Job Title: Electrical DesignerJob Description
This Electrical Designer role focuses on developing detailed electrical system designs for power distribution, lighting, fire alarm, and communication systems within heavy industrial environments. You will create high-quality drawings and documentation, collaborate closely with multidisciplinary project teams, and support advanced facility projects from concept through delivery. The position emphasizes cable tray and conduit routing in Revit MEP and offers the opportunity to work independently, present your designs to stakeholders, and help drive consistency, quality, and innovation in electrical design standards.
Responsibilities
Develop electrical system designs for power distribution, lighting, fire alarm, and communication systems for heavy industrial projects.
Generate design and detail drawings, including plans, sections, and isometrics, to support discipline leads and project engineers.
Create physical layout drawings, equipment details, conduit routing, grounding, and cable schedules with a strong focus on cable tray and conduit routing in Revit.
Produce wiring diagrams based on electrical schematics to support installation and construction activities.
Collaborate with a multidisciplinary design team of engineers and drafters to produce complete installation drawing packages.
Manage and maintain project documentation, including flat files, reference and stick files, and CAD drawings, ensuring accuracy and organization.
Serve as a lead for select single-discipline projects by estimating work hours, developing scope of work, and maintaining quality processes when needed.
Work with engineers on multiple projects simultaneously, effectively managing project hours and coordinating with other departments and suppliers to obtain necessary information.
Interact with clients to convey project design intent, present your work, and identify and communicate scope changes.
Produce high-quality electronic documentation and design packages that meet company standards and client expectations.
Support advanced facility projects from concept through delivery, ensuring technical excellence and adherence to design standards.
Help drive consistency, quality, and innovation within company electrical design standards and best practices.
Collaborate with project teams in a fast-paced environment, contributing to a highly collaborative and team-oriented culture.
Work independently on design tasks, taking ownership of your work, even though you are not expected to perform engineering calculations.
Essential Skills
Associate Degree in a technical discipline or equivalent related experience.
At least 5 years of drafting experience using Revit MEP.
Electrical design experience in the consulting engineering space, particularly for industrial and heavy industrial projects such as chemical plants, refineries, food and beverage facilities, and similar environments.
Proficiency in electrical design for power distribution, lighting, grounding, and cabling.
Hands-on experience with Revit and Revit MEP for electrical design and modeling.
Working knowledge of AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical for creating and modifying electrical drawings.
Familiarity with Navisworks for model coordination and review.
Ability to generate design and detail drawings, including plans, sections, isometrics, and physical layouts.
Ability to create wiring diagrams from electrical schematics.
Working knowledge of National Electric Codes and relevant reference documents and guides.
Experience producing high-quality electronic documentation and complete design packages.
Capability to manage and maintain project documentation, including CAD files and reference materials.
Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with engineers, drafters, and other departments.
Ability to present designs clearly to clients and project teams and to communicate scope changes.
Ability to work independently on design tasks without performing engineering calculations.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Experience with heavy industrial projects in chemical, refinery, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries.
Experience with laser scanning and integrating scan data into design workflows.
Experience using Bluebeam for drawing review, markup, and collaboration.
Experience working with industrial and hazardous or explosive environments, including large equipment installations and clean spaces.
Background in consulting engineering firms or multi-disciplinary design environments.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining design quality and consistency.
Comfort working on multiple projects at once and managing time and priorities effectively.
Ability to contribute to continuous improvement of electrical design standards and processes.
Work Environment
This role is based out of a highly collaborative, full-service Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Management office located in Downers Grove, IL, with flexibility for remote work. The office houses all major disciplines, including Architecture, Mechanical, Piping, Processing, Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls, Project Controls, and Estimating, providing a rich multidisciplinary environment and frequent cross-department collaboration on projects. The electrical team consists of approximately 15 professionals across two departments, with 56 focused on electrical and 56 on instrumentation and controls. The typical work arrangement encourages local candidates in Illinois who can commute to the Downers Grove office, with the team currently in the office three days per week (Tuesday through Thursday). Additional flexibility is available based on individual needs, and fully remote arrangements are possible for strong candidates, including potential alignment with other offices such as Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Occasional, very light travel to job sites across the Midwest may occur, generally 23 nights at a time, 12 times every few months, but this is not required. Projects primarily involve heavy industrial facilities, including chemical plants, refineries, agricultural operations, food and beverage clean spaces, and pharmaceutical environments. These projects often feature very large equipment in clean or hazardous/explosive settings, requiring careful attention to safety, codes, and technical detail. The culture is described as highly collaborative and team-oriented, with many long-tenured staff members and a strong emphasis on open communication, quick decision-making, and ensuring every voice is heard. The environment is professional, technically focused, and supportive of innovation and continuous improvement in electrical design.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Downers Grove, IL.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $60.00/hr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Downers Grove, IL.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Nov 12, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully remote position.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.
