Lead Marine Electrician

Location: United States West Coast
Job Type: Full-Time
Schedule: Typically starts at 7:00 AM, with overtime and weekend work when required

Position Overview

I’m working with an established marine electrical engineering and service company looking for an experienced Lead Marine Electrician / Journeyman Electrician to join its Seattle team.

This is a hands-on leadership position working on the installation, upgrade, troubleshooting, and development of electrical systems onboard commercial vessels and floating structures, including tugboats, container ships, fishing vessels, barges, and other working vessels.

You’ll take ownership of projects from initial scope through installation, testing, and compliance while remaining actively involved in the electrical work itself.

Responsibilities

• Lead and perform electrical installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and upgrade projects onboard commercial vessels.

• Take responsibility for projects from initial RFQ/scope through installation, testing, and final compliance.

• Work with 480VAC 3-phase electrical distribution systems, including grounded and ungrounded systems.

• Install, troubleshoot, and maintain electric motors and motor control systems.

• Design, build, install, and troubleshoot motor controllers.

• Work with Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and soft starters.

• Perform circuit breaker, cable sizing, and basic electrical load calculations.

• Read and interpret electrical schematics, circuit diagrams, and technical documentation.

• Support projects involving:

  • Vessel shore power

  • Alternative marine power systems

  • Mobile crane electrical systems

  • Hydraulic control systems

  • Vessel communication systems

  • Terminal power distribution

  • Switchboards and custom control panels

• Build and modify equipment such as emergency switchboards, control panels, gangway controllers, and other custom marine electrical systems.

• Troubleshoot electrical problems onboard vessels both dockside and offshore.

• Lead, train, and mentor apprentice and junior electricians.

• Ensure work complies with applicable shipyard safety procedures, OSHA requirements, and customer standards.

Required Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on electrical experience onboard commercial vessels, such as tugboats, container ships, fishing vessels, catcher-processors, or barges.

• Journeyman Electrician level experience or equivalent practical expertise.

• Previous shipyard experience.

• Strong understanding of electrical theory.

• Experience with 480VAC 3-phase distribution systems.

• Strong knowledge of:

  • Electric motors and motor circuits

  • Motor controllers

  • Circuit breakers and cable sizing

  • Ohm’s Law and load calculations

  • VFDs and soft starters

  • Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

• Comfortable using multimeters and other electrical diagnostic equipment.

• Ability to read and troubleshoot from schematics and circuit diagrams.

• Familiarity with both metric and standard measurement systems.

• Strong understanding of shipyard and industrial electrical safety procedures.

Practical Interview Assessment

Candidates should be comfortable completing a practical technical assessment covering:

• Identifying electrical components from a schematic.

• Applying Ohm’s Law.

• Performing a motor load calculation.

• Drawing a basic motor controller circuit.

Additional Requirements

• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.

• Must hold or be able to obtain a TWIC card.

• Must have personal hand tools; power tools and specialist equipment are provided.

• Comfortable working onboard vessels, in shipyards, and in industrial marine environments.

• Willingness to work overtime and occasional weekends, sometimes at short notice.

• Ability to lead by example and train less-experienced electricians.

Benefits

• 100% employee medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• 401(k) with company match.

• Paid holidays.

• Paid time off.

• Overtime opportunities.

• Opportunity to work across a wide range of commercial marine electrical projects.

• Training-focused environment with opportunities to develop and mentor junior electricians.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Sebastian Prins