Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Journeyman Industrial Electrician

🎯 Role Definition

The Journeyman Industrial Electrician is a skilled tradesperson responsible for installing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and commissioning industrial electrical systems and control equipment in manufacturing, processing, and heavy industrial environments. This role requires hands-on expertise with three-phase power, motor controls, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), variable frequency drives (VFDs), control panels, and adherence to National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) and company lockout/tagout (LOTO) standards. The Journeyman Industrial Electrician works cross-functionally with maintenance teams, automation engineers, and operations to minimize downtime, improve reliability, and support continuous production.

Key SEO phrases: Journeyman Industrial Electrician, industrial electrical maintenance, PLC programming, motor control troubleshooting, VFD commissioning, NFPA 70 compliance, lockout/tagout, electrical schematics, preventive maintenance, industrial automation.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Electrician Apprentice or Electrical Trades Training Program
Maintenance Technician (mechanical or electrical)
Military electrician or technical vocational certificate in electrical trades

Advancement To:

Senior Industrial Electrician / Lead Electrician
Electrical Supervisor or Maintenance Supervisor
Automation Technician / Controls Specialist
Instrumentation & Controls Engineer (with additional training)

Lateral Moves:

PLC/Controls Programmer
Reliability Technician
Facilities or Plant Maintenance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Perform complex fault isolation and diagnostic troubleshooting on industrial electrical systems, control panels, motor control centers (MCCs), and power distribution equipment to restore production with minimal downtime.
Install, wire, and terminate three-phase motors, motor starters, variable frequency drives (VFDs), soft starters, and associated motor control circuitry following electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and manufacturer instructions.
Inspect, repair, and upgrade control panels, push buttons, limit switches, sensors, relays, contactors, and protective devices to maintain safe and code-compliant operation of equipment.
Program, debug, and maintain PLC ladder logic and HMI configurations in collaboration with controls engineers to ensure reliable automation and correct sequence-of-operations.
Conduct scheduled preventive and predictive electrical maintenance tasks including thermography, insulation resistance testing, megger testing, motor alignment, bearing checks, and vibration checks to reduce unscheduled downtime.
Read, interpret and create electrical schematics, single-line diagrams, wiring diagrams, and bill of materials for troubleshooting, repair, and installation work.
Perform start-up, commissioning, and functional testing for new equipment, lines, and upgrades including verifying control logic, interlocks, safeties, and instrumentation integration with PLCs and DCS.
Execute safe lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures, arc flash risk assessments, and NFPA 70E compliant practices during maintenance, testing, and live troubleshooting activities.
Diagnose power quality issues, ground faults, unbalanced loads, and harmonic problems; coordinate corrective actions with electrical distribution teams and external contractors when required.
Replace, calibrate, and troubleshoot industrial sensors, encoders, photoeyes, proximity switches, flow/presence sensors, and analog/digital instrumentation used in process and automation systems.
Install and terminate conduit, raceways, cable trays, armored cable (MC), and power/control cabling in accordance with NEC/NFPA standards and site-specific specifications.
Maintain accurate maintenance records, update PLC/HMI documentation, and complete service reports, equipment logs, and parts usage reports in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
Coordinate planned shutdowns, turnarounds, and project work with production and reliability teams — develop job plans, estimate materials and labor, and execute electrical work safely and on schedule.
Troubleshoot and repair variable frequency drives (VFDs), drive control cards, input/output (I/O) faults, and perform firmware updates or parameter adjustments as required for performance optimization.
Collaborate with engineering, safety, and operations to implement reliability improvements, root cause analysis, and corrective action plans for recurring electrical failures.
Mentor apprentices and junior electricians on best practices for installations, safe work execution, troubleshooting methodologies, and electrical code compliance.
Test, maintain, and replace protective devices including fuses, circuit breakers, ground-fault relays, and protective relays in distribution panels and motor control centers.
Fabricate and wire custom control panels and junction boxes, including panel layout, component selection, terminal identification, and functional verification before installation.
Conduct isolation and safe removal of faulty electrical equipment, manage spare parts inventory for critical items, and recommend capital purchases or upgrades to improve reliability.
Support integration efforts between electrical controls and plant instrumentation (temperature, pressure, level controllers) to ensure accurate process control and data integrity.
Ensure environmental and safety compliance for electrical installations in classified areas, washdown zones, and hazardous locations, selecting appropriate enclosures (NEMA/ATEX) and seals.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives like reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), root cause failure analysis (RCFA), and Kaizen events to reduce downtime and lower maintenance costs.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and organize electrical spare parts inventory, bill of materials, and procurement requests to ensure critical components are available for repairs.
Update and standardize electrical documentation, as-built drawings, and PLC/HMI backups to support long-term maintainability and disaster recovery.
Provide hands-on support during engineering modification requests (EMRs), capital projects, and installation of new process equipment in line with project timelines and safety standards.
Train production staff on basic electrical safety awareness, lockout/tagout compliance, and safe operation of equipment to reduce nuisance trips and incidents.
Perform vendor coordination, onsite evaluations, and acceptance testing of electrical contractors and third-party service providers.
Support energy efficiency and load management programs by identifying high-energy equipment, recommending motor upgrades, or VFD optimization opportunities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proven competency in troubleshooting industrial electrical systems, three-phase power distribution, and motor control circuits.
Strong experience with PLCs (Allen-Bradley, Rockwell, Siemens, Schneider), ladder logic interpretation, I/O troubleshooting, and PLC-based system commissioning.
Hands-on experience with VFDs (ABB, Danfoss, Yaskawa, Mitsubishi), parameter tuning, drive fault diagnostics, and regenerative systems.
Ability to read and interpret single-line diagrams, electrical schematics, P&IDs, and wiring diagrams accurately.
Knowledge of National Electrical Code (NEC/NFPA 70), NFPA 70E arc flash standards, and local electrical regulations for industrial environments.
Proficiency with hand tools, multimeters, clamp meters, megohmmeters, insulation testers, oscilloscopes, and thermal imaging cameras for diagnostic work.
Experience with motor starters, soft starters, contactors, relays, protective relays, and MCC layout and maintenance.
Skill in conduit bending, cable tray installation, wire pulling, termination (lugs, ferrules), and control cabinet assembly.
Familiarity with industrial networking (EtherNet/IP, Modbus, Profinet), basic network diagnostics, and HMI troubleshooting.
Ability to perform commissioning, functional testing, and FAT/SAT (Factory/ Site Acceptance Testing) for electrical and automation systems.
Experience using a CMMS (e.g., MAXIMO, SAP PM, UpKeep) to plan work orders, log maintenance actions, and manage preventive maintenance schedules.
Basic programming or scripting knowledge for PLC logic updates, HMI tags, and data logging configuration considered a plus.
Knowledge of hazardous area classifications and the selection of explosion-proof or washdown rated electrical equipment.

