Principal Engineer – Network & Communications

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.; Pullman (WA); On-site; USD 209,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

401(k) options

Health, dental, vision insurance

Paid holidays

Vacation & sick leave

Tuition assistance

Engineering development programs

Job summary

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. seeks a Principal Engineer to lead the integration of customer needs, market opportunities, and technical innovation in networking for critical infrastructure.

You will bridge customers with Marketing, Product Management, Sales, Engineering Services, and R&D to translate insights into differentiated products driving growth and customer value. You will influence strategy, roadmaps, business cases, and narratives while guiding adoption and revenue growth

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering or applicable discipline.
• 15+ years in electric power systems or equivalent.
• Demonstrated leadership within SEL and industry practices.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration across multiple teams.
• Excellent technical training, speaking, and writing skills.
• Willingness to travel per business needs.
• Background check satisfactory and no negative drug tests.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery and development of innovative ideas, technologies, opportunities, and growth initiatives.
• Drive market analysis, competitive intelligence, customer engagement, and trend analysis.
• Establish and manage a pipeline of strategic opportunities.
• Translate market opportunities into product requirements with cross‑functional teams.
• Provide deep technical expertise to ensure differentiated value.
• Influence product strategy, roadmaps, and value propositions.
• Monitor performance and guide decisions to improve outcomes.
• Educate internal and external audiences about SEL capabilities and emerging technologies.

Skills

Leadership

Networking expertise

Mentoring engineers

Technical writing

Public speaking

Travel willingness

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering

Master’s or PhD in Engineering

Job description

Lead the union of customer needs, market opportunities, and technical innovation by identifying, developing, and advancing opportunities that invent the future of networking and communications in critical infrastructure. 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 industry leadership.

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.

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 (Network and Communications), 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).

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.

Focus Area = Network & Communications: Subject matter expert in the design, architecture, implementation, and management of mission‑critical communications and telecommunications networks supporting power systems, industrial operations, and critical infrastructure, including Ethernet, routing, switching, fiber‑optic systems, wireless technologies, network cybersecurity, and time synchronization systems.

Location: Boise, ID or Pullman, WA

Competitive pay. Superior benefits. Inspiring work.

People are at the core of our company and we hire employee-owners. 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.
• We offer top tier medical, prescription, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• 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 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.

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.

SEL is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Vets/Disabled.