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What does a field electrical engineer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Buildings must be safe especially in term of wirings for electricity. This aspect is the main job of a field electrical engineer. Possessing enough mathematical, chemistry and physics knowledge, they work hand in hand with construction workers to develop safe and equitable electrical system of any building. They also test machines for any defect and design and develop new systems to further enhance safety. They have the necessary ability to solve any damage to equipment.

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Field electrical engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real field electrical engineer resumes:

  • Develop LabVIEW code to automate test procedures and to communicate with units for verification of functionality and accuracy.
  • Represent HVAC Field3 (cont . )
  • Analyze systems in hot zones such as PLC's and VFD's in various nuclear applications.
  • Design and implement automation and communications systems for various projects/applications, including PLC and HMI programming, and PID control.
  • Develop a user interface utilizing excel and visual basic to push servo axis data into a programmable controller automatically using DDE.
  • Perform quality inspections of piping and mechanical commodities, compliance reporting, progress reports and quantity verification.

Field electrical engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Field Electrical Engineers are proficient in Electrical Systems, Oil Gas, and Control Systems. They’re also known for soft skills such as Concentration, Initiative, and Speaking skills.

We break down the percentage of Field Electrical Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Electrical Systems, 13%

    Verify electrical systems and components are installed In compliance with vendor requirements, site specific technical specifications, and NEC Code.

  • Oil Gas, 11%

    Shell Oil CO2 Injection, Home Oil Water Injection and Husky Oil Gas Plant Projects.

  • Control Systems, 8%

    Designed lighting, power, underground electrical ducts, grounding and control systems for new CO Boiler project and Furnace/SCR project.

  • Start-Up, 8%

    Completed testing, start-up and documentation for revised and new systems during Salem Unit Ones' first refueling

  • Design Drawings, 7%

    Reviewed design drawings for discrepancies and any specification or code violations.

  • Technical Direction, 5%

    Provided on site technical direction of high to low volt energy projects as required.

Common skills that a field electrical engineer uses to do their job include "electrical systems," "oil gas," and "control systems." You can find details on the most important field electrical engineer responsibilities below.

Concentration. The most essential soft skill for a field electrical engineer to carry out their responsibilities is concentration. This skill is important for the role because "electrical and electronics engineers design and develop complex electrical systems and electronic components and products." Additionally, a field electrical engineer resume shows how their duties depend on concentration: "designed system monitor systems using abb plc's and including data concentration and climatecontrols. "

Initiative. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling field electrical engineer duties is initiative. The role rewards competence in this skill because "electrical and electronics engineers must apply their knowledge to new tasks in every project they undertake." According to a field electrical engineer resume, here's how field electrical engineers can utilize initiative in their job responsibilities: "contract position that developed and maintained machine electrical systems to support the different forest products, and variable margin improvement initiatives. "

Speaking skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of field electrical engineers is speaking skills. This skill is critical to many everyday field electrical engineer duties, as "electrical and electronics engineers work closely with other engineers and technicians." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "represented hvac field3(cont. )"

Writing skills. For certain field electrical engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "writing skills." The day-to-day duties of a field electrical engineer rely on this skill, as "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." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what field electrical engineers do: "performed engineering design changes through a regulated structured process compliant with the fda which involved a high level of technical writing. "

Math skills. Another crucial skill for a field electrical engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "math skills." A big part of what field electrical engineers relies on this skill, since "electrical and electronics engineers must use the principles of calculus and other advanced math in order to analyze, design, and troubleshoot equipment." How this skill relates to field electrical engineer duties can be seen in an example from a field electrical engineer resume snippet: "developed mathcad and matlab programs for engineering test & validation. "

See the full list of field electrical engineer skills

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Compare different field electrical engineers

Field electrical engineer vs. System design engineer

A system design engineer is an individual who participates in system design engineering and resolves manufacturing and service problems. System design engineers are required to collaborate with the system design team to research emerging technologies and develop new capabilities. They create design layouts by utilizing the use of CAD software such as AutoCad as well as supervise a group of CAD technicians. System design engineers must also provide customer service in the field and deliver individualized problem solving and system design support

We looked at the average field electrical engineer salary and compared it with the wages of a system design engineer. Generally speaking, system design engineers are paid $21,357 higher than field electrical engineers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between field electrical engineers and system design engineers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like electrical systems, control systems, and engineering drawings.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a field electrical engineer are more likely to require skills like "oil gas," "start-up," "design drawings," and "ladders." On the other hand, a job as a system design engineer requires skills like "system design," "architecture," "matlab," and "c++." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

System design engineers really shine in the automotive industry with an average salary of $116,222. Comparatively, field electrical engineers tend to make the most money in the energy industry with an average salary of $97,189.On average, system design engineers reach higher levels of education than field electrical engineers. System design engineers are 9.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Field electrical engineer vs. Instrumentation & control engineer

An instrumentation and control engineer is responsible for installing and designing technical components for engineering systems that would support production and manufacturing processes. Instrumentation and control engineers inspect control systems, modify features and infrastructure, configure controllers, and run multiple quality checks to ensure stability and optimal performance. They must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in developing system codes and analyzing programming languages to serve control functions and development. An instrumentation and control engineer also resolves system issues and write resolution reports for reference.

Instrumentation & control engineer positions earn higher pay than field electrical engineer roles. They earn a $6,117 higher salary than field electrical engineers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both field electrical engineers and instrumentation & control engineers have skills such as "electrical systems," "oil gas," and "start-up. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real field electrical engineer resumes. While field electrical engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "control systems," "design drawings," "ladders," and "technical direction," instrumentation & control engineers use skills like "process control," "engineering design," "dcs," and "i/o."

Instrumentation & control engineers earn a higher average salary than field electrical engineers. But instrumentation & control engineers earn the highest pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $98,177. Additionally, field electrical engineers earn the highest salaries in the energy with average pay of $97,189 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Instrumentation & control engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than field electrical engineers. In fact, they're 3.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for field electrical engineers in the next 3-5 years?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Virtual/augmented reality will play an increasingly important role in visualizing designs and interacting with them.

Field electrical engineer vs. Engineer

Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

On average, engineers earn higher salaries than field electrical engineers, with a $5,730 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on field electrical engineers and engineers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "electrical systems," "control systems," and "ladders.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, field electrical engineers are more likely to have skills like "oil gas," "start-up," "design drawings," and "technical direction." But a engineer is more likely to have skills like "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #."

Engineers earn the best pay in the automotive industry, where they command an average salary of $97,672. Field electrical engineers earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $97,189.Most engineers achieve a higher degree level compared to field electrical engineers. For example, they're 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Field electrical engineer vs. Instrumentation engineer

An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.

Instrumentation engineers typically earn higher pay than field electrical engineers. On average, instrumentation engineers earn a $2,436 higher salary per year.While both field electrical engineers and instrumentation engineers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like oil gas, control systems, and electrical equipment, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between field electrical engineers and instrumentation engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a field electrical engineer might have more use for skills like "electrical systems," "start-up," "design drawings," and "ladders." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of instrumentation engineers require skills like "analyzers," "troubleshoot," "instrumentation systems," and "cad. "

In general, instrumentation engineers earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $80,269. The highest-paying industry for a field electrical engineer is the energy industry.In general, instrumentation engineers hold similar degree levels compared to field electrical engineers. Instrumentation engineers are 2.7% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of field electrical engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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