Cable Harness Manufacturing Technician - SpaceplaneNew

Dawn Aerospace; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flight‑ready harness ownership

Flat fast‑moving culture

Foundations of aircraft production

Lunch and drinks

Parental leave

Extended annual leave

Job summary

Dawn Aerospace in Christchurch, New Zealand, is seeking a Cable Harness Manufacturing Technician to join the Avionics Team and help build, test and install electrical harnesses for the Mk-II Aurora spaceplane.

You will own harness manufacture, supplier coordination and develop processes to support future aircraft production, working with engineers to keep schematics accurate and production moving. This hands-on role values practical, detail‑driven individuals.

Qualifications

• Three plus years hands-on experience making cable harnesses from drawings.
• Practical wire prep, crimping, connector assembly, shielding and labelling.
• Read electrical schematics and engineering drawings accurately.
• Experience with high‑reliability standards (NASA/IPC) preferred.
• Ability to organize components and coordinate inventory for builds.
• Clear written and spoken English for instructions and faults.

Responsibilities

• Manufacture cable harnesses from drawings including prep, crimping, connectors, shielding and labelling.
• Inspect, test and record results; report defects against acceptance criteria.
• Install harnesses to flight computers, sensors, radios and avionics during integration.
• Troubleshoot wiring faults and support system‑level testing with engineers.
• Maintain BOMs, supply chain, procurement and inventory for harness builds.
• Create and maintain build documentation and electrical schematics.
• Maintain high workmanship, safety and documentation standards.
• Collaborate with avionics, mechanical, manufacturing and flight test teams.

Skills

Cable harness manufacturing

Wiring diagrams

Electrical testing

NASA-STD-8739.4 / IPC

Crimp tools & tooling

Sourcing & inventory

Tools

Crimp tools

Positioners

Dies

Contact insertion tools

Shield termination tools

Electrical CAD / SolidWorks Electrical

Job description

Our Mission: Fly to space twice in a day.

At Dawn Aerospace, we are building the Aurora, a reusable rocket-powered spaceplane designed to make access to space as routine as aviation. To support this mission Dawn is looking for a Cable Harness Manufacturing Technician to join our Avionics Team.

This is a hands‑on role building, installing, and testing electrical harnesses for the Mk‑II Aurora spaceplane. Working closely with engineers and suppliers, you will help deliver high‑quality aircraft electrical systems as we move from a research and development platform to repeatable aircraft production.

You will take ownership of electrical harness manufacture, supply chain coordination, and helping establish the processes and standards that will support future aircraft production. This varied role will suit someone practical and organised, who can work efficiently without compromising quality, and think outside the box.

What you’ll do

• Manufacture cable harnesses from engineering drawings and assembly instructions, including wire preparation, crimping, connector assembly, shielding, lacing, and labelling.
• Inspect and electrically test completed harnesses against drawings and acceptance criteria. Record results and report defects.
• Install and connect aircraft wiring and cable harnesses to flight computers, sensors, radios, antennas, and supporting electronics, working closely with avionics engineers during integration.
• Verify harness installation and electrical connections, troubleshoot wiring faults, and support aircraft electrical configuration and system‑level testing alongside avionics engineers.
• Keep harness builds supplied with the right components and kits. Manage harness and avionics materials through bills of materials, sourcing, procurement, inventory, supplier engagement, and production stock coordination.
• Create and maintain harness build documentation, bills of materials, workmanship standards, and standard operating procedures, and work with engineers to keep electrical schematics accurate and up to date.
• Maintain high standards of workmanship, safety, and documentation.
• Collaborate closely with avionics, mechanical, manufacturing, and flight test teams.
• Contribute ideas and feedback to improve designs, processes, and product quality.

What we’re looking for

You will have:

• At least three years of hands‑on experience manufacturing cable harnesses from engineering drawings and assembly instructions in a high‑reliability manufacturing environment.
• Practical experience with wire preparation, crimping, contact insertion and removal, connector assembly, shield termination, lacing, sleeving, and labelling.
• Proficiency with precision termination tooling, including crimp tools, positioners, dies, and contact insertion and removal tools.
• Experience assembling cable harnesses to defined workmanship requirements, such as NASA‑STD‑8739.4 or IPC/WHMA‑A‑620, or other applicable high‑reliability standards.
• The ability to read electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, engineering drawings, and harness assembly instructions to manufacture and inspect cable harnesses accurately.
• Experience inspecting completed cable harnesses, checking continuity, identifying wiring faults, and testing insulation resistance with appropriate electrical test equipment.
• Experience following controlled manufacturing instructions, recording build and test results, and reporting defects or unclear requirements.
• A practical understanding of how wire preparation, termination quality, shielding, and mechanical support affect cable harness reliability.
• The ability to organise components and materials for cable harness manufacture and identify shortages before they delay work.
• Experience coordinating inventory, purchasing, or suppliers for manufacturing.
• Clear written and spoken English, for understanding manufacturing and safety instructions, recording build and test results, communicating defects, and proposing fixes.

Bonus skills, nice to have

• Aircraft cable harness installation and avionics integration.
• Coaxial cable assembly, termination, and testing.
• Experience with RapidHarness or electrical CAD tools such as SolidWorks Electrical.
• High‑reliability soldering experience.
• Experience creating or improving manufacturing documentation, assembly instructions, or inspection checklists.
• Familiarity with configuration control, component traceability, and production quality systems.
• PCB assembly, rework, or modification.

What sets you apart

You take pride in clean, reliable cable harnesses and well‑documented workmanship. You enjoy hands‑on assembly, methodical fault finding, and seeing your work become part of something that flies. You are comfortable assembling harnesses on the workshop floor, applying your electrical troubleshooting skills to aircraft systems, and coordinating with suppliers to keep production moving.

You work efficiently without compromising workmanship or acceptance criteria. You identify unclear instructions, raise defects, and work with engineers to resolve problems. You help improve production methods through documented changes.

You understand that great aircraft are built through repeatable processes, attention to detail, and strong teamwork.

What we offer

• A chance to work on something that has never been done before.
• Ownership of flight‑ready cable harnesses from day one, with a direct contribution to the aircraft they support.
• A flat, fast‑moving culture that rewards initiative.
• The opportunity to help build the foundations of aircraft production at Dawn Aerospace.
• Lunch, snacks, and drinks for all staff, Staff barbecues once a week
• Extended paid parental leave
• Optional extended annual leave packages

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

• In-space propulsion
  We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
• In-space servicing
  Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensue a clean and safe space for everyone!
• Spaceplane
  We are developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.