Senior
Electrical (Power) Engineer
Location: Martinez, CA
Position Type: Full-Time
Salary Range: $101,000.00 – $216,000.00/ year
(commensurate with scope of role, experience, education, and internal equity)
Role Overview
Our client is seeking a high-performing Senior Electrical
(Power) Engineer to join their team at their facility in Martinez, CA. In
this role, you will be responsible for assuring the safe, cost-effective
reliability and operational integrity of the site's electrical distribution
systems.
Working closely with Electrical Inspectors, you will balance
long-term reliability objectives with hands-on technical troubleshooting across
complex plant equipment—including 15kV, 4160V, 2300V, and 480V distribution
networks, synchronous and induction motors, starters, and blowers—while
providing engineering support to an on-site 98.5MW cogeneration facility.
Key Responsibilities
Safety Leader & Technical Mentor
- Drive Goal
Zero performance by ensuring complete compliance with site electrical
safety standards, process safety fundamentals, and regulatory frameworks
(NFPA 70E, OSHA Subpart S, OSHA 1910.269).
- Educate
and mentor operational, maintenance, and engineering staff on power
generation, power distribution, electrical safety, and equipment best
practices.
System Engineering & Operational Support
- Deliver
daily "run and maintain" technical support to refinery
production units, utility infrastructure, the main power grid, and the
98.5MW cogeneration plant.
- Oversee
the design, repair, and ongoing maintenance of power distribution
equipment (breakers, relay upgrades) and utilization hardware (motors,
starters, VFDs).
- Author,
review, and approve electrical procedures, switching instructions, and
preventative maintenance (PM) strategies.
- Facilitate
Management of Change (MOC) reviews and conduct root cause analysis (RCA)
and risk assessments to prevent repeat equipment failures.
Project Management, Turnarounds & Reliability
- Evaluate
site electrical reliability risks and design infrastructure upgrade plans,
capital projects, and turnaround execution packages.
- Lead
project scope development, cost-benefit analyses, equipment procurement,
and field implementation in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Provide
active field support to trade crafts during electrical system
troubleshooting, field commissioning, and performance monitoring to
maintain environmental compliance and process safety.
- Develop
turnaround work scopes, draft execution plans, and deliver technical field
coverage during planned plant outages.
- Ensure
all assigned projects strictly follow company standards and relevant
industry codes (NEC, IEEE, ANSI, NFPA, API, NEMA).
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements
- Physical
Demands: Ability to walk up and down stairs, climb ladders, lift a
minimum of 50 pounds, and wear standard refinery personal protective
equipment (PPE), including respirators and arc flash gear.
- Schedule
& On-Call: Standard full-time schedule with participation in the
site on-call Electrical Team duty rotation for off-hours support. Altered
work schedules over extended periods may be required during major
maintenance events, turnarounds, overhauls, and project executions.
Candidate Qualifications
- Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited
institution.
- Experience:
Minimum of 5 years of experience in industrial electrical design, repair,
and maintenance within a refinery, petrochemical, power generation, or
equivalent setting.
- Technical
Skills: Familiarity with electrical system modeling, performance
analysis, and national codes/standards (IEEE, API, NEMA, NFPA, NEC).
- Proven
track record troubleshooting, analyzing, and resolving complex industrial
electrical failures.
- Direct
experience specifying, designing, and procuring heavy industrial
electrical hardware (switchgear, motors, transformers, breakers, relays,
UPS, batteries, cathodic protection, MOVs, heat tracing, and temporary
generators).
- Familiarity
with NFPA 70B maintenance practices and hands-on experience executing
substation outage plans.
- Proficiency
in power system modeling studies (short circuit, load flow, protective
device coordination, transient motor starting, arc flash).
- Working
knowledge of hazardous area classification per API RP-500.
- Hands-on
experience with SKM modeling software, one-line diagrams, Schweitzer (SEL)
relay programming, and full project lifecycle management.
·
Active Transportation Worker Identification
Credential (TWIC®) card (or ability to obtain one).