Careers: Frequently Asked Questions

S&C traces its roots back more than 100 years to the invention of the first practical high-voltage fuse, which was crucial to the development of the electric power industry. Today, S&C maintains its focus on solutions for electric power switching and protection. Through this concentration, S&C has developed a reputation for technical leadership in the industry. S&C’s customers for products and services include electric utilities and large commercial and industrial power users such as hospitals, airports, universities, data centers, and military bases. 

The company is headquartered at the John R. Conrad Industrial Complex, one of Chicago’s largest and most modern manufacturing centers. Located about eight miles north of Chicago’s Loop, the S&C complex includes production, engineering, laboratory, and office facilities on 46 landscaped acres. Other locations include California (Alameda), Washington (Duvall), Arizona (Phoenix), Wisconsin (Franklin), Texas (Dallas), Florida (Orlando; West Palm Beach), Maryland (Rockville), Canada (Toronto), Mexico (Aguascalientes), China (Suzhou), United Kingdom (Swansea), Australia (Melbourne), and Brazil (Curitiba).

New product development and recent acquisitions have kept S&C at the forefront of the electric power industry, especially in such fields as distribution automation and power reliability. With more new products in the pipeline, a burgeoning services business and a growing presence in international markets, S&C expects continued strong growth for the foreseeable future.

S&C’s main competitors are individual divisions of very large companies like Siemens and ABB. S&C is a specialist in engineered solutions related to electric power switching and protection, and that specialization gives S&C an edge over companies that are not as clearly focused. As a privately held company, S&C has historically reinvested a significant proportion of its operating income in people, plant, and equipment for the future. Publicly traded companies find this a difficult strategy to follow.

S&C has a very wide variety of job opportunities from maintenance and office jobs to machinists, assemblers, CNC programmers, engineers, designers, sales support, and leadership.

S&C typically employs 50 co-ops and interns during the calendar year across multiple locations. S&C co-ops and interns come from Purdue University/West Lafayette, Northwestern University, University of Illinois/Chicago, University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign, and other top universities.

Most people hired immediately after college work in our major product divisions, focusing on fuses, switches, and metal-enclosed-gear products, and in our Product Innovation and Power Systems Services areas.

New team members work on development, design, testing, marketing, and manufacturing of S&C’s product lines. Responsibilities might include new product development, electrical and mechanical testing, investigation of new concepts and materials in circuit-interruption technology, participation in industry standards development, manufacturing process improvement, marketing and sales support, and customer assistance.

That depends on how much training or experience the candidate brings. There are opportunities for machinists, welders, punch press operators, assemblers, and others. S&C has on-premises training and certification programs to help employees increase their skills and advance to higher positions.

Yes! For up-to-date information, see our open job listings.

S&C provides very competitive compensation. The S&C team member benefits package includes health care and dental coverage, life insurance, 401(k) and pension plans, long-term disability coverage, and a generous tuition reimbursement plan. Team members receive paid time off every year between Christmas and New Year’s in addition to regular paid vacation.

At the college level, S&C’s recruiting focuses on engineers and technical professionals from top universities. We typically visit a small number of schools in the fall and spring for on-campus interviews. However, all interested candidates are invited to visit the S&C Careers page on our website for present opportunities. Female and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should have obtained some basic background information about S&C from our website or other sources.

Because so much of our work is collaborative, a candidate who has difficulty working in a team-based setting would not enjoy the work environment at S&C.

We’re looking for team players with excellent technical and communication skills. Although a strong background in S&C’s industry and products is desirable, it is at least as important for candidates to have a genuine interest in an S&C career and a drive to expand their knowledge and skills.

S&C’s culture is based on the four guiding principles on which the company was founded more than 100 years ago: personal integrity, respect for people, commitment to excellence, and responsible stewardship. As a 100% employee-owned company in the U.S., we are one team united toward the common goal of modernizing the grid and revolutionizing the energy sector. S&C empowers its team members to operate with an ownership mentality, taking individual responsibility do well, step up, and bring our team to new heights. Both within our campus walls and out in the communities where we work and play, S&C’s team members hold ourselves and each other accountable to the highest standards of quality and integrity.

Our team members are excited, inspired, and challenged by the work they do each day, knowing the impact it has on providing reliable power to millions of people and businesses around the world. At S&C your career path is just that–yours. Knowing growth and continued learning opportunities are the key to both personal fulfillment and company success, we invest in our team members and their long-term development. S&C gives you the freedom and the tools to decide how, when, and where to grow with us.

Team members who have come to S&C from other companies frequently comment on the extraordinarily strong and positive working relationships we have. Experienced S&C team members show an extraordinary willingness to share their knowledge and to serve as guides and mentors for those new to the company. These positive relationships are fostered away from work, too, through popular sports leagues, professional groups, and periodic company outings to local attractions such as baseball games.

Most team members in technical and professional positions work about 45 hours per week. Manufacturing jobs often include overtime when business volume is high. Travel depends on the particular job and work at hand. Positions that might require travel include sales, marketing, engineering, and field service. In recent years manufacturing employees have traveled to S&C subsidiaries to provide training in S&C methods.

S&C has a companywide “Dress for Your Day” policy. When meeting with clients, suppliers, company executives, or the like, S&C expects team members to dress in suitable business attire. For day-to-day activities, team members are welcome to dress in casual attire as long as it adheres to safety protocols and maintains a professional and respectful atmosphere for all team members. 

Knowing better ideas and better decisions are made with many types of people at the table, S&C is continuously taking active measures to increase the diversity of our workforce and to create the most inclusive working environment as possible for our team members. With a workforce that speaks nearly 60 different languages, spans four generations, and comprises people from many different walks of life, S&C has a significant amount of diversity among our team members. S&C is dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and making sure our team members reflect the diverse communities where we live and work.

Technical capability, teamwork, good communication skills, commitment to getting the job done, and a strong desire to expand one’s knowledge and learn new skills.

Team members have numerous opportunities to acquire detailed knowledge of our products, processes, and industry through varied work assignments, thereby making themselves more valuable to the company. S&C has no single path for advancement. It has opportunities for employees who develop themselves as individual contributors as well as those who move into supervision.

Performance reviews are held annually, focusing on the past year’s accomplishments along with goals and development plans for the future.

S&C is a special company with a reputation for integrity, innovation, and customer service. Like many other organizations, we have attracted top-notch people. Unlike many others, we have retained a significant proportion of these world-class employees. S&C is a place where talented people can find rewarding and challenging careers.