Soft Skills

Strong analytical troubleshooting mindset with systematic root cause analysis skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication to create clear maintenance reports, relay technical issues, and coordinate with cross-functional teams.
High attention to detail and a commitment to safety, compliance, and quality workmanship.
Ability to prioritize work in high-pressure production environments while balancing reactive and preventive maintenance.
Team-oriented attitude with the ability to mentor apprentices and collaborate with engineers, operations, and safety personnel.
Adaptability to changing priorities, shift work, and on-call rotations when required.
Time management and task-planning skills to coordinate complex repair jobs and multi-discipline shutdown activities.
Customer-service mindset toward internal stakeholders: production, engineering, and supply chain.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED and completion of an accredited electrical apprenticeship or equivalent journeyman certification.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or diploma in Electrical Technology, Industrial Maintenance, or Electrical Engineering Technology.
Certifications in PLCs, VFDs, NFPA 70E electrical safety, or specialized motor control training.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Electrical Technology / Industrial Electricity
Industrial Maintenance / Mechatronics
Automation & Controls / Instrumentation

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3 to 7+ years of industrial electrical experience; 2+ years as a certified journeyman electrician in a manufacturing or heavy industrial setting is typical.

Preferred:

5+ years of experience troubleshooting PLC-based control systems, VFDs, and motor controls in a continuous-process or discrete manufacturing environment.
Prior experience with start-up/commissioning of production lines, managing shutdowns/turnarounds, and mentoring apprentices.