How To Become A Senior Electrical Designer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior electrical designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Abby Guido

Would you like to find a job that lights up other people's lives? Well then, you should consider becoming a senior electrical designer. As a senior electrical designer, you'll use your electrical knowledge to figure out how an electrical plan for a construction project will be done.

Using your expertise, you'll come up with wiring and power distribution diagrams. To do this, you'll first evaluate your client's needs and specifications. Afterward, you'll develop electrical drawings, determine what equipment will be used, and ensure that the final plans comply with all relevant installation codes.

As some of the tools of the trade, you'll need to have a familiarity with CAD software, currents, wires, switches, circuit breakers, and volts. You'll need to be a problem-solver since you'll be designing solutions to meet complex system and subsystem requirements. You'll always play a key role in a larger project, so being a go team player is key.

On the job, you'll frequently climb ladders and stairs and may need to crawl, squeeze, or jump to reach a site for field verification. To get a position in this field, you'll need an associate or bachelor's degree in a relevant field and five or more years of experience with electrical design. You may occasionally need to work extended hours to enable a construction company to meet its deadlines.

What general advice would you give to a senior electrical designer?

Abby Guido

Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University

We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.

Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.

ScoreSenior Electrical DesignerUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $87,859

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.48%

Black or African American 4.78%

Hispanic or Latino 11.04%

Unknown 4.70%

White 64.82%

Gender

female 10.82%

male 89.18%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior electrical designer

Explore senior electrical designer education requirements

Most common senior electrical designer degrees

Associate

49.9 %

Bachelor's

34.1 %

High School Diploma

4.8 %

Start to develop specific senior electrical designer skills

Skills	Percentages
Electrical Design	9.45%
Revit	5.89%
Electrical Equipment	5.44%
Electrical Systems	5.28%
Autocad Electrical	5.00%

Complete relevant senior electrical designer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior electrical designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior electrical designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior electrical designer resumes.

Research senior electrical designer duties and responsibilities

Lead all phases of facility HAZWOPER projects including environmental HVAC upgrades and environmental remediation initiatives.
Design control systems according to NFPA 79 and IEC 204 electrical standards.
Coordinate safety training and ensure OSHA compliance through training and site review.
Design include various NFPA requirements (including fire pumps).

Get senior electrical designer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior electrical designer. The most common roles before becoming a senior electrical designer include electrical designer, electrical & instrumentation designer team lead and designer.

Prepare your senior electrical designer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior electrical designer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior electrical designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior electrical designer resume templates

Build a professional senior electrical designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior electrical designer resume.

Apply for senior electrical designer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior electrical designer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do senior electrical designers rate their job?

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Senior electrical designer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

Finding NEW devices to open up the range of features for nrw development! New technologies, new materials, allowing new concepts!

Cons

Right now, being stuck handling fine details of determining equivalents for parts which are currently unavailable (or 1year+ lead times for delivery). I can DO it, but regret the loss of higher-priority time/tasks...

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019