Principal Engineer

Overview

Principal Engineer role offers the opportunity to lead complex transformer design projects from concept through production, working at the intersection of engineering innovation, manufacturing excellence, and customer-driven solutions. You ll develop custom designs for distribution-class and power-class transformers, ensuring they meet customer specifications, industry standards, and internal engineering requirements. You ll play a key role across the full engineering lifecycle—design, documentation, manufacturing support, testing, optimization, and continuous improvement—while serving as a technical leader and problem-solver for cross-functional teams.

This is an onsite position, and the ideal candidate will be within commuting distance of one of our four primary facilities located in Temple, TX;
Solomon, KS;
Sharon, PA or Spokane, WA. Business travel for this role is expected to be 30% to our various manufacturing facilities across the US.

• Develop custom designs for distribution and power-class transformers that meet customer requirements, IEEE/ANSI standards, and internal engineering procedures.
• Prepare engineering documentation, including Bills of Materials (BOMs), drawings, and material quotations for Purchasing, Sales, Manufacturing, and Test teams.
• Support manufacturing and testing activities by responding to production questions, customer service inquiries, and factory test follow-ups.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including design optimization and aluminum-conductor strategies (such as transitioning to aluminum round wire).
• Lead the development and implementation of Large Power Class Substation Transformers (138 kV, 650 BIL).
• Analyze new proposals, specifications, and product concepts to determine feasibility and engineering requirements.
• Apply advanced engineering principles to plan, coordinate, and recommend solutions for complex technical challenges.
• Monitor production schedules and manage engineering workload to ensure deadlines are met.
• Evaluate and process engineering change requests; revise and reissue production files as needed.
• Support inventory reduction efforts by ensuring proper use of surplus or obsolete materials.
• Review and approve new vendors based on technical suitability and product quality.
• Provide engineered solutions, assist with troubleshooting, and summarize findings for root-cause investigations.
• Promote and uphold safe engineering and manufacturing practices across all processes.

• Bachelor s degree in electrical engineering.
• 5+ years of experience for Principal Engineer level (advanced degrees count as one additional year).
• Proven design experience with distribution or power transformers.
• Experience with industrial power products and helical power designs.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and AutoCAD.
• Ability to read drawings, technical documents, and detailed instructions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for small-group or one-on-one settings.
• Ability to apply sound engineering judgment to solve problems with concrete variables in standardized situations.