Department Head - Electrical

Department Head/Electrical

A Department Head - Electrical will be responsible for overall technical quality within their department and support the development of design discipline staffing to meet the needs of the firm in terms of numbers, experience, and professional qualifications.

General responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Performing Department Head duties as assigned.
• Facilitate communication of the impact of design/scope decisions on the department level of effort, project schedule, construction cost and quality of the final product.
• Assure that the department standards are being utilized efficiently. Facilitate the improvement of the standards and include training in the departmental guidance. Help introduce new employees to the standards.
• Review performance, status, budgets, and organization of the project documents.
• Monitor construction activities and provide lessons learned.
• Monitor professional development of staff members to assure that individuals are being technically challenged in a productive manner and maintain their technical abilities.
• Encourage the use of software tools to enhance the efficiency of team members. Evaluate alternative tools as they become available. Provide opportunities for training as required.
• Coordinate computer hardware and software needs with the IT department.
• Encourage mentoring within the department and serve as an example for future leaders. Identify roles for members of the department to aid in their professional growth.
• Encourage "lessons learned" and internal communication to help prevent recurring issues. Discuss reviews with designers and reviewers to identify quality trends.
• Working with, responding to, and taking direction from other Department Heads and Senior Management.
• Assist in marketing and business development activities.
• Assist in preparing proposals and participating in contract negotiations.
• Assign department staff to project(s) and or project teams.
• Participate in staff reviews.
• Ability to travel is required.

Project responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Conduct reviews of the project discipline technical decisions.
• Monitor department workload to maintain staff utilization rates.
• Review discipline fee and budget proposals on individual projects.
• Monitor discipline budget and schedule performance on individual projects
• Assist Principals and Project Managers in assigning suitable or appropriately skilled staff to project teams.
• Participate in design reviews of projects.
• Participate in technical reviews of projects.
• Participate in QA/QC project reviews and briefings.

Education, Technology, and Experience

• BS in Electrical Engineering -or-
• Post-graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or Engineering Management.
• Must be a fully licensed Professional Engineer in at least one US state, preferably in the local jurisdiction.
• NCEES certification to facilitate licensure through reciprocity is preferred.
• Understanding of sustainable design principles and design practices with LEED accreditation is preferred.
• Additional certifications such as CDT, CCS, or CCCA are encouraged to reflect personal growth in the profession and an ever-increasing knowledge base to enhance the design and documentation process.
• A Department Head - Electrical should be able to effectively utilize current company software programs for word processing, e-mail, accounting, and information management.
• Working familiarity with design and production software to a point of being able to understand the capabilities and limitations of the programs and interact with the support staff in their use of the software is highly desirable.
• A Department Head - Electrical should typically have 10-15 years or more of significant design and practice experience in a leadership role with an engineering firm or a multi-discipline Architectural & Engineering firm.
• Experience as an Electrical Engineer or Project Manager in federal, state, municipal, healthcare, commercial, higher education or similar projects plus experience in Design/Build and CM at Risk project delivery methods is desirable.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Ability to prepare effective and concise documents.
• Possess technical precision and creative design skills.
• Ability to make presentations to a variety of groups.
• Have a client-oriented attitude with a desire to provide outstanding professional services.
• Be dedicated to his or her professional development as well as the success of colleagues and the firm as a whole.
• Demonstrated recognized leadership within the firm and/or outside the firm
• Possess team leadership capabilities and abilities.
• Demonstrated understanding of firm-wide design goals and abilities to execute them on projects that they have participated in.

Physical Requirements

Work is sedentary and often performed in an office setting. The work area is lighted, heated, and ventilated. This position may require extended periods of standing, sitting, as well as some repetitive movements, bending and lifting of minimal weight. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Workplace Flexibility

We have selected two common days in the office to nurture collaboration and innovation and to support learning and growth through engagement with colleagues. We are asking everyone to be present on Mondays and Thursdays, with a required third day that will provide additional flexibility and be set between you and your supervisor (with consideration given to your project team members and clients). Our hope is that this schedule will offer the work-life balance that is desired by all, while providing consistent opportunities for face-to-face collaboration and mentorship.