Senior Electrical Engineer Job Summary: Salas O'Brien is seeking an Senior Electrical Engineer at the principal, master, or chief engineer level to serve as a senior technical authority within its electrical engineering group. The position combines project leadership, technical advising, complex problem solving, and practical mentorship with direct client engagement and business development.
This is a technical leadership position with little or no formal personnel management. The existing electrical discipline manager handles staffing, performance reviews, career development, and day-to-day personnel matters. The Electrical Engineer VII works closely with that manager to strengthen technical quality and help engineers deliver effective solutions.
The primary focus is facility power distribution at 480V and above, and medium-voltage electrical engineering. Depending on experience and project needs, the role may also support high-voltage systems, substations, controls, instrumentation, and other electrical assignments.
Reporting Structure: This position reports to the Department Manager.
Key Responsibilities: - Serve as a senior resource for difficult electrical engineering questions and guide teams toward sound, practical solutions.
- Lead the technical execution of selected projects, coordinating engineering work and maintaining technical quality.
- Participate in business development through regular interaction with client peers, identifying their needs and using those relationships to generate additional project work.
- Combine internal technical support with client-facing assignments, presenting technical recommendations and representing the firm in a positive, professional manner.
- Review proposed designs and engineering approaches, resolve complex issues, and identify ways to improve project efficiency.
- Determine which assignments require principal-level expertise and delegate appropriate production and repetitive work to junior engineers.
- Mentor early-career engineers through active project work, explaining technical decisions and helping them build independent judgment.
- Provide timely technical assistance across projects while balancing responsibilities on directly assigned work.
- Independently perform quality reviews and detailed checks of other engineers' work beyond directly assigned projects, including marking up work products and providing technical feedback.
- Partner with the electrical discipline manager and other engineering teams to strengthen technical capability across the group.
Required Qualifications: - 15+ years of electrical engineering experience with strong expertise in power and medium-voltage systems.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license; NCEES registration preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems and provide clear engineering direction.
- Experience leading multiple projects and reviewing the work of other engineers.
- Sound judgment in prioritizing work and delegating tasks according to technical complexity, project deliverable timing, and team capability.
- An approachable communication style and interest in coaching engineers through practical technical challenges.
- Ability to answer client questions, communicate technical recommendations professionally, and build client confidence in the engineering decisions made by the technical team.
- Interest in sustained technical contribution, collaborative problem solving, and a long-term role within the team.
Performance Metrics - Quality and accuracy of engineering calculations, drawings, and specifications
- Timeliness of assigned task completion within project deadlines
- Effectiveness of technical documentation
- Client satisfaction with communication and delivered results
- Successful completion of assessments and audits
- Ability to work Independently
Behaviors - Customer Focus - Demonstrates an understanding of client needs and delivers technical solutions that emphasize safety, reliability, compliance, and long-term value.
- Passion for Growth - Continuously develops technical, industry, and consulting skills to support personal effectiveness and firm growth
- Leadership Impact - Influences project outcomes through sound engineering/technical judgment, professionalism, and accountability
- Communication - Clearly communicates technical information, project status, issues, recommendations, etc. to clients and internal stakeholders
- Ownership - Takes responsibility for quality, schedule, and deliverables within assigned work scope
- Act With Urgency - Demonstrates a proactive sense of urgency in addressing client needs, project issues, and commitments while maintaining safety and quality standards
- Teamwork - Works collaboratively across disciplines to deliver integrated and collaborative technical solutions
- Technical Excellence - Applies solid engineering/technical fundamentals, codes, standards, and best practices to projects
- Functional Excellence - Executes work processes efficiently using tools, systems, and methodologies
Location: Columbus, OH Travel: Travel may be required to support customer site visits. Working Hours/Environment - Hours average 40 per week; may require additional hours including evenings and weekends depending on business needs. 50-70% Project Leadership; 30- 50% Technical Advising
- Hybrid work Schedule.
- Work is typically performed in an indoor office setting/client site.
Physical Demands - Frequently required to sit at a desk/workstation for long periods of time.
- Ability to work at a computer terminal for extended periods of time.
- Light lifting up to 20 lbs.
- Ability to speak to and hear employees/clients via phone or in person.
- Body motor skills sufficient to enable the incumbent to move around an office environment.
- Ability to analyze unique situations and develop appropriate responses.
- Ability to climb ladders and perform field investigations.
This job description is intended to describe the general nature, complexity, and level of work to be performed by employees assigned to this position, and is not construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. It does not prescribe or restrict the work that may be assigned, and is subject to change at the discretion of the company.
