Harness Design Engineer (Starshield)

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Comprehensive medical, vision, dental

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

SpaceX is seeking a Harness Design Engineer (Starshield) to own satellite harness design from early architecture to production and flight. You will develop 3D NX CAD models, specify wiring and harness routes, and work with mechanical, electrical, RF, and