Senior Harness Design Engineer

About the role

Astranis is a leading provider of advanced satellites for high orbits, serving sophisticated clients with dedicated, secure networks. This role involves designing and managing the complex wire harness systems that ensure spacecraft longevity and functionality.

Responsibilities

• Own harness architecture and design from concept to production release
• Perform core electrical analysis for reliable harnesses, including wire sizing, voltage-drop budgets, protection coordination, derating, and connector/component selection
• Generate and maintain harness schematics, drawings, wire lists, splice diagrams, and connector face views using Zuken E3 tools
• Drive design-to-manufacturing through Zuken E3.HarnessBuilder, ensuring seamless transition from design to manufacturing
• Define and dimension harness lengths, branch tolerances, and service loop allowances on 2D drawings
• Develop routing intent, grounding, bonding strategies, and shielding architectures for LV, HV, and RF interconnects
• Audit wire diagrams and harness topologies against interface control documents (ICDs)
• Specify physical protection and support for harnesses, including lacing, tying, convolute, and thermal/abrasion protection
• Build, modify, and validate prototype and test harnesses
• Support pre-launch integration and test operations, including on-vehicle harness routing, installation, and connection
• Collaborate with subsystems and functions across the spacecraft, from avionics to propulsion, payload, production, and test
• Lead root-cause analysis and implement design improvements to enhance reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability
• Work with manufacturing and harness suppliers on design-for-manufacturing (DFM)/design-for-innovation (DFI) feedback, assembly documentation, and process validation

Requirements

• Electrical, mechatronics, or related engineering degree, or equivalent hands-on harness design experience
• 7+ years of harness design experience, including 2 to 3 years at the system level
• Zuken E3 proficiency, with strong hands-on command of E3.cable, E3.smallcable, and E3.HarnessBuilder
• Strong electrical fundamentals, including wire and cable selection, protection coordination, derating, and connector selection
• IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 workmanship standards, and familiarity with NASA harness workmanship and connector selection/qualification practices
• Documentation depth, generating complete harness packages and dimensioning controlled lengths, branches, and service loops
• Hands-on electrical test equipment experience, including harness testers, digital multimeters, and oscilloscopes
• Space-environment awareness, understanding vacuum, thermal cycling, radiation, and launch vibration/shock impacts on harness design
• Mechanical literacy, comfortable working alongside mechanical and packaging teams on 3D routing feasibility, clamp definition, and harness paths

Nice to have (preferred)

• Zuken E3.database librarian experience, owning harness libraries and component-data governance
• Spacecraft charging expertise, including surface, internal, and deep-dielectric charging considerations
• Experience with HV design for the space environment, including corona and Paschen-law behavior analysis
• RF literacy, comfortable with shielded and coax interconnects, impedance control, and shielding effectiveness
• Test and verification experience, including continuity testing, insulation resistance, dielectric withstanding voltage, bonding resistance, and time-domain reflectometry (TDR)
• 3D CAD proficiency in CATIA Electrical, SolidWorks, or 3DEXPERIENCE for harness routing and formboard work

Benefits

• Base Salary: $135,000 - $235,000 USD
• Equity package via incentive stock options
• High-quality company-subsidized healthcare
• Disability and life insurance
• 401(k) retirement planning
• Flexible PTO
• Free on-site catered meals