Job Title: I&E Designer
Job Description
The I&E Designer will play a key role in electrical and instrumentation drafting and design for industrial facilities, with a strong focus on power distribution, petrochemical, refinery, and oil and gas environments. This position is responsible for developing accurate electrical installation documents, equipment specifications, and design criteria while coordinating closely with multiple disciplines to deliver high-quality, on-schedule project deliverables. The role requires deep technical expertise in industrial electrical systems, strong CAD and design skills, and the ability to lead a small team to meet project commitments.
Responsibilities
- Perform detailed electrical design tasks, including lighting level calculations, voltage drop calculations, and sizing of wire, conduit, and overcurrent protection for both lighting and power applications.
- Route conduit and cable tray systems and calculate tray and conduit fill to ensure safe and efficient installation layouts.
- Determine motor control center loading and load center unit substation loading for various industrial power distribution systems.
- Create accurate electrical installation documents using information from vendor equipment drawings, ensuring alignment with project specifications and standards.
- Develop equipment specifications for 480VAC equipment such as motor control centers, variable frequency drives, induction and synchronous motors, and load center unit substations, with engineering review and approval.
- Develop equipment specifications for 15kV/5kV equipment including switchgear, load break switches, and motor control centers, and perform calculations for required short circuit and overcurrent protective device ratings, subject to engineering review and approval.
- Apply familiarity with 15kV power system equipment and installation techniques both above and below ground to support robust and compliant designs.
- Develop electrical installation specifications with engineering review and approval to guide construction and field installation activities.
- Prepare construction cost estimates, detailed engineering schedules, and man-hour budgets for small projects or designated areas within larger projects.
- Determine construction material quantities and support procurement planning based on design documents and project scope.
- Develop design criteria and scope of work documents that clearly define project requirements and deliverables.
- Forecast hours required to complete professional services and track progress against project schedules and budgets.
- Develop staffing plans based on required deliverables and project timelines, ensuring appropriate allocation of design and drafting resources.
- Identify required technical and project information and proactively obtain it from stakeholders to avoid delays and design gaps.
- Coordinate with other disciplines regarding design development, changes, and integration to ensure cohesive and efficient overall plant layouts.
- Coordinate with the process group to provide efficient equipment layouts and optimal space usage within industrial facilities.
- Apply company engineering design and CAD drafting standards consistently across all electrical and instrumentation deliverables.
- Use MS Word, Excel, and Outlook to prepare documentation, reports, schedules, and project communications.
- Utilize 2D AutoCAD and MicroStation for electrical and instrumentation drafting and design work.
- Apply working knowledge of Revit, CADWorx, and ElecDES to support detailed modeling and design activities for industrial projects.
- Use programming experience with PLC, HMI, and/or DCS equipment to support instrumentation and control aspects of the design.
- Accurately estimate completion time for assigned tasks and report progress to support project planning and control.
- Lead a small team of designers and drafters to deliver on project commitments, providing guidance, coordination, and quality oversight.
Essential Skills
- Strong familiarity with the current version of the National Electrical Code (NEC).
- Demonstrated ability to perform lighting level calculations and voltage drop calculations for industrial electrical systems.
- Ability to size wire, conduit, and overcurrent protection for both lighting and power applications.
- Ability to route conduit and cable tray and calculate tray and conduit fill.
- Ability to determine motor control center loading and load center unit substation loading.
- Ability to create accurate electrical installation documents from vendor equipment drawings.
- Familiarity with specifications and installation details of construction bulk materials and equipment.
- Knowledge and understanding of workflow and information flow between engineering disciplines.
- Knowledge and understanding of schedule constraints and information requirements for producing all electrical deliverables.
- Ability to accurately estimate completion of assigned tasks and forecast hours to complete professional services.
- Ability to develop equipment specifications for 480VAC equipment such as motor control centers, variable frequency drives, induction and synchronous motors, and load center unit substations, with engineering review and approval.
- Ability to develop equipment specifications for 15kV/5kV equipment such as switchgear, load break switches, and motor control centers, and perform calculations for short circuit and overcurrent protective device ratings, with engineering review and approval.
- Familiarity with 15kV power system equipment and installation techniques both above and below ground.
- Ability to develop electrical installation specifications with engineering review and approval.
- Ability to develop construction cost estimates, detailed engineering schedules, and man-hour budgets for small projects or areas within larger projects.
- Ability to determine construction material quantities based on design documents.
- Experience developing design criteria and scope of work documents.
- Experience coordinating with other disciplines and the process group to support integrated design and efficient equipment layouts.
- Knowledge and application of engineering design and CAD drafting standards in an industrial context.
- Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and Outlook.
- Working knowledge of 2D AutoCAD and MicroStation.
- Programming experience with PLC, HMI, and/or DCS equipment.
- Ability to lead a small team to deliver on project commitments.
- Associate degree in Engineering Technology or Computer-Aided Drafting.
- 15+ years of relevant industrial experience in electrical and instrumentation drafting and design.
Work Environment
This role is primarily office-based, working in a professional engineering and design environment focused on industrial projects such as petrochemical, refinery, and oil and gas facilities. You will use tools including MS Word, Excel, Outlook, 2D AutoCAD, MicroStation, Revit, CADWorx, and ElecDES on a regular basis to produce and manage design deliverables. The position involves collaborating closely with other disciplines and project teams, participating in planning meetings, and contributing to schedules and staffing plans. The work setting supports detailed technical design work, documentation, and coordination activities. Benefits typically include paid time off and holiday time, alongside competitive compensation structures aligned with professional engineering and design roles.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Houston, TX.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $72.00/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 position based out of Houston, TX.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Oct 30, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Houston,TX.
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.