About the role#
S&C Electric Company is seeking an Electrical Engineer Co-op to join the New Product Validation and Reliability team in Chicago, Illinois. This role provides hands-on experience in planning, designing, executing, and reporting reliability tests for electrical, electronic, and electromechanical products used in power distribution and smart grid applications. You will work under the guidance of experienced engineers and mentors on a full-time basis during the Fall 2026 term.
What you'll do#
- Assist in the development and execution of Design for Reliability plans.
- Support reliability test planning by estimating sample sizes, test durations, acceleration factors, and required resources.
- Participate in reliability activities including environmental stressor assessment, accelerated life testing, temperature cycling, humidity testing, and vibration testing.
- Design, build, modify, and document test fixtures.
- Develop embedded or microcontroller-based test automation to sequence tests, control fixtures, and collect measurements.
- Support circuit board layout, prototype wiring, sensor integration, and test interface development.
- Set up and operate test equipment such as thermal and humidity chambers, vibration shakers, power supplies, data acquisition systems, and oscilloscopes.
- Collect and analyze test data to identify trends, anomalies, and failure modes.
- Document test procedures, observations, and results in clear engineering reports.
- Work with reliability engineers, design engineers, test architects, and laboratory personnel.
- Follow laboratory safety practices and calibration requirements.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in an accredited degree program for Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, or a related discipline.
- You must be returning to school after the work session.
- Interest in reliability engineering, product validation, test engineering, embedded systems, power electronics, or automation.
- Coursework or experience with circuit analysis, electronics, microcontrollers, programming, sensors, or data acquisition.
- Familiarity with tools such as C, C++, Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, or Arduino.
- Ability to read schematics, perform electrical measurements, and troubleshoot test setups.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Curiosity, attention to detail, and the ability to work safely in a laboratory environment.
Location & details#
- Location: Chicago, Illinois.
- Modality: On-site.
- Term: Fall 2026.
- Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
- Compensation: $22 - $30 per hour.
About S&C Electric Company
S&C Electric Company manufactures electrical equipment for power distribution. Founded in 1911, the company focuses on smart grid solutions, renewable energy integration, and power quality systems. It maintains a global workforce of over 2,700 employees. The company is headquartered in Chicago and operates from multiple international locations.
How to get in at S&C Electric Company
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