Electrical engineer job description templates, plus senior, design, junior, and the electrician and technician roles a small contractor hires instead, with a guide to which to hire. DOCX.
6 templates spanning the electrical engineer role, its senior, design, and junior versions, and the electrician and technician roles a small contractor hires instead, plus a clear guide to which role to actually hire. Download as DOCX.
An electrical engineer designs, develops, and tests electrical systems, components, and equipment. It is a real and well-paid degreed profession, but it is also a design-and-development role concentrated in larger product, aerospace, semiconductor, utility, and engineering-services companies. For a smaller business, especially an electrical contractor, the role you actually need is often different, and the most useful thing a hiring guide can do is help you see that before you post.
At FirstHR, we build hiring templates that match the title to the actual work, so this page does two things: it gives you a real electrical engineer template, and it helps you see when a licensed electrician or a technician is the role you actually want. The six templates span the engineer role and those alternatives, and before them is a clear guide to choosing. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six job description templates spanning the electrical engineer role and its alternatives: Standard, Senior, Design, Junior, plus the SMB-native Electrician and Engineering Technician. The key step is confirming the role: an electrical engineer is a degreed design professional, and a small contractor or business usually needs a licensed electrician or a technician instead. An engineer is salaried exempt, with a federal median of $111,910; electricians and technicians are hourly and non-exempt. Download as DOCX.
What Does an Electrical Engineer Do?
An electrical engineer designs electrical systems, circuits, and components, develops specifications and drawings, runs analysis and testing, ensures designs meet codes and standards, and supports manufacturing and troubleshooting. The role maps to the federal category of electrical engineers and requires at least a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
What defines the role is that it is degreed design and development work, concentrated in larger product, aerospace, semiconductor, utility, and engineering companies. That context is the key thing to weigh before you post. If you are a small electrical contractor or business, what you actually need is often a licensed electrician for hands-on work, which the disambiguation below covers.
Which Electrical Role Do You Need?
This is the section that saves the most wasted effort, because the electrical engineer title is often reached for by businesses that really need a licensed electrician or a technician. The roles differ by education, work, and classification. Here is how they compare.
An electrical engineer is a degreed design professional
The first thing to settle is what an electrical engineer actually is: a degreed professional who designs, develops, and tests electrical systems and equipment. The role requires at least a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and works in design, analysis, and development, usually in an office or lab. It is distinct from the trades. An engineer designs the system; an electrician installs and maintains it; a technician supports the engineer with hands-on testing and builds. This distinction matters before you post, because the title you choose determines the candidate pool, the pay, and the classification. If you are a small electrical contractor or business, the role you actually need is very often not an engineer at all, but a licensed electrician or a technician, which the next cards explain.
A small contractor usually needs an electrician, not an engineer
When a small electrical contractor or business reaches for an engineer title, what it usually needs is a licensed electrician: someone who installs, maintains, and repairs electrical systems to the National Electrical Code, hands-on, on the job site or in the facility. Electrical contracting is overwhelmingly a small-business field, with most firms employing fewer than twenty people, and they hire electricians, not degreed engineers. An electrician is a licensed trade role, paid hourly and non-exempt, at a pay band well below an engineer. So if you run a contracting or service business and need hands-on electrical work, the electrician template here is almost always the right hire. Reserve the electrical engineer title for design and development work that genuinely needs a degreed engineer.
An engineering technician supports engineers at a lower tier
Between the engineer and the electrician sits the electrical engineering technician, who supports engineers with hands-on, applied work: building, testing, and maintaining equipment and recording data, under the direction of professional engineers. The role typically needs an associate degree rather than a four-year engineering degree, and it is paid hourly and non-exempt at a pay band below an engineer. For a small manufacturer or product company that needs hands-on technical support but not a full design engineer, a technician can be the right, more affordable hire. So the family runs from electrician for installation and repair, to technician for applied support, to engineer for design and development. Match the title to the actual work and the level of degree it truly requires.
An engineer is exempt; electricians and technicians are non-exempt
Classification splits cleanly along this family. An electrical engineer qualifies for the learned professional exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act, because engineering is a recognized field of science and learning where a specialized degree is a standard prerequisite, so engineers are salaried and exempt, with no overtime. Electricians and engineering technicians, by contrast, are non-exempt: the Department of Labor treats skilled trade and technician work as non-exempt regardless of pay, so they are entitled to overtime at one and a half times their regular rate over 40 hours a week. This matters for budgeting and timekeeping: an engineer is a salaried exempt hire, while an electrician or technician is an hourly, overtime-eligible one. As always, classification follows the actual duties, not the title. This is general information, not legal advice.
