Senior Electrical Engineer

A Typical Day

The Senior Electrical Engineer is an electrical engineer responsible for ensuring the reliability, safety, integrity, and lifecycle value of Hilmar’s electrical infrastructure and controls assets through project and program work. This role integrates with capital projects and asset management programs by developing electrical designs, maintaining accurate electrical asset documentation, assessing electrical system health, and integrating electrical solutions that support Hilmar’s Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) and Portfolio Management (PMO) to accomplish the goals of the organizations. At the direction of the site engineering manager, the Senior Electrical Engineer is the supervising electrical leader on short and long-term asset management, reliability, and engineering projects.

This position may be filled at multiple engineering levels based on the selected candidate's qualifications, experience, and demonstrated capabilities.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop conceptual and final designs, cost estimates, and technical recommendations for electrical distribution, instrumentation, power quality, and control systems in support of capital projects, reliability improvements, and lifecycle asset strategies.
• Evaluate electrical system condition, performance, obsolescence, capacity, and risk to support asset health reviews, corrective action plans, and risk-based investment decisions for capital prioritization.
• Maintain accurate and current electrical asset information, including schematics, single-line diagrams, MCC documentation, control drawings, as-builts, equipment data, and systems records needed to manage electrical assets throughout their lifecycle.
• Partner with local electric utilities, maintenance, automation, reliability, and engineering to perform inspections, identify vulnerabilities, and develop asset management plans to reduce organizational risk.
• Ensure electrical designs, installations, and asset changes meet regulatory requirements, National Electrical Code requirements, Hilmar standards, electrical safety expectations, food safety expectations, and recognized industry good practices.
• Promote alignment between electrical design, automation, mechanical systems, machine safety, process requirements, sanitation needs, maintainability, reliability, and lifecycle cost so solutions deliver safe, practical, and sustainable business outcomes.
• Inspect installations, contractor work quality, and observe operations to verify conformance to electrical design, asset standards, safety requirements through installation, performance and operational qualification, ensuring alignment to Hilmar electrical, safety, and asset management standards.
• Lead electrical startup, commissioning, performance testing, troubleshooting, and system turnover activities for projects and major asset modifications. Verify equipment and system performance against design requirements, reliability objectives, safety expectations, and operational needs before acceptance by the site. Lead or participate in FAT and SAT activities.
• Support risk reviews, lessons learned, and technical decision-making forums by communicating electrical asset risks, project impacts, mitigation options, and recommended priorities to site and Engineering Services leadership.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from ABET accredited university plus 5 years’ related experience
• Working knowledge and experience using National Electrical Code
• In-depth knowledge of electrical distribution, motor control, instrumentation, control systems, and electrical design for manufacturing facilities.
• Ability to assess electrical asset condition, failure risk, maintainability, documentation quality, and system reliability to support sound technical and business decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead contract labor, in-house resources, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders outside of direct authority.
• Experience working with variable frequency drives (VFDs), including application, programming, installation, troubleshooting, and reliability considerations.
• Experience with programmable logic controller (PLCs), control systems, installation, troubleshooting, hardware communication, data highways, Ethernet, and related industrial networks
• Thorough understanding of electrical safety, arc flash standards, safe work practices, and risk reduction expectations in a manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrates integrity in relationships and decision-making as well as in the handling of intellectual property or sensitive information. Be a self-starter that builds strong relationships, leads and collaborates effectively in teams, and consistently seeks excellence and improvement.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly convey complex technical and business concepts.
• Applies engineering principles, good judgement and reasoning in technical decision making and problem solving.
• Ability to envision imaginative and practical solutions to complex problems
• Experience developing technical solutions and engineering systems designs that deliver innovative and economical solutions in response to business needs.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from ABET accredited university or related engineering field  plus 7 years’ related experience.
• Professional Engineering License from a U.S. state in good standing
• Experience supporting asset management, reliability, risk management, electrical infrastructure planning, or lifecycle capital planning in manufacturing, food, diary, biotech, pharmaceutical, or high-hygienic production environment
• Tactical knowledge of production operations management for quality, yield, and cost.
• Experience with Allen-Bradley Motor Control Centers, power distribution systems, electrical infrastructure assessments, and asset management

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The role has periods of time when the work environment is sedentary and conducted in an office environment balanced with frequent occasions that require prolonged walking or standing, lifting/ carrying/handling moderate weight objects on a regular basis.   Is required to wear PPE and have a regular presence in manufacturing and warehouse environments in both temperature controlled and uncontrolled locations. Must frequently interact with people verbally.  Specific details of the essential functions of the position is available in the Job Safety Analysis, made available on request.