Senior Electrical Engineer / HPM

Opitz Bürotechnik; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Opitz Bürotechnik is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to act as the Owner’s technical advocate across municipal, commercial, industrial, and institutional capital programs. You will provide design strategy, preliminary design, and program management, plus peer review of EOR packages and long‑lead procurement oversight.

The ideal candidate holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, a PE license, and 10–15+ years of experience in industrial power, facility distribution, or infrastructure

Qualifications

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering is required.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• 10–15+ years in industrial power, facility distribution, or infrastructure consulting.
• Experience with client representation or engineering management.
• Strong NEC/NFPA 70 knowledge and utility interconnection experience.
• Ability to communicate complex data to executives; advanced writing and presentations.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Provide design strategy and preliminary design for capital programs.
• Perform EOR peer reviews and design oversight.
• Coordinate utility interconnections and lead long‑lead procurement strategies.
• Conduct value engineering and life‑cycle cost analyses.
• Oversee commissioning, energization, and contractor activities.
• Resolve design disputes as owner’s technical advocate.

Skills

Electrical engineering expertise

NEC/NFPA 70 knowledge

Client representation

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

PE license

Job description

The Senior Electrical Engineer serves as the Owner’s technical advocate across municipal, commercial, industrial, and institutional capital programs. Demonstrated experience in design delivery will be leveraged within the owner’s advisory role. This role provides design strategy, preliminary design, technical program management, peer review of EOR packages, manages utility interconnection strategies, and oversees long‑lead equipment procurement from concept through commissioning.

Key Responsibilities

• Design Oversight & EOR Peer Review
  • Review 30/60/90% electrical design packages (power distribution, emergency generators, lighting, fire alarms, BAS) from third‑party Engineers of Record (EOR).
  • Evaluate single‑line diagrams, voltage selection, cable sizing, and transformer sizing for over‑design, constructability, and code compliance.
• Utility Infrastructure & Site Due Diligence
  • Direct early utility coordination with local electric providers to confirm service availability, rate structures, infrastructure requirements, and lead times.
• Long‑Lead Procurement & Supply Chain Management
  • Identify critical long‑lead equipment (switchgear, unit substations, VFDs, generators) during pre‑construction and oversee early purchase specifications to safeguard schedules.
• Value Engineering & Life‑Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Conduct VE evaluations on power systems, energy management strategies, and backup generation to balance CAPEX against long‑term operational costs.
• Commissioning & Energization Oversight
  • Oversee Third‑Party Commissioning agents and electrical contractors during testing, protective relay calibration, arc flash verification, and final energization.
• Technical Escalation & Conflict Resolution
  • Serve as the neutral technical expert in resolving design disputes between the Owner, General Contractor, and Engineer of Record.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
• Licensure: Active Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience: 10–15+ years spanning industrial power (480V to 15kV/4160V), facility distribution, or infrastructure consulting, with experience in client representation or engineering management. Preferably with a strong background in municipal, master planning, commercial and/or heavy industrial projects.
• Technical Breadth: Strong working knowledge of National Electrical Code (NEC/NFPA 70), utility interconnections, motor control centers (MCCs), emergency power systems, and building controls.
• Communication: Exceptional technical writing and client presentation capabilities, with the ability to summarize site risk data into actionable recommendations for executive leadership. Preferable experience with industry boards, affiliates, etc.
• Valid Drivers License required.

Physical Demands and Working Environment

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment: Work is performed mainly in an indoor and outdoor setting with exposure to all types of weather and temperature conditions, and travel from site to site.

Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination; to travel to other locations using various modes of private and commercial transportation; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.

Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction.

Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

EOE - Vets/Disabilities

HPM does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or agencies. Any resume submitted to any employee of HPM without a prior written search agreement will be considered unsolicited and the property of HPM.