Senior Electrical Engineer - Construction

Job Description

Role Overview

The Sr. Electrical Engineer establishes electrical requirements and review strategies, interprets applicable codes and GM standards, evaluates designs and technical risks, and supports project teams across multiple delivery models. The role helps teams make safe, reliable, code-compliant, cost-effective, resilient, maintainable, and sustainable decisions while coordinating with project leaders, planners, architects and engineers, contractors, operations, utilities, safety, procurement, authorities having jurisdiction, and other stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

·         Serve as the GM electrical engineering subject matter expert for ICC planning, design, construction, and facility operations, providing technical leadership, recommendations, expectations, and decision support for major capital projects.

·         Provide independent owner-side technical challenge to proposed designs, deviations, substitutions, recommendations, and execution approaches to confirm technical basis, safety, code and utility compliance, constructability, reliability, maintainability, risk, and business alignment.

·         Triage electrical support requests and establish risk-based review plans, deliverable expectations, hold points, reviewer responsibilities, and decision records based on safety, risk, project impact, urgency, and business need.

·         Review and interpret electrical calculations, load studies, short-circuit and protective-device coordination studies, arc-flash assessments, voltage-drop calculations, grounding and bonding designs, lighting calculations, one-line diagrams, drawings, specifications, models, construction documents, and applicable codes to identify gaps, assumptions, quality concerns, constructability issues, utility or authority requirements, and required decisions.

·         Apply IEEE design books, standards, and recommended practices; interpret and apply NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code (NEC), the National Electrical Safety Code, applicable National Fire Protection Association standards, U.S. utility service and interconnection requirements, utility-specific construction and operating codes, state and local requirements, and GM engineering standards.

·         Engage early in planning studies, preliminary engineering, project initiation, and kickoff to identify electrical scope, risks, constraints, interfaces, code and utility considerations, constructability issues, and budget or schedule implications.

·         Support project leaders and planners with electrical studies, conceptual alternatives, class-level estimates, schedules, business cases, VDP activities, and Appropriation Requests.

·         Lead or support concept reviews and buy-offs covering design intent, utility services, service entrances, primary and secondary distribution, transformers, switchgear, protective devices, metering, standby and emergency power, grounding, major facility loads, power quality, lighting, controls, life-safety systems, security systems, and other critical electrical matters.

·         Support value analysis, value engineering, cost-benefit analysis, design-to-budget decisions, and scope alternatives by evaluating electrical implications, lifecycle considerations, reliability, maintainability, resilience, flexibility, energy performance, and constructability.

·         Prepare, edit, interpret, and maintain technically rigorous Statements of Requirements and Requests for Proposals, including electrical scope, performance criteria, deliverables, safety expectations, testing and inspection requirements, utility and permitting requirements, and applicable commercial requirements.

·         Develop, maintain, and communicate electrical design requirements, performance criteria, deliverable expectations, technical assumptions, discipline checklists, specifications, one-line diagram standards, design guides, templates, and governance documents.

·         Support stewardship of the General Motors Technical Documents Library and promote consistent application of approved electrical standards across projects and sites.

·         Translate project history, benchmarking, field experience, recurring technical issues, industry practices, emerging technologies, equipment, power systems, and delivery methods into improvements to standards, scope development, design reviews, procurement requirements, and construction execution.

·         Provide risk-based construction-phase electrical support for major issues, equipment failures, deviations, substitutions, failed tests or inspections, outages, field orders, bulletins, design change requests, technical clarifications, utility issues, and other matters requiring electrical judgment.

·         Support pre-installation meetings, site visits, testing and inspection planning, critical submittal reviews, commissioning, startup, outage planning, turnover, and buyoff activities; coordinate electrical interfaces with utilities, authorities having jurisdiction, process and equipment teams, field engineering, commissioning, safety, environmental, permitting, operations, and other stakeholders.

·         Provide electrical technical input for operating-facility issues, including power-distribution information, modifications, damage, reliability and power-quality concerns, outages, condition assessments, and recommended next steps; plan and support field investigations and targeted testing to evaluate existing conditions and reduce uncertainty.

·         Evaluate repair, replacement, monitoring, reliability, and continued-use alternatives based on safety, code and utility compliance, reliability, maintainability, durability, lifecycle cost, constructability, operational impact, energy performance, and future facility needs.

·         Collaborate with engineering and functional-discipline SMEs, project leadership, planners, operations, utilities, contractors, suppliers, procurement, safety partners, authorities having jurisdiction, and other stakeholders to resolve interfaces and competing priorities.

·         Communicate electrical issues, risks, assumptions, alternatives, recommendations, and decision impacts clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences, including senior leadership and external partners.

·         Support safety partners and project teams with electrical safety considerations, arc-flash and incident-energy assessments, grounding and bonding, electrical safe-work practices, equipment clearances, and appropriate application of applicable GM, OSHA, NFPA, jurisdiction-specific, utility, and industry requirements.

·         Promote effective use of BIM/VDC workflows, document management, technical decision records, lessons-learned tracking, and other approved information systems; develop reusable guidance, examples, decision aids, checklists, one-line diagram standards, and lessons learned.

·         Mentor Project Managers, Design Managers, planners, project team members, stakeholders, end users, and less-experienced engineers on electrical requirements, risk management, technical reviews, and effective project support.

·         Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, architectural engineering, or a related field.

·         Minimum of seven years of progressive experience in electrical engineering, owner-side capital project delivery, architecture/engineering, construction engineering, commissioning, facility operations, or a closely related technical field supporting major commercial, industrial, manufacturing, or comparable complex capital projects.

·         Active Professional Engineer (P.E.) license or ability to obtain an applicable license within 12 months of appointment.

·         Demonstrated technical depth in electrical power systems, utility services, primary and secondary distribution, transformers, switchgear, protective devices, grounding and bonding, lighting, controls, life-safety systems, security systems, power quality, building-code and electrical-code application, constructability, construction delivery, design review, and risk-based technical decision-making.

·         Experience reviewing electrical drawings, specifications, calculations, load studies, short-circuit and protective-device coordination studies, arc-flash assessments, voltage-drop calculations, grounding and bonding designs, lighting calculations, one-line diagrams, models, construction documents, and applicable electrical, life-safety, utility, and building codes and standards to identify gaps, assumptions, risks, quality concerns, constructability issues, and required decisions.

·         Experience supporting front-end planning, electrical design development, construction-phase technical support, commissioning and startup, existing-facility evaluation, facility modifications, outage planning, reliability initiatives, or asset-sustainment activities.

·         Ability to develop, interpret, maintain, and improve technical standards, specifications, Statements of Requirements, Requests for Proposals, one-line diagram standards, templates, checklists, and governance documents.

·         Experience coordinating with architects, engineers, contractors, Project Managers, Design Managers, planners, utilities, authorities having jurisdiction, safety partners, operations teams, procurement, suppliers, and other cross-functional stakeholders.

·         Strong analytical, organizational, written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate technical issues, risks, alternatives, recommendations, and decision impacts clearly.

·         Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, influence cross-functional teams, and make effective decisions with incomplete information.

·         Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, sustainability, regulatory and utility compliance, and General Motors policies and procedures.

·         Strong computer skills, including proficiency with common office productivity tools, document control, submittal and review tracking, technical decision records, electrical design, BIM/VDC, construction-management, commissioning, or design-review applications.

·         Willingness and ability to travel within North America, up to approximately 25% as required; passport required.

Preferred Qualifications

·         Master’s degree in electrical engineering, architectural engineering, construction management, business, or a related field.

·         Experience supporting automotive, manufacturing, logistics, research, data-center, office, campus, utility-support, or other industrial facilities.

·         Experience with existing-facility evaluations, root-cause analysis, high- and low-voltage distribution, substations, transformers, switchgear, emergency and standby power, grounding, lighting, controls, fire alarm or life-safety systems, security systems, power quality, electrical reliability, facility modifications, and electrical repair or replacement strategies.

·         Practical knowledge of utility coordination and electrical infrastructure considerations, including utility service requirements, interconnection, metering, protection, power quality, reliability, outages, service entrances, capacity, and interpretation of utility recommendations and standards.

·         Experience supporting front-end planning, electrical studies, VDP activities, Appropriation Requests, and complex capital delivery strategies, including design-build, design-bid-build, integrated project delivery, construction management, or comparable delivery methods.

·         Experience coordinating third-party testing, inspections, commissioning requirements, pre-installation meetings, technical submittals, field engineering, construction issue resolution, BIM/VDC execution, model coordination, outage planning, utility coordination, and structured technical records.

·         Experience applying value engineering, lifecycle cost analysis, resilience, energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon systems, adaptive reuse, or other sustainable electrical practices.

·         Multi-jurisdictional licensure, registration, reciprocity, or experience supporting work across multiple states, provinces, or authorities having jurisdiction.

·         Spanish-language proficiency sufficient to communicate with project teams, contractors, plant personnel, and stakeholders in Spanish-speaking operations.

Location: Hybrid. This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to the - Global HQ Warren MI three times per week, at minimum [or other frequency dictated by the business]

Relocation: This role is NOT eligible for relocation benefits.

GM DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMIGRATION-RELATED SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE. DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU WILL NEED GM IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. THIS INCLUDES DIRECT COMPANY SPONSORSHIP, ENTRY OF GM AS THE IMMIGRATION EMPLOYER OF RECORD ON A GOVERNMENT FORM, AND ANY WORK AUTHORIZATION REQUIRING A WRITTEN SUBMISSION OR OTHER IMMIGRATION SUPPORT FROM THE COMPANY (e.g., H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.)

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