What does an Electrical Designer do?

An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings. The position requires good initiative, writing, speaking, and mathematical skills to accomplish such responsibilities. The job's education requirements include possessing a college degree in electrical engineering, design, or a related field.
Electrical designer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real electrical designer resumes:
- Manage database for PDF drawings and other electronic files.
- Design control systems to NFPA, UL, and CE specifications to comply with country-specific standards.
- Work conduct using PDMS, NavisWorks and AutoCAD.
- Used INTOOLS to input instrument tags into index, customize reports & import data from PDMS into INTOOLS.
- Integrate electrical & electronic designs into custom automation equipment using 2D & 3D design software (AutoCAD & SolidWorks).
- Convert various units to DCS for ExxonMobil.
- Configure all the Eaton VFD drives to perform as necessary.
- Rebuild work in the refinery after the explosion and shut down.
- Programme and operate a triple axis CNC machine with live tooling.
- Design hardware and software utilizing flowcharts to develop CNC controller software.
- Identify requirements of the customer, utility, NEC, and UL.
- Provide resolution for RFI's (request for information) from construction.
- Participate in field studies and surveys to create existing conditions in BIM model.
- Perform marine design activities that include 3D modeling & visualization using CATIA V5.
- Design considerations to meet UL/CUL, FCC, NEC and EMI requirements and regulation.
Electrical designer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Electrical Designers are proficient in Revit, Electrical Design, and Autocad Electrical. They’re also known for soft skills such as Initiative, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Electrical Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Revit, 14%
Designed the Intrusion System, based on a prototype provided by Target in REVIT.
- Electrical Design, 11%
Performed electrical design including ladder diagrams and relay logic for hard-wired safety interlocks, power distribution and thermal heat source.
- Autocad Electrical, 5%
Designed electrical control diagrams, general arrangement diagrams, wiring diagrams using AutoCad Electrical & Micro Station.
- UL, 5%
Designed control systems to NFPA, UL, and CE specifications to comply with country-specific standards.
- Electrical Systems, 5%
Designed electrical systems inside hazardous/classified locations and created area classification plans and details from NFPA 497.
- Electrical Schematics, 4%
Provided accurate electrical schematics per client conditions and analyzed and tracked technical specifications including dimensions, arrangements and installation procedures.
Common skills that an electrical designer uses to do their job include "revit," "electrical design," and "autocad electrical." You can find details on the most important electrical designer responsibilities below.
Initiative. The most essential soft skill for an electrical designer to carry out their responsibilities is initiative. This skill is important for the role because "electrical and electronics engineers must apply their knowledge to new tasks in every project they undertake." Additionally, an electrical designer resume shows how their duties depend on initiative: "led all phases of facility hazwoper projects including environmental hvac upgrades and environmental remediation initiatives. "
Speaking skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling electrical designer duties is speaking skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "electrical and electronics engineers work closely with other engineers and technicians." According to an electrical designer resume, here's how electrical designers can utilize speaking skills in their job responsibilities: "control circuits were addressed and assigned to plc cards. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for electrical designers to perform their duties. For an example of how electrical designer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "electrical and electronics engineers develop technical publications related to equipment they develop, including maintenance manuals, operation manuals, parts lists, product proposals, and design methods documents." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an electrical designer: "work includes inspection of the facility and writing reports for upgrade and repair of systems electrical designer".
Math skills. A big part of what electrical designers do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to electrical designer responsibilities because "electrical and electronics engineers must use the principles of calculus and other advanced math in order to analyze, design, and troubleshoot equipment." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical electrical designer tasks: "developed datapath architecture in verilog implementing booth multiplication, controlled math calculation and other functions and tested it. "
The three companies that hire the most electrical designers are:
- Nexus Staffing Solutions140 electrical designers jobs
- Burns & McDonnell50 electrical designers jobs
- Stantec32 electrical designers jobs
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Electrical designer vs. Radio frequency engineer
A radio frequency engineer, also known as RF engineer, specializes in designing and developing communication systems using radio waves. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around creating networks and systems and testing equipment. They make sure that equipment is up to high standards by traveling to different areas as needed, troubleshooting issues to identify the root of problems and performing corrective measures required. Furthermore, a radio frequency engineer must continuously optimize equipment quality and ensure efficiency while adhering to the laws and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an electrical designer are more likely to require skills like "revit," "electrical design," "autocad electrical," and "ul." On the other hand, a job as a radio frequency engineer requires skills like "test equipment," "antenna," "system performance," and "system design." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Radio frequency engineers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $94,522. In contrast, electrical designers make the biggest average salary, $72,768, in the manufacturing industry.The education levels that radio frequency engineers earn slightly differ from electrical designers. In particular, radio frequency engineers are 15.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an electrical designer. Additionally, they're 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Electrical designer vs. Senior field engineer
A senior field engineer is in charge of overseeing and providing technical support on-site, helping operations run smoothly and efficiently. Among their responsibilities include performing installations and upgrades, performing research and analysis, managing staff, producing progress reports, and conducting inspections, ensuring compliance with state laws and regulations. They must also perform regular maintenance checks on equipment, performing corrective repairs and adjustments when necessary. Furthermore, as a senior field engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers while implementing the site's safety policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, electrical designer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "revit," "electrical design," "autocad electrical," and "ul." Meanwhile, a senior field engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "rf," "technical support," "excellent interpersonal," and "technical problems." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Senior field engineers earn a higher average salary than electrical designers. But senior field engineers earn the highest pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $107,400. Additionally, electrical designers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $72,768 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Senior field engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than electrical designers. In fact, they're 3.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Electrical designer vs. Junior engineer
A Junior Engineer helps design, build, or maintain engines, machines, or public works. They work under the supervision of an engineer.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an electrical designer is likely to be skilled in "revit," "electrical design," "autocad electrical," and "ul," while a typical junior engineer is skilled in "java," "c++," "c #," and "windows."
Junior engineers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $72,489. On the other hand, electrical designers are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $72,768.junior engineers typically earn higher educational levels compared to electrical designers. Specifically, they're 5.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Electrical designer vs. Field engineer
A field engineer's role will vary on the industry or line of work involved. However, the primary responsibility will mostly revolve around handling equipment and machinery, ensuring that they function effectively and safely. It is also the task of a field engineer to oversee the workflow and workforce, giving directions and recommendations when necessary. Furthermore, a field engineer must develop strategies and plans to improve the site's efficiency, produce progress reports, and coordinate with other workers.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between electrical designers and field engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an electrical designer might have more use for skills like "revit," "electrical design," "autocad electrical," and "ul." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of field engineers require skills like "customer service," "customer satisfaction," "project management," and "azure. "
Field engineers enjoy the best pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $83,650. For comparison, electrical designers earn the highest salary in the manufacturing industry.In general, field engineers hold similar degree levels compared to electrical designers. Field engineers are 2.6% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of electrical designer
Updated January 8, 2025