Overview
Electrical Engineer Jobs in Houston, TX at HPF Consultants, Inc.
Electrical Engineer
Oil & Gas Midstream — Pharmaceutical — Food & Beverage — Consumer Products
Title
Electrical Engineer
Department
Engineering
Immediate Supervisor
I&E Engineering Manager
Location
Houston, Midland, or Clyde, TX
FLSA Classification
Exempt
1.0 Position Summary
The Electrical Engineer is responsible for the front-end and detailed electrical design of low- and medium-voltage power distribution, motor control, lighting, grounding, lightning protection, cathodic-protection coordination, and hazardous-area electrical systems for oil & gas midstream facilities, with secondary application to pharmaceutical, food & beverage, and consumer products clients. The Electrical Engineer is the discipline owner for power system studies, equipment specification, electrical drawings, NEC compliance, and signs/seals deliverables in jurisdictions where licensure is required. The role coordinates with Process, I&C, Automation, Civil/Structural, and Mechanical disciplines and serves as the primary technical interface to electrical equipment vendors and electrical construction subcontractors.
2.0 Core Functions and Responsibilities
The incumbent will perform the following primary duties and responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned by the I&E Engineering Manager as project demands evolve.
- Lead and execute detailed electrical engineering for compressor stations, pump stations, gas processing facilities, RNG plants, well pads, pipeline terminals, and process plants ranging from 480 V three-phase up through 13.8 kV class medium-voltage installations.
- Develop electrical one-line diagrams, three-line diagrams, motor schematics, control schematics, and protective relay block diagrams in accordance with IEEE 315 and client standards.
- Conduct power system studies — short-circuit, load flow, motor starting, protective device coordination, and arc flash incident energy analysis (per IEEE 1584, NFPA 70E) — using SKM PowerTools and / or ETAP.
- Specify and apply low-voltage and medium-voltage electrical equipment including switchgear, MCCs, transformers (dry-type and liquid-filled), distribution panelboards, transfer switches, UPS systems, generator sets, soft starters, and variable frequency drives (VFDs).
- Develop hazardous area classification drawings (NEC Article 500/505/506, API RP 500/505) coordinated with the I&C Engineer; specify equipment ratings (Class I Div 1/2, Zone 0/1/2, IECEx/ATEX as applicable).
- Specify and design grounding and bonding systems (IEEE 80, IEEE 142, API RP 2003) including ground grids, equipment grounding, static bonding, and lightning protection (NFPA 780, API RP 545 where applicable).
- Develop cable and conduit schedules including cable sizing per NEC Article 310 ampacity tables, voltage drop, conduit fill (Chapter 9), de-rating for ambient and grouping, and shield/armor selection.
- Develop indoor and outdoor lighting designs (interior, exterior, security, hazardous-area, emergency egress) consistent with IES recommended practices; perform photometric layouts using AGi32 or DIALux or similar.
- Specify and design heat tracing and freeze protection systems (IEEE 515, IEEE 515.1) coordinated with the Mechanical/Piping discipline.
- Specify motors per NEMA MG-1 and IEEE 841 (severe-duty), VFD-rated as required, and coordinate motor data with Mechanical/Process disciplines.
- Develop relay setting calculations and protective relay coordination studies for SEL, GE Multilin, ABB, and Siemens protective relays; produce settings sheets in compliance with utility interconnection requirements.
- Specify UPS systems, battery sizing (IEEE 485, IEEE 1184), and DC distribution for control system reliability.
- Coordinate utility interconnection design (transformer sizing, primary metering, revenue metering, fault duty review) with serving utility.
- Specify generator sets including paralleling switchgear, AVR, governor, synchronizing controls (Woodward DSLC/MSLC, Basler DECS), and SEL-700G generator protection.
- Perform NEC code compliance reviews on third-party drawings, vendor packages, and existing installations for retrofit projects.
