Principal Engineer, Electrical Design – Large Power Transformers – TX
Egret Consulting has been retained to identify a Principal Engineer, Electrical Design for an innovative American manufacturer developing a new approach to large power transformer engineering and production.
With demand for large power transformers accelerating across utilities, data centers, renewable energy, and grid modernization projects, the need to expand domestic manufacturing capacity has never been greater. Our client is addressing that challenge by developing an advanced manufacturing operation that combines robotics, digital engineering, design automation, and vertically integrated production to improve how large power transformers are designed, manufactured, and tested.
The organization’s first manufacturing facility will focus on large power transformers rated at 100 MVA and above, with voltage classes ranging from 34.5 kV through 500 kV. Its objective is to establish a highly automated American manufacturing platform capable of delivering the quality, consistency, and production capacity needed to support the nation’s expanding electrical infrastructure.
The Principal Engineer, Electrical Design will play a central role in establishing the technical foundation of this operation. This individual will take ownership of electrical transformer design and test validation while helping develop the engineering architecture that will support the company’s entire transformer product portfolio.
This is a hands-on engineering position with considerable technical responsibility. Rather than simply maintaining established designs, the successful candidate will help develop standardized engineering methods, validated calculation models, and configurable design systems that can be applied across multiple transformer ratings and customer requirements.
A significant aspect of this opportunity involves working alongside mechanical engineering and software development teams to build a proprietary parametric design platform. The Principal Engineer will translate electrical engineering calculations, performance requirements, and design principles into reusable software modules and design rules that connect transformer ratings and electrical characteristics directly to mechanical models, component specifications, and manufacturing requirements.
The scope of electrical design responsibility includes transformer core and winding design, insulation coordination, impedance calculations, loss optimization, dielectric performance, thermal management, and short-circuit withstand capability. This individual will also establish technical requirements for critical components, including bushings, tap changers, conductors, insulation systems, and other electrical interfaces.
Equally important will be the ability to validate engineering designs through comprehensive factory testing. The Principal Engineer will work closely with testing personnel to establish test plans, acceptance criteria, and qualification requirements while evaluating dielectric performance, partial discharge, losses, impedance, temperature rise, and other critical operating characteristics. When performance issues arise, this individual will lead technical investigations, determine root causes, and incorporate validated findings into future design improvements.
Electrical and mechanical engineering must function as an integrated process. The Principal Engineer will collaborate closely with mechanical design teams to address winding configurations, insulation clearances, lead routing, cooling arrangements, and the mechanical forces associated with short-circuit conditions. These considerations will be incorporated early in the design process to ensure electrical performance, mechanical integrity, and manufacturing practicality are properly aligned.
Design for Manufacturability will be fundamental to the position. Working directly with Manufacturing and Supply Chain, the successful candidate will help…