WHAT DOES AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DO?
Published: Dec 27, 2024 - The Electrical Engineer engages in sophisticated electrical design, cost estimation, and the preparation of bid documents to ensure project accuracy and competitiveness. Coordinates installations and oversees construction, ensuring compliance with ethical standards and operational requirements. Leads interdisciplinary teams, contributes to innovative solutions, and meticulously documents processes to enhance project outcomes and operational efficiency.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Electrical Engineer
1. Electrical Engineer Duties
- Circuit Design: Design of complex electrical circuits including schematic capture and printed circuit board layouts.
- Prototype Testing: Testing of prototype and early stage printed circuit board assemblies to confirm operation.
- Design Modification: Recommend and implement design modifications to early stage circuit prototypes.
- Mentoring: Work in conjunction with junior electrical engineering staff in the design and thorough documentation of electrical circuits and microprocessor-based systems-core to medical device development.
- Documentation Generation: Generation of specifications, control documents, design verification plans, procedures, reports, and other engineering work in compliance with ISO-certified quality system.
- Manufacturing Support: Support ongoing manufacturing of medical device activities and provide engineering oversight of these products, making modifications.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Collaborate with software and mechanical engineers for optimal system design.
- MEP Teamwork: Work as part of an MEP design team to provide electrical engineering and design support on a variety of building projects.
- Construction Documentation: Collaborate in the production of construction documents (drawings and specifications).
- Load Calculation: Perform electrical lighting and power load calculations.
- Coordination: Coordinate with architects, owners, and other engineering disciplines.
- Timeline Management: Develop and maintain project timelines to ensure projects meet customer and/or internal timelines.
- Change Management: Prepare and submit change requests for identified product revisions following the Engineering Change Notice Process.
- Cost Estimation: Initiate cost estimates for new or existing products through the Engineering Cost Estimation process.
- Test Development: Develop and coordinate execution of product tests and validation plans from an electrical basis- including EMC testing.
2. Electrical Engineer Details
- Electrical Engineering: Electrical design, cost estimation, and preparation of bid documents
- Materials Management: Order, receive, and specify material
- Contract Review: Review contracts, bids, and vendor selection
- Estimation Assistance: Provide electrical estimates, assist with design, standards and specifications
- Project Oversight: Assist and oversee projects from conception to completion
- Installation Coordination: Coordinate electrical installation with utilities, mechanical installation, and automation groups
- Construction Oversight: Oversee field construction projects, electrical construction, and commission projects
- Communication: Communicate clearly with Operations, managers, and all levels of plant personnel
- Ethical Compliance: Ensure all responsibilities are performed in accordance with the Company’s Mission, Vision, and Values, and in compliance with the Company’s policies, procedures, and Code of Ethical Business Conduct
- Management Reporting: Reporting to the Manager of Electrical Engineering
- Team Collaboration: Collaborate with the rest of the engineering team to help conceptualize, plan, construct, and complete projects on time and on budget
- Innovative Design: Providing a world-class finished product for Operations by applying innovative and safe electrical design
- Lead Engineering: Be the assigned lead engineer on development and sustainment projects, responsible for bringing customer-inspired technical solutions to fruition
- Interdisciplinary Interface: Interface with multi-disciplinary teams and communicate well with technical experts in optics, mechanical design, software development, and volume manufacturing
- Documentation: Document the journey effectively, and preferably with flair
- Scientific Collaboration: Work with and learn from celebrated scientists in the field of Raman spectroscopy and OCT
3. Electrical Engineer Responsibilities
- Circuit Design: Schematic capture, design, and PCB layout of RF and high-speed broadband circuits
- Circuit Testing: Bring-up, test, and debug analog, digital, high-speed electronic, and RF broadband circuits
- Team Collaboration: Working closely with the system, hardware, ASIC, and photonic IC design teams
- Specification Development: Develop Hardware Design Specification (HDS) and help define system requirements
- Requirements Tracking: Define and track compliance with hardware requirements and specifications
- Test Planning: Develop Design Verification Test (DVT) plans and qualification plans
- Data Analysis: Characterize and analyze DVT results and reliability data
- Best Practices Implementation: Develop and implement best engineering practices (DFT, DFM, and FMEA)
- Test Infrastructure Development: Develop and implement HW/SW test infrastructure for bench and reliability testing
- Product Support: Support released prototype and product performance, reliability, and quality improvements
- Project Leadership: Lead new sensor integration projects, including development or selection of analog front-end
- Assembly Maintenance: Develop and maintain circuit-card assemblies providing sensor control, light source control, communications, and power management
- Resource Specification: Specify and use the technical kit and resources required to get the job done.
4. Electrical Engineer Accountabilities
- Integration: Integrating the Railster electrically and mechanically inside the train
- Schematic Analysis: Analysing the train electrical schematics to identify connection points on the train
- Cabling Design: Designing clever cabling schematics and cabling kits with easy-to-assemble connectors for field busses (MVB, Can Bus, J1708, RS484, Ethernet, RS232, Ethernet, FIP) and sensors (battery, level sensors, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, etc.)
- Production Oversight: Producing and following up the production of the cabling kits
- Mechanical Design Participation: Participating in the design of mechanical installation in the train
- Technical Writing: Writing up technical documentation, as simple and pragmatic installation instructions so that clients can easily install the Railster and the cabling kit themselves
- Electrical Verification: Participate in electrical design and verification efforts, including compliance and standards testing and system compatibility verification to meet the requirements of Clinical Accessories products
- Product Development Engagement: Engage in all phases of new product development, including concept, documentation, design, prototype, test, and manufacturing introduction as well as improvement/sustaining activities for installed base products
- Design Verification: Verify product designs meet all requirements for performance, reliability, cost, and manufacturability
- Verification Ownership: Own and execute verification/testing activities for assigned project
- Project Execution: Execute the design, analysis, or evaluation of assigned projects using sound engineering principles and adhering to business standards, practices, procedures, and product/program requirements.
5. Electrical Engineer Functions
- Standards Management: Manage Global Standards documentation supporting the electrical engineering discipline, includes partnering with project team to develop global execution strategy and managing change life cycle
- Integration Assurance: Ensure the electrical discipline is well integrated with the rest of the disciplines within the standards
- Partnership Building: Build strong global cross-functional partnerships
- Program Analysis: Assist in program health analysis
- Consultant Management: Managing consultant scope, including authoring scope of work and developing proposals
- Process Development: Develop process/tool to increase efficiency and help team scale
- System Review: Provide electrical mission critical system review services to local data center operations teams
- Engineering Support: Support the implementation of data center engineering and commissioning (Integrated System Test) for new data center concepts undergoing standardization
- Incident Analysis: Participate in equipment failure or power outage related incident Root-Cause-Analysis
- Emergency Response: Respond on an as-needed basis to emergencies