Cable Harness Design Engineer

ESP Enterprises Inc.; Allen (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid Time Off

Health Savings Account

Job summary

ESP Enterprises Inc. seeks an experienced Design Engineering Manager to lead a team designing cable assemblies, wire harnesses, and fiber optic interconnect systems. You will guide 5–10 engineers, oversee routing, documentation, and qualification plans, and partner with Manufacturing, Quality, PM, Product Management, Sales and Operations.

You will drive design standards, mentor engineers, and ensure programs meet customer and military specifications while achieving schedules.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience.
• Experience leading new product development from concept through production.
• Experience designing or managing cable assemblies, wire harnesses, or interconnects.
• Solid knowledge of MIL-DTL, MIL-PRF specs and GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Lead 5–10 design engineers and drafters; oversee workload and career development.
• Drive engineering standards, reviews, and mentoring practices.
• Advance cable assemblies, wire harnesses, and interconnect system designs.
• Ensure designs meet MIL specs and customer/program requirements; manage schedules.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, PM, and Sales to support programs.
• Introduce process improvements to CAD, PDM, and documentation workflows.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Project management

Team development

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Creo

Inventor

PLM systems

Job description

Employment Type: Full-time

Work Arrangement: Onsite

Our client is looking for an experienced Design Engineering Manager to lead a team responsible for the design and development of complex cable assemblies, wire harnesses, and fiber optic interconnect systems.

In this role, you will lead approximately 5 to 10 engineers and drafters while overseeing harness architecture, detailed interconnect design, cable routing, breakout configurations, labeling, engineering documentation, and product development.

You will work closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Program Management, Product Management, Sales, and Operations to ensure designs meet customer requirements and can be successfully manufactured.

What You’ll Do

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead and manage approximately 5 to 10 design engineers and drafters.
• Manage hiring, performance reviews, employee development, workload planning, and career progression.
• Allocate engineering resources across multiple concurrent programs.
• Establish engineering standards, technical review processes, and mentoring practices.
• Develop engineers and drafters across multiple experience levels.
• Support compensation planning, promotion recommendations, succession planning, and employee development.

Engineering and Product Development

• Lead the design and development of cable assemblies, wire harnesses, and fiber optic interconnect systems.
• Ensure product designs comply with applicable military specifications, customer requirements, and program-specific requirements.
• Manage engineering deliverables against program schedules.
• Oversee engineering drawings, GD&T packages, bills of material, interface control documents, and qualification test plans.
• Review and approve engineering designs, drawing packages, Engineering Change Orders, and Engineering Change Notices.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions involving design-related quality issues.

Cross-Functional and Customer Support

• Serve as a primary engineering contact for Program Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Sales, and other internal groups.
• Support new business opportunities through technical scoping, feasibility assessments, and preliminary engineering estimates.
• Work directly with customer engineering teams on interface control, technical design reviews, and qualification requirements.

Process Improvement

• Develop and improve engineering design standards and processes.
• Improve CAD, PDM, SolidWorks, drawing, and documentation workflows.
• Identify opportunities to reduce engineering cycle times and improve first-pass design quality.
• Support internal and customer audits involving engineering design controls.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 5 years of engineering leadership experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience leading new product development from concept through production.
• Experience designing or managing cable assemblies, wire harnesses, interconnect systems, or similar products strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of applicable MIL-DTL and MIL-PRF specifications.
• Strong understanding of GD&T and military specification drawing standards.
• Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, specifications, and assembly documentation.
• Experience with SolidWorks, Creo, Inventor, or comparable CAD software.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100 requirements.
• Experience with PLM systems, configuration management, and engineering change processes.
• Strong leadership, communication, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple programs and competing engineering priorities.
• Experience working within a manufacturing environment.
• You must meet applicable U.S. person requirements associated with ITAR-regulated work.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) match
• Paid Time OffHealth Savings Account