Electrical Engineering Manager

Job Description

Senior Electrical Engineering Manager

Target Starting Base Salary: $180,000-$210,000/year (+15% Annual Bonus)

LA, CA

Relocation assistance will be offered to qualified candidates.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Electrical Engineering Manager to lead a multi-site electrical engineering organization responsible for the design, development, and testing of medium-voltage switchgear, PDUs, relay/control systems, and substation-related equipment. This is a high-impact technical and leadership role overseeing a team of approximately 15 engineers and technical staff across the U.S. and Canada.

The ideal candidate is both a hands-on technical expert and a strategic leader with a strong background in switchgear, power distribution equipment, and UL/industry codes-paired with proven success elevating engineering processes, capabilities, and team performance.

Organization Breakdown

Reporting to the Director of Engineering, the Senior Electrical Engineering Manager will provide technical direction, operational leadership, and strategic guidance for the electrical engineering function. This role partners closely with mechanical engineering, operations, testing, and project management to ensure high-quality, manufacturable designs and successful project execution.

This leader will oversee teams in:

• LA, CA: Assistant Engineering Manager, 8 Design Engineers, 1 Drafter, and Electrical Testing Manager
• Dallas, TX: 2 Electrical Design Engineers and 1 Electrical Test Engineer
• Ontario, Canada: 2 Electrical Design Engineers

*Regular travel to the Dallas and Ontario sites is expected to train, develop, and support those teams.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Serve as the technical SME for switchgear, PDUs, substation engineering, and UL/ANSI/IEEE/NEC standards.
• Define and execute long-term engineering strategies aligned with organizational goals and industry advancement.
• Guide the design, development, testing, and validation of electrical systems-including switchgear, substation control equipment, protection & control systems, and power distribution products.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, tools, and industry trends.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and grow a distributed team of electrical design engineers, test engineers, a subordinate team manager, and technical support staff.
• Build capability and consistency across sites through onsite coaching, training sessions, and technical reviews.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, career development, and team succession planning.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Operational Excellence & Process Improvement

• Drive scalable engineering workflows and implement best practices across all locations.
• Improve standardization in design processes, documentation, and testing methods.
• Partner with mechanical engineering, manufacturing, project management, and production to enhance design for manufacturability and reduce rework.
• Manage engineering project schedules, budgets, and resource allocation.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Represent engineering in customer engagements and support strategic customer initiatives.
• Work closely with business development to address customer needs and drive product reliability and satisfaction.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure alignment on engineering priorities, product quality, and project delivery.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• 10+ years of progressive electrical engineering experience, including at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Deep technical expertise with medium-voltage switchgear, power distribution equipment, PDUs, and substation systems.
• Strong knowledge of UL, ANSI, IEEE, NEC, and similar codes/standards.
• Proven track record leading engineering teams and delivering complex electrical projects.
• Experience driving process improvements within engineering or manufacturing environments.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to Dallas and Ontario during the workweek.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred

• Experience in an OEM environment (preferred) or in the utility/power distribution sector.
• Master's degree in Engineering or Engineering Management.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Meet Your Recruiter

Max Francis
Technical Recruiter

Max Francis is a seasoned Engineering Recruiter specializing in the Automation Division at Sterling. With five years of invaluable experience in recruitment, Max is on a mission to help individuals find their perfect career move-one that aligns with their professional goals and supports their families.

As an Engineering Recruiter, Max excels in the Automation Division, leveraging his deep industry knowledge to connect candidates with opportunities tailor-made for their unique skill sets and aspirations. He understands that finding the right career move is a pivotal moment in people's lives, and he thrives on being a part of that journey.

What Max finds most exciting and rewarding about his work is the opportunity to guide individuals to their ideal career fit. He recognizes that this transition is an exhilarating time for most people, and he derives immense satisfaction from helping them navigate the path toward their next professional adventure.

Max's advice to job seekers is grounded in the value of connections. He believes that having a well-connected recruiter within the industry you aspire to be in can open doors to companies and positions that may not be readily available on job boards. In today's competitive job market, he encourages candidates to connect with a recruiter early in their job search journey. While he advocates for candidates to continue their independent job searches, he emphasizes the benefit of having an additional set of experienced eyes on the market.

• 262-443-3691
• mfrancis@sterling-engineering.com
• Connect on LinkedIn

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

As one of the most respected names in engineering staffing, Sterling has hundreds of opportunities with top employers. If you've got a friend or colleague seeking their next move in engineering, we could have their next opportunity. We offer a referral bonus for every referral that we place. Submit referral now.

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