What are the responsibilities and job description for the Instrumentation Engineer position at Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety?
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is seeking a hands-on, curious Instrumentation Engineer to join our research team at the IBHS Research Center in Richburg, SC — home to one of the world's few full-scale test chambers capable of recreating hurricanes, hailstorms, wildfire ember exposure, and other severe weather in a controlled laboratory setting. In this role, you will design, build, integrate, and improve the sensing, actuation, and data acquisition systems that power our large-scale testing. Your work directly supports research that makes homes and businesses more resilient against severe weather.
This is a great fit for an engineer who enjoys working with real hardware — someone who likes to figure out how a system works, make it better, and see the results in action.
What You'll Do- Design, install, calibrate, and maintain instrumentation used in laboratory and field testing, including a wide range of analog and digital sensors.
- Select, integrate, and control actuators such as servo motors, solenoid valves, and other electromechanical devices.
- Develop and maintain data acquisition (DAQ) systems, primarily using National Instruments hardware and LabVIEW software.
- Prototype and support measurement and control solutions using microcontroller platforms (e.g., Arduino) and other embedded systems where appropriate.
- Read, create, and update wiring diagrams and support electrical and mechanical design of test setups.
- Troubleshoot and resolve instrumentation and electronics issues quickly to keep research on schedule.
- Evaluate existing systems and identify opportunities to improve accuracy, reliability, and performance.
- Collaborate with engineers, scientists, and technicians to develop new instrumentation solutions for novel test programs.
- Maintain accurate records of calibration, maintenance, and system configurations.
- Follow safety standards and protocols in all lab and field activities.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in engineering required; Master's degree preferred. Mechanical or electrical engineering are the preferred disciplines; closely related fields such as mechatronics, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, or engineering technology are also welcome.
- 2–5 years of experience with instrumentation, measurement, or electromechanical systems (relevant graduate research or strong hands-on project experience may count toward this).
- Experience with analog and digital sensors (e.g., pressure, load, displacement, temperature) and signal conditioning.
- Experience with actuators, including servo motors, solenoids, and solenoid valves.
- Experience with data acquisition systems — National Instruments hardware and LabVIEW architecture strongly preferred; experience with Arduino or similar platforms is a plus.
- Strong hands-on skills: wiring, assembly, testing, and troubleshooting of electromechanical systems.
- Familiarity with mechanical and electrical design and the ability to interpret wiring diagrams and drawings.
- Eligible to work in the United States.
Nice to Have
- Experience with Python or MATLAB for data processing and analysis.
- Familiarity with CAD tools for design of fixtures or test setups.
- Experience collaborating with scientists, lab technicians, or multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
- Short Term & Long Term Disability
- Training & Development