A Small Contractor Usually Needs an Electrician
If you run an electrical contracting, service, or facilities business and need hands-on installation, maintenance, and repair, the role you need is a licensed electrician, not a degreed engineer. Reserve the electrical engineer title for genuine design and development work. A technician fits applied support between the two.
Electrical Engineer Duties and Responsibilities
Electrical engineer duties cluster into design, analysis and testing, standards and compliance, and build and collaboration. The mix shifts with the role, a design engineer leans toward schematics and layouts, a senior engineer toward direction and review, but the standard role touches all four. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
Design
Design systems, circuits, and components
Develop specs and engineering drawings
Select components to requirements
Analysis and testing
Run analysis, simulation, and calculations
Test and validate designs and prototypes
Revise designs based on results
Standards and compliance
Ensure designs meet codes and standards
Document designs, tests, and decisions
Maintain technical specifications
Build and collaboration
Support manufacturing and builds
Troubleshoot electrical problems
Collaborate with cross-functional teams
A strong posting grounds these in your reality: the systems the engineer will design, the codes and standards that apply, the tools in your stack, and the products or projects the work supports. For a structured way to scope the role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through it.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by the role and level you are actually hiring, which you should settle before writing a word. The engineer templates share a design core, but whether you need design, trade, or applied technical work differs enough that the matched version reads far more credibly. Use this guide to choose.
Electrical Engineer (Standard)
Core design role
The baseline: design, develop, and test electrical systems and components, run analysis, and solve electrical problems across the project lifecycle. Start here for the standard role.
Senior Electrical Engineer
Leads complex work
For leading complex design: owning major systems, solving hard problems, setting technical direction, and mentoring engineers. The senior version.
Electrical Design Engineer
Design-focused
For designing electrical systems from requirements to validated design: schematics, layouts, analysis, and bringing designs to production.
Junior / Entry-Level
Early career
For a recent graduate: supporting design, analysis, and testing under senior engineers while building skills. A great early-career role.
Electrician
Often the right SMB hire
The licensed trade role a contractor or small business usually needs: hands-on installation, maintenance, and repair to code, not a degreed engineer.
Engineering Technician
Supports engineers
The applied, hands-on role that supports engineers: building, testing, and maintaining equipment with an associate degree, not a four-year engineering degree.
Match the Template to the Work
Standard electrical design: Standard. Complex design and leadership: Senior. Design-focused work: Design Engineer. A recent graduate: Junior. Hands-on installation and repair: Electrician. Applied support for engineers: Engineering Technician. Pick by the work and the degree it truly needs.
6 Electrical Engineer Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Standard, senior, design, junior, electrician, and engineering technician. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Electrical Engineer (Standard)
The baseline: design, develop, and test electrical systems and components, run analysis, and solve electrical problems across the project lifecycle. Start here for the standard role.
Electrical Engineer Job Description (Standard)
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ [On-site / Hybrid]
Reports to: [Engineering Manager / Lead Engineer]
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional)
Compensation: $_____ per year [+ bonus]
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Two or three sentences about your company, the products or systems you
build, and the projects this engineer will work on.]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring an Electrical Engineer to design, develop, and
test electrical systems, components, and equipment. You will turn
requirements into designs, run analysis and testing, support builds, and
solve electrical problems across the project lifecycle.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Design electrical systems, circuits, and components
•Develop specifications and engineering drawings
•Perform analysis, simulation, and calculations
•Test and validate designs and prototypes
•Ensure designs meet codes, standards, and requirements
•Support manufacturing, builds, and troubleshooting
•Collaborate with cross-functional teams
•Document designs, tests, and decisions
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field
•[3 or more] years of electrical design experience
•Strong analysis, design, and problem-solving skills
•Familiar with relevant codes, standards, and tools
•[PE license a plus for some roles]
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year [+ bonus]
Benefits: [health, retirement, PTO: __]
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Senior Electrical Engineer
For leading complex design: owning major systems, solving hard problems, setting technical direction, and mentoring engineers. The senior version.
Senior Electrical Engineer Job Description
SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ [On-site / Hybrid]
Reports to: [Engineering Manager / Director]
Employment type: [ ] Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional)
Compensation: $_____ per year [+ bonus]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead complex
electrical design and development. You will own significant designs,
solve hard engineering problems, set technical direction, and mentor
engineers.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Lead complex electrical design and development
•Own major systems and design decisions
•Solve difficult engineering problems
•Set technical standards and review designs
•Mentor and guide engineers
•Drive design for cost, quality, and reliability
•Advise leadership on technical direction
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering; master's a plus
•[7 or more] years of electrical engineering experience
•Deep expertise in the relevant domain
•Strong leadership and technical judgment
•[PE license preferred for some roles]
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_____ per year [+ bonus]
Benefits: [health, retirement, PTO: __]
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
The applied, hands-on role that supports engineers: building, testing, and maintaining equipment with an associate degree, not a four-year engineering degree.
[Company Name] is hiring an Electrical Engineering Technician to support
our electrical engineers. You will build, test, and maintain electrical
equipment, collect and record data, and help bring designs to life. This
is a hands-on, applied role that needs an associate degree or equivalent,
not a four-year engineering degree.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Build, test, and maintain electrical equipment
•Collect, record, and report test data
•Help assemble and troubleshoot prototypes
•Support engineers with hands-on tasks
•Follow procedures and safety requirements
•Maintain equipment and lab or shop areas
•Document results and issues clearly
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Associate degree in electrical or electronics technology, or equivalent
•Hands-on testing and troubleshooting skills
•Comfortable with test equipment and tools
•Detail-oriented and reliable
•Able to follow engineering direction and procedures
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
Benefits: [health, retirement, PTO: __]
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
FLSA Classification
The electrical family splits cleanly on classification: the engineer is exempt, while the electrician and technician are non-exempt. Getting this right matters for budgeting and timekeeping. The rule is that exemption follows duties and salary, not the title.
Engineer Exempt, Electrician and Technician Non-Exempt
An electrical engineer qualifies for the learned professional exemption, since engineering is a field of science and learning requiring a specialized degree, so engineers are salaried and exempt. Electricians and engineering technicians are non-exempt and overtime-eligible: the Department of Labor treats skilled trade and technician work as non-exempt regardless of pay. Classify each role by the actual duties and pay.
For how the exemption tests and overtime rules actually work, the exempt versus non-exempt guide explains the duties and salary tests that decide whether a given role is exempt.
Skills and Requirements
Electrical engineer qualifications are anchored in the degree and design ability, while the trade and technician roles are anchored in license and hands-on skill, so state the real requirements concretely and scale them to the role and level.
Role
Anchor requirement
Electrical Engineer
Bachelor's in electrical engineering; design experience; PE a plus
Senior Engineer
Bachelor's plus deep domain expertise and leadership
Design Engineer
Bachelor's plus strong CAD or schematic design skills
Electrician
State electrician license; apprenticeship; National Electrical Code
Engineering Technician
Associate degree; hands-on testing and troubleshooting
Classification
Engineer exempt; electrician and technician non-exempt
Keep every line job-related and the posting neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM job description tools describe a good job description as a plain-language summary of a position's tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
Electrical Engineer Salary
Electrical engineers are well paid, reflecting that this is a degreed professional occupation. The federal benchmark sets the baseline, and the related trade and technician roles pay notably less.
Median Near $112,000 (BLS, May 2024)
Electrical engineers had a median annual wage of $111,910 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $74,670 and the highest 10 percent over $175,460. For comparison, the related trade and technician roles pay less: electricians near $62,350 and electrical engineering technicians near $77,180 (O*NET / BLS).
The engineer's pay sits well above the hourly trade roles a smaller electrical business more commonly hires, which is part of why a licensed electrician or a technician is usually the better-matched and more affordable fit for a small contractor. National compensation surveys can help you set a range for the specific role, level, and market. Benchmark to the role you are actually hiring.
Hiring for a Small Electrical Business
For a small electrical contractor or business, the honest first question about this role is whether you need a degreed engineer at all, since electrical contracting is overwhelmingly a small-business field that hires licensed electricians, not engineers. The realistic answer is usually an electrician or a technician. Here is how to think about it. The broader steps are covered in the small business hiring guide.
A small electrical contractor needs an electrician, not an engineer
The honest starting point is that an electrical engineer is a degreed design professional hired mostly by larger product, aerospace, semiconductor, utility, and engineering-services companies, and a small electrical business rarely needs one. Electrical contracting and service work is overwhelmingly a small-business field, with most firms employing fewer than twenty people, and what those firms hire is licensed electricians who install, maintain, and repair systems to code. If you run a contracting, service, or facilities business and find yourself drawn to the engineer title, the realistic question is not how to write the perfect engineer posting, it is whether the work is hands-on electrical work, which is an electrician, or genuine design and development, which is an engineer. For most small electrical businesses, the electrician template here is the right hire.
Match the title to the work and the degree it truly needs
The electrical family runs from electrician, a licensed trade role for installation and repair, to engineering technician, an applied associate-degree role that supports engineers, to electrical engineer, a degreed professional who designs and develops. Posting an engineer role when you need hands-on installation mis-describes the job, attracts degreed candidates expecting design work, and sets a much higher pay expectation than the role warrants. Naming the right title gets you better-matched candidates at a realistic cost: an electrician for trade work, a technician for applied support, an engineer for design. The templates here span all three so you can post the exact role rather than defaulting to the engineer title, and the classification follows: engineers are salaried exempt, electricians and technicians are hourly and non-exempt.
Whichever role you hire, onboard it deliberately
Whether you hire an electrical engineer, an electrician, or a technician, a structured onboarding pays off, and the right paperwork depends on the role. For an engineer, that means a signed offer with the exempt classification set, plus the usual new hire paperwork and any confidentiality or IP agreements common in design work. For an electrician or technician, it means the offer with the non-exempt, hourly classification, license and certification verification for a licensed electrician, and safety and code acknowledgments. FirstHR fits that people side across all of them: e-signature for the offer and acknowledgments, document management for signed forms, licenses, and certifications, task workflows for the onboarding and safety checklist, and training modules for safety and process. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not an engineering, CAD, or field-service tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and onboarding, and the paperwork depends on the role: send the offer letter with the title, pay, and classification confirmed, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, gather tax forms, and add confidentiality or IP agreements for design work, or license and safety acknowledgments for trade work.
Send the offer with classification set
Confirm pay, title, and exempt or non-exempt status in writing, since an engineer is salaried exempt while an electrician or technician is hourly and non-exempt.
Collect paperwork and acknowledgments
Signed offer, Form I-9 and tax forms, plus any confidentiality or IP agreements for design work, or safety and code acknowledgments for trade work.
Verify licenses and certifications
For an electrician, verify the state license and any certifications; for an engineer, note any PE license where relevant.
Ramp on the work and team
Walk through your projects, tools, codes, and the team, with clear early objectives for the design or field work they will own.
Then verify any licenses and ramp them on the work: the projects, tools, codes, and team, the kind of structured start an onboarding template can anchor. Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step. FirstHR connects the offer with e-signature, document management for signed forms, licenses, and certifications, training modules for safety and process, and the onboarding task workflow in one place, so a business can take a new engineer, electrician, or technician from accepted offer to fully ramped. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not an engineering, CAD, or field-service tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
An electrical engineer is a degreed professional who designs and develops electrical systems; it is concentrated in larger product, aerospace, and engineering companies.
A small electrical contractor or business almost always needs a licensed electrician or a technician instead, not a degreed engineer.
The family runs from electrician (licensed trade) to engineering technician (applied, associate degree) to engineer (degreed design); match the title to the work.
An engineer is salaried exempt under the learned professional exemption; electricians and technicians are hourly and non-exempt, overtime-eligible.
Pay differs sharply: an engineer near $111,910 versus an electrician near $62,350 and a technician near $77,180 (BLS, May 2024).
Confirm whether the work is design, hands-on installation, or applied support before you post, then use the matching template.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an electrical engineer do?
An electrical engineer designs, develops, and tests electrical systems, components, and equipment. The core of the role is turning requirements into designs, running analysis, simulation, and calculations, creating specifications and drawings, testing and validating designs, ensuring they meet codes and standards, and supporting manufacturing and troubleshooting. It is a degreed professional role, requiring at least a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, and the work is mostly design, analysis, and development in an office or lab. Electrical engineers are employed largely by product, aerospace and defense, semiconductor, utility, and engineering-services companies. The role is distinct from the trades: an engineer designs the system, an electrician installs and maintains it, and an engineering technician supports the engineer with hands-on testing and builds. For many smaller businesses, especially electrical contractors, the role they actually need is an electrician, not a degreed engineer.
What is the difference between an electrical engineer and an electrician?
The difference is fundamental: education, work, and classification all differ. An electrical engineer is a degreed professional, holding at least a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, who designs and develops electrical systems and equipment, mostly in an office or lab. An electrician is a licensed tradesperson who installs, maintains, and repairs electrical systems and wiring to the National Electrical Code, hands-on, on job sites or in facilities, typically trained through an apprenticeship rather than a four-year degree. An engineer designs the system; an electrician builds and maintains it. Pay and classification differ too: engineers are salaried and exempt with a six-figure median, while electricians are paid hourly, are non-exempt and overtime-eligible, and earn a lower median. For a small electrical contractor or service business, the electrician is almost always the role you need, not the engineer. Match the title to whether the work is design or hands-on installation and repair.
Does a small business need an electrical engineer?
Usually not, unless it does genuine design and development work. An electrical engineer is a degreed design professional hired mostly by larger product, aerospace, semiconductor, utility, and engineering-services companies that have ongoing design needs. A small electrical contractor, service business, or facilities operation typically needs a licensed electrician for hands-on installation, maintenance, and repair, not a degreed engineer. A small manufacturer that needs applied technical support but not full design work may need an engineering technician instead. So the honest first question is whether the work is design and development, which calls for an engineer, hands-on electrical work, which calls for an electrician, or applied support, which calls for a technician. For most small electrical businesses, an electrician or technician is the right and more affordable hire. If you genuinely have design work, an engineer fits. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between an electrical engineer and an engineering technician?
An electrical engineer designs and develops electrical systems, while an electrical engineering technician supports engineers with hands-on, applied work. The engineer holds a four-year engineering degree and does design, analysis, and development. The technician typically holds an associate degree in electrical or electronics technology and builds, tests, and maintains equipment, collects and records data, and helps bring designs to life under the direction of engineers. The engineer creates the design; the technician helps implement and test it. Pay and classification differ: engineers are salaried and exempt with a six-figure median, while technicians are paid hourly, are non-exempt and overtime-eligible, and earn a lower median. For a small company that needs hands-on technical support rather than full design capability, a technician can be the right, more affordable hire. Match the title to whether the work requires a degreed designer or an applied, hands-on supporter.
Is an electrical engineer exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
An electrical engineer is exempt. The role qualifies for the learned professional exemption of the Fair Labor Standards Act, because engineering is a recognized field of science and learning where a specialized academic degree is a standard prerequisite for entering the profession. So electrical engineers are salaried and exempt, with no overtime obligation. By contrast, electricians and engineering technicians are non-exempt: the Department of Labor treats skilled trade work like electricians as non-exempt no matter how highly paid, and engineering technician work as non-exempt because it relies on on-the-job and classroom training rather than a prolonged specialized degree. So within the same electrical family, the engineer is salaried exempt while the electrician and technician are hourly and overtime-eligible. As always, classification follows the actual job duties and not the title, so classify each role by what the person really does. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do electrical engineers need a PE license?
Not always, but it depends on the role. Many electrical engineers work effectively without a Professional Engineer license, especially in product design, manufacturing, and many private-industry roles where the work is done under a company's processes. A PE license becomes important, and is often required, for engineers who sign and seal designs for public projects, work in consulting and infrastructure, or take legal responsibility for designs affecting public safety. Earning a PE license typically requires an accredited engineering degree, passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, gaining qualifying experience, and passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. For your job description, decide whether the role genuinely needs a PE based on the work: list it as required where you need sealed designs or public-project responsibility, and as preferred or not required where you do not. State the expectation clearly so candidates know. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does an electrical engineer make?
Electrical engineers are well paid, with a federal median annual wage of $111,910 in May 2024 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the lowest 10 percent under $74,670, and the highest 10 percent over $175,460. Pay is high across the main industries that employ them, including research and development, aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing, and engineering services. Senior and specialized engineers earn well above the median, and even entry-level electrical engineers tend to start near or above the eighties and nineties. For comparison, the related trade and technician roles pay less: electricians had a median near $62,350 and electrical engineering technicians near $77,180, both well below the engineer median. Because the engineer is a salaried professional occupation, its pay sits well above the hourly trade roles a smaller electrical business more commonly hires. Benchmark to the specific level, industry, and market using national compensation surveys.
What should an electrical engineer job description include?
A strong electrical engineer job description first confirms you actually need a degreed engineer rather than an electrician or technician, then includes a short company summary, a job summary stating what the engineer will design and develop and who they report to, and responsibilities grouped into design, analysis and testing, standards and compliance, and build and collaboration. It should state the required degree, which is a bachelor's in electrical engineering, the experience level, and any PE license expectation, and set the FLSA classification, which is exempt for this role. Add a realistic pay range, which for this occupation typically runs into six figures, and an equal opportunity statement. The most useful thing you can do, especially as a smaller electrical business, is confirm whether the work is design, which needs an engineer, or hands-on installation and repair, which needs an electrician. This is general information, not legal advice.