- Sign and seal electrical drawings, specifications, and calculations as Engineer of Record in jurisdictions where HPF holds licensure.
- Lead electrical commissioning activities including high-pot testing, megger testing, transformer turns ratio (TTR), relay testing, and energization sequence development.
- Perform QA/QC reviews on discipline deliverables, maintain document revision control, and enforce client and HPF document standards.
- Provide weekly progress reports, percent-complete tracking, and risk/issue logs to the Project Manager and Engineering Manager.
3.0 Top Ten Deliverables
The following deliverables represent the principal outputs expected from this role on a typical midstream project. Discipline ownership, format, governing standard, and prerequisite inputs are summarized below.
#
Deliverable
Type
Format / Tool
Governing Standard
Prerequisites
1
Single-Line Diagram / One-Line Diagram
Drawing (Sealed)
AutoCAD .dwg
IEEE 315, NEC, IEEE 141
Load list, equipment specs, utility data
2
Power System Study Report (SC, LF, Motor Start, Coordination, Arc Flash)
Document (Sealed)
SKM / ETAP / PDF
IEEE 1584, IEEE 242, NFPA 70E
One-line diagram, equipment ratings, utility short-circuit data
3
Motor and Equipment Schematics
Drawing
AutoCAD .dwg
NEMA ICS, NEC
MCC schedule, motor list, control narrative
4
Cable & Conduit Schedule
Document (Excel)
HPF Std Template
NEC 310, Ch. 9
Equipment list, plot plan, routing study
5
Hazardous Area Classification Drawing
Drawing (Sealed)
AutoCAD .dwg
NEC 500/505/506, API RP 500/505
Plot plan, ventilation, P&IDs, source-of-release data
6
Grounding & Lightning Protection Plan
Drawing
AutoCAD .dwg
IEEE 80, IEEE 142, NFPA 780
Plot plan, soil resistivity, equipment locations
7
Lighting Plan & Photometric Calculations
Drawing + Report
AutoCAD .dwg + AGi32 / DIALux
IES RP-7, NEC
Plot plan, area function classification
8
MCC / Switchgear / Panelboard Specifications & Schedules
Document/Schedule
Word + Excel
NEMA ICS, IEEE C37
Load list, fault duty, control narrative
9
Protective Relay Settings & Coordination Report
Document (Sealed)
PDF / SEL AcSELerator / SKM
IEEE C37, IEEE 242
Coordination study, utility settings, equipment damage curves
10
Electrical Specifications & RFQ Packages
Document Set
Word
IEEE, NEMA, ANSI, NEC
Equipment design data, project standards
4.0 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Performance against the following KPIs will be tracked through HPF’s project management and quality systems and reviewed during quarterly performance discussions and the annual review.
KPI / Metric
Target
On-time deliverable completion (IFR / IFC)
≥ 95% on schedule
Internal QC findings on sealed deliverables (Major)
≤ 1 per IFR submittal
Power study deliverable accuracy (SC, AF, Coord)
100% reconciled prior to seal
Arc flash boundary analysis closeout
100% labeled at energization
Field-installed deviations from issued drawings
≤ 5 per project
Billable utilization (annualized)
75% – 85%
RFI response time during construction
≤ 48 hours
Continuing education hours (annual)
≥ 30 hrs PDH (P.E. requirement)
P.E. license maintenance & state renewals
100% on time
Mentorship of EITs and designers
≥ 60 hrs/year
5.0 Applicable Codes, Standards, and Regulations
The incumbent is expected to maintain working knowledge of the following codes and standards. Where client or jurisdictional requirements impose more stringent criteria, those requirements shall govern.
- NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code (NEC)
- NFPA 70E — Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
- NFPA 780 — Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems
- IEEE 80 — Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding
- IEEE 141 (Red Book) — Industrial Power Distribution
- IEEE 142 (Green Book) — Grounding of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
- IEEE 242 (Buff Book) — Protection and Coordination
- IEEE 315 — Graphic Symbols for Electrical and Electronics Diagrams
- IEEE 485 / 1184 — Battery Sizing and UPS Design
- IEEE 515 / 515.1 — Heat Tracing
- IEEE 841 — Severe-Duty Motors
- IEEE 1584 — Arc Flash Hazard Calculations
- API RP 500 / RP 505 — Hazardous Area Classification
- API RP 14F / 14FZ — Offshore Electrical Design (where applicable)
- API RP 540 — Electrical Installations in Petroleum Processing Plants
- ANSI / IEEE C37 series — Switchgear, Circuit Breakers, Protective Relaying
- NEMA MG-1 — Motors and Generators
- NEMA ICS — Industrial Control and Systems
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S — Electrical Safety
6.0 Tools, Software, and Platforms
The incumbent will use the following tools and platforms. Project assignments may require additional client-specified software; HPF will provide reasonable training to support adoption.
- AutoCAD (Mechanical/Electrical), AutoCAD Electrical
- SKM PowerTools (PTW) — Short-circuit, load flow, coordination, arc flash
- ETAP — Power system analysis (alternative to SKM)
- SEL AcSELerator QuickSet, GE EnerVista, ABB PCM600 — Relay configuration
- Bluebeam Revu — drawing markup and review
- Microsoft Excel (advanced — load flow tabulation, cable schedules)
- Microsoft Project — schedule and deliverables tracking
7.0 QualificationsRequired
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from an ABET-accredited program.
- Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in Texas; ability to obtain reciprocity in Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and other client jurisdictions within twelve (12) months; preferred but not required.
- Five (5) or more years of progressive electrical engineering experience in industrial, oil & gas, or process plant settings; four (4) years minimum required.
- Demonstrated authorship of complete electrical design packages including one-line diagrams, schematics, hazardous area classification, cable schedules, lighting and grounding plans.
- Hands-on proficiency in SKM PowerTools and / or ETAP, including arc flash analysis per IEEE 1584.
- Working knowledge of NEC, NFPA 70E, IEEE, ANSI, NEMA, API, and OSHA codes and standards listed above.
- Experience specifying medium- and low-voltage power distribution and controls equipment, motor starters, VFDs, and transformers.
- Excellent technical writing, verbal communication, and meeting facilitation skills.
- Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills with the ability to balance engineering, schedule, and cost.
- Ability to work on multiple concurrent projects and travel up to 25%.
- Valid driver’s license.
Preferred
- Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Systems.
- NCEES Record-on-file (for rapid multi-state licensure).
- Experience with utility interconnection studies and revenue metering.
- Experience with generator paralleling switchgear and Woodward / Basler controls.
- Experience with cathodic protection coordination (NACE familiarity).
- Experience with classified-area lighting and offshore electrical (API RP 14F).
8.0 Work Authorization
- HPF Consultants, Inc. is not currently sponsoring employment visas for this position.
- All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.
- All employees must pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol screening; once hired, employees may be subject to random testing in accordance with client and regulatory requirements.
9.0 Physical Requirements and Working Conditions
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a workstation operating computers, monitors, and engineering software.
- Occasional field work requiring standing, walking, climbing stairs and ladders, balancing, stooping, kneeling, and use of hands and fingers to operate tools and controls.
- Use of close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
- Must be able to lift up to fifteen (15) pounds occasionally.
- Field assignments may include outside conditions and exposure to elevated temperatures, noise, and hazardous (Class I, Division 2) area classifications.
- Required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) including hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, FRC, and safety footwear during site visits.
- Travel to client facilities (regional and out-of-state) up to 25% may be required.
- Field exposure during commissioning may include energized equipment work (with appropriate qualification and PPE per NFPA 70E), confined space awareness, and elevated platforms.
Pay: $100,000.00 – $165,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
Title: Electrical Engineer
Company: HPF Consultants, Inc.
Location: Houston, TX
Category:
