Electrical Designer

Job Title: Electrical Designer

Job Description

This role focuses on designing and developing electrical systems for power distribution, lighting, fire alarm, and communication systems within heavy industrial environments. You will create detailed electrical layouts and documentation, support engineers and discipline leads, and help deliver complete drawing and design packages for complex industrial projects. The position emphasizes cable tray and conduit routing in Revit, collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams, and producing high-quality, consistent, and innovative electrical design solutions from concept through delivery.

Responsibilities

• Develop electrical system designs for power distribution, lighting, fire alarm, and communication systems in heavy industrial facilities.
• Generate design and detail drawings, including plans, sections, and isometrics, to support discipline leads and project teams.
• Create physical layout drawings, including equipment details, conduit routing, grounding, and cable schedules.
• Produce wiring diagrams from electrical schematics to support construction and installation activities.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, drafters, and multi-disciplinary design teams to produce complete drawing and installation packages.
• Manage and maintain project documentation, including flat files, reference and stick files, and CAD drawings, ensuring accuracy and version control.
• Serve as a lead on select single-discipline projects by estimating work hours, developing scope of work, and maintaining quality processes when required.
• Work with engineers on multiple projects simultaneously, managing project hours and coordinating with other departments and suppliers to obtain necessary information.
• Interact with clients to convey project designs, gather feedback, and identify scope changes in a clear and professional manner.
• Produce high-quality electronic documentation and design packages that meet project requirements and industry standards.
• Support advanced facility projects from concept through delivery, ensuring technical excellence and adherence to design standards.
• Help drive consistency, quality, and innovation within the company's electrical design standards and best practices.
• Collaborate with project teams in a fast-paced environment, adapting to changing priorities and schedules.
• Focus heavily on cable tray and conduit routing in Revit, ensuring constructible, efficient, and code-compliant designs.
• Present your designs clearly to engineers, project teams, and clients, and work independently without requiring engineering calculations.

Essential Skills

• Associate Degree in a technical discipline or equivalent related experience.
• 5+ years of drafting experience in Revit MEP.
• Hands-on electrical design experience in the consulting engineering space.
• Proficiency with Revit and Revit MEP for electrical design and modeling.
• Experience using AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical for electrical drawings and documentation.
• Working knowledge of National Electric Codes, reference documents, and guides.
• Experience with electrical design for heavy industrial projects, such as chemical plants, refineries, food and beverage facilities, agriculture, and pharmaceutical environments.
• Ability to develop cable tray and conduit routing layouts in Revit for complex industrial facilities.
• Capability to generate electrical design drawings, including layouts, sections, isometrics, and wiring diagrams.
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and coordinate with engineers, other disciplines, and suppliers.
• Strong communication skills to present designs and interact effectively with clients and project stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently without performing engineering calculations while ensuring design accuracy and quality.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience using Navisworks for model review and coordination.
• Laser scanning experience and familiarity with integrating scan data into design workflows.
• Experience using Bluebeam for drawing review, markup, and collaboration.
• Background working within multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, and construction management environments.
• Exposure to hazardous and explosive environment design considerations in industrial facilities.
• Experience contributing to and supporting standardization of electrical design practices and templates.

Work Environment

This position is based in a full-service architecture, engineering, and construction management firm with a strong focus on heavy industrial projects, including chemical plants, refineries, agriculture, food and beverage (clean spaces), and pharmaceutical facilities. The Downers Grove, IL office houses all major disciplines under one roof-architecture, mechanical, piping, processing, electrical, instrumentation and controls, project controls, and estimating-creating a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment. The electrical team consists of approximately 15 professionals split across electrical and instrumentation and controls, offering opportunities for close teamwork and knowledge sharing. The culture is described as highly collaborative and team-oriented, with many long-tenured employees and a strong emphasis on cross-departmental project work. The typical on-site schedule involves being in the Downers Grove office three days per week (Tuesday through Thursday), with flexibility to adjust based on individual needs. The organization is open to fully remote arrangements for strong candidates, including those near other offices such as Cleveland and Pittsburgh, with the expectation of occasional office visits for training, meetings, or project needs. Local candidates to Illinois are preferred for the immediate need in Downers Grove. Projects often involve large equipment and complex systems in both clean and hazardous or explosive environments, requiring careful coordination and robust design practices. Very light travel to job sites across the Midwest may occur, typically 2-3 nights at a time, 1-2 times every few months, and is not mandatory. You will work primarily with tools such as Revit MEP, AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, Navisworks, and Bluebeam in a modern, technology-driven design setting where every voice is heard and decisions are made quickly by local leadership.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Downers Grove, IL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $60.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Downers Grove,IL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 7, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.