Senior Project Engineer

Actalent; United States; Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

HSA and transportation benefits

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to lead FEED efforts for distributed generation, microgrid, and critical power projects in the Houston area. The role focuses on establishing design criteria, electrical scopes, and basis-of-design documentation to guide successful project execution.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years in electrical engineering and project roles, with strong knowledge of NEC/IEEE standards and power distribution.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of combined electrical engineering and project engineering experience.
• Strong expertise in medium-voltage and low-voltage power distribution systems.
• Proficiency with ETAP, SKM, EasyPower, or similar power system analysis tools.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and project coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead FEED and conceptual engineering activities for distributed generation, microgrid, and critical power projects.
• Develop electrical scopes, design criteria, and basis-of-design documentation to establish project execution foundations.
• Drive engineering decisions on system topology, redundancy strategies, protection schemes, and power distribution architecture.
• Provide construction support, commissioning guidance, and technical expertise throughout the project lifecycle.

Skills

FEED leadership

Power systems design

Project coordination

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

ETAP

SKM

EasyPower

AutoCAD

Job description

Senior Project Engineer

Houston, TX (Hybrid: 3 days onsite | 2 days remote)

Power the Future of Energy Infrastructure

Are you an experienced electrical engineer who thrives on solving complex power challenges and shaping the future of resilient energy systems? Join a growing team at the forefront of distributed generation, microgrids, and mission-critical power solutions.

As a Senior Project Engineer, you'll lead Front-End Engineering & Design (FEED) efforts for cutting-edge microgrid and distributed energy projects that improve reliability, sustainability, and grid performance for industrial, commercial, and critical infrastructure clients. You'll play a pivotal role in transforming concepts into executable solutions, influencing key technical decisions from project inception through commissioning.

If you're passionate about power systems, enjoy collaborating across disciplines, and want to work on projects that make a meaningful impact on the energy landscape, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Do

Technical Leadership & Project Development

• Lead FEED and conceptual engineering activities for distributed generation, microgrid, and critical power projects.
• Establish the technical foundation for successful project execution by developing electrical scopes, design criteria, and basis-of-design documentation.
• Drive key engineering decisions involving system topology, redundancy strategies, protection schemes, and power distribution architecture.
• Evaluate technical alternatives to optimize project performance, reliability, constructability, cost, and schedule.

Power System Design & Analysis

• Develop and review one-line diagrams, conceptual layouts, equipment sizing calculations, and electrical system architectures.
• Design and support medium-voltage and low-voltage power distribution systems, including switchgear, transformers, generators, substations, and utility interconnections.
• Perform or oversee load flow, short-circuit, and protection coordination studies using ETAP, SKM, EasyPower, or similar software.
• Support projects involving natural gas generation, CHP/cogeneration, backup power systems, data centers, industrial facilities, and mission-critical infrastructure.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with project managers, engineers, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure technical alignment and seamless project execution.
• Coordinate with third-party suppliers to develop technical solutions, evaluate equipment options, and obtain budgetary proposals.
• Provide construction support, commissioning guidance, and technical expertise throughout the project lifecycle.
• Mentor team members and contribute to engineering best practices and continuous improvement initiatives.

What Makes You a Great Fit

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 15+ years of combined electrical engineering and project engineering experience.
• Strong expertise in medium-voltage and low-voltage power distribution systems.
• Extensive experience with switchgear, transformers, generators, grounding systems, cable systems, and utility interconnections.
• Proven understanding of NEC, ANSI, NEMA, and IEEE standards.
• Experience supporting projects through conceptual design, FEED, detailed engineering, construction, and commissioning.
• Proficiency with ETAP, SKM, EasyPower, or similar power system analysis tools.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and project coordination skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with microgrids, distributed generation, backup power systems, CHP/cogeneration, or mission-critical facilities.
• Background in data centers, industrial facilities, power generation, EPC environments, or utility infrastructure projects.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred.
• Strong AutoCAD skills.
• Experience working with utility interconnections and medium-voltage distribution systems.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Houston, TX.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $70.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your jobclassification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may besubject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefitsavailable for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Houston,TX.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 29, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.