Electrical Engineer job description and duties

Updated 17 September 2026 · 2 min read

An electrical engineer is accountable for electrical systems from concept to commissioning. In consultancy the emphasis is design and documentation; with a contractor it is delivery on site; in an institution or plant it is a mix of projects, upgrades and responsibility for existing installations. The duties below cover what most engineer posts include.

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Purpose of the role

The role produces electrical systems that are safe, adequate for their load, compliant with the applicable standards, economical to build and possible to maintain. It carries responsibility: an engineer signs off calculations and designs that other people build and live with.

Design duties

Establish requirements with the client or user, including future growth.
Calculate loads and size supplies, transformers, cables and protection.
Design earthing, lighting, small power and any specialist systems the project needs.
Produce single-line diagrams, layouts, schedules and specifications.
Check designs against standards and have them independently reviewed.
Prepare technical sections for tenders and evaluate offers against them.

Site and delivery duties

Engineers inspect installation work against the drawings, answer questions the drawings did not anticipate, approve or reject variations, and witness the tests that prove the installation. They keep a record of inspections, instructions and changes so the finished installation matches its documentation.

Testing and commissioning

Commissioning duties include agreeing the test programme, witnessing insulation, continuity, earth and protection tests, verifying protective device settings, checking functional operation of systems, and confirming that records and manuals are complete before handover.

Operational responsibilities

Engineers in institutions and plants also manage existing installations: planning maintenance, investigating failures, specifying replacements, managing energy use and keeping records of the electrical estate.

Tools of the job

Typical tools include drawing software for layouts and single-line diagrams, spreadsheets for load and cable schedules, a calculation or design package, and lighting design software for building work. Power systems roles add analysis software for load flow, fault levels and protection grading. Site work needs test instruments and the discipline to record what they showed.

Working relationships

The role works with clients and users, architects and other engineering disciplines, contractors and suppliers, the electricity utility and regulators, and the technicians who maintain what is built. Engineers usually report to a senior engineer, project manager or head of technical services.

How performance is judged

Designs that are correct first time, projects delivered without safety incidents or costly rework, documentation that survives the engineer leaving, sound technical advice, and installations that perform as specified once loaded.

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Common questions

Does an electrical engineer work mostly in an office?

Design work is office-based, but engineers who never visit site produce designs that are hard to build. Most posts involve both.

What is the difference between an engineer and a technician here?

The engineer is responsible for the design and for the calculations behind it; the technician installs, tests and maintains. In small organisations one person may do both, but accountability follows the engineer.