holidays, annual vacation accrual starting at 12 days, 9 paid sick days, and paid family and medical leave that covers 90% of your pay.
• We offer top tier medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• We foster growth and development of our employees through avenues such as STEM courses, apprenticeships, tuition assistance, and engineering development programs.
• Ask our team about other benefits including wellness, fertility, adoption, and flexible spending benefits.
• Competitive pay. Superior benefits. Inspiring work.
• We welcome you to learn more about how we support employees.
• We’re 100% employee owned.
• Retirement benefits include an employer funded stock ownership plan (ESOP) and personal 401(k) options.

Salary

Pay Range Data - $209,000 - $270,000 annually

We set starting pay based on job-related factors such as your experience, training, knowledge, and skills. We anticipate filling this position at the Principal Engineer level, and we welcome applicants with a range of experience. Depending on your background, we may consider you for a different level, with compensation aligned accordingly.

Equal Opportunity Statement

SEL is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Vets/Disabled.

About SEL

SEL invents, designs, and builds digital products and systems that protect power grids around the world. This technology prevents blackouts and enables customers to improve power system reliability and safety at a reduced cost. A 100 percent employee-owned company headquartered in Pullman, Washington, SEL has manufactured products in the United States since 1984 and now serves customers worldwide. Our mission is simple: to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical.