Senior Physical Design Engineer Jobs in Virginia

As a Senior Electrical Design Engineer, you will serve as a technical authority in the planning, design, and execution of advanced electrical systems for large-scale, mission-critical data center infrastructure. Drawing on 10+ years of hands-on experience in the A/E industry, you will lead cross-functional teams, drive design excellence, and serve as a trusted partner to internal stakeholders, engineers of record, and construction teams. This role demands deep expertise in high and medium voltage systems, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to delivering exceptional results on complex, high-stakes projects.

Key Responsibilities

· You will serve as the senior technical lead for electrical design on complex, large-scale data center and mission-critical infrastructure projects, guiding projects from concept through commissioning and final turnover.

· You will lead and oversee a team of electrical engineers and designers, establishing consistent design standards, reviewing deliverables, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence.

· You will act as the primary liaison between internal departments, engineers of record (EoR), external consultants, and contractors to resolve complex electrical design challenges and drive timely, code-compliant solutions.

· You will oversee the development, review, and quality control of all electrical documentation including one-line diagrams, load calculations, panel schedules, arc flash studies, short circuit analyses, submittals, and RFIs.

· You will lead the evaluation and integration of emerging technologies to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of electrical infrastructure in data center environments.

· You will drive proactive schedule and budget management by identifying design bottlenecks, evaluating cost impacts of design changes, and maintaining accountability across EoR and contractor teams.

· You will ensure all electrical systems fully comply with applicable codes and standards including NEC, IEEE, and IEC, while mitigating technical and project risk throughout the design lifecycle.

· You will lead risk assessments, factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and commissioning activities, including milestone inspections and system integration verification.

· You will partner closely with mechanical, controls, and architectural disciplines to ensure full integration of electrical systems into the broader project design framework.

· You will develop and maintain lessons-learned documentation, contributing to ongoing improvements in design processes, standards, and project delivery methodologies.

· You will provide field support during construction, conducting walkthroughs, resolving installation issues, and ensuring a successful handoff to operations.

· You will contribute to the development and continuous refinement of internal design standards, templates, and best practices across the electrical discipline.

· Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Power Engineering with electrical building systems emphasis.

· Minimum 10 years’ experience in the A/E industry with a strong focus on mission-critical and data center electrical infrastructure.

· Revit BIM design experience required; demonstrated ability to coordinate large-scale electrical systems within a BIM environment.

· Deep expertise in power distribution and lighting design, including medium voltage switchgear, transformers, UPS systems, generators, and associated controls.

· Proven proficiency in short circuit analysis and power system modeling using SKM, ETAP, or similar tools.

· Extensive background in the design, construction, testing, and commissioning of medium and low voltage electrical distribution systems, including power management and SCADA tools.

· Professional Engineering (PE) license required.

· Demonstrated experience with redundancy strategies (N, N+1, 2N) and fault-tolerant design principles for high-uptime data center environments.

· Strong understanding of substation design, switchgear, power monitoring, and associated commissioning processes.

· Comprehensive understanding of professional services from conceptual design through project close-out.

· Knowledge of sustainable design approaches including energy efficiency strategies and their application in large-scale infrastructure.

· Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences including senior leadership and external stakeholders.

· Passion for improving workflows and driving continuous improvement across the electrical discipline.

· Proficient with Microsoft Productivity Suite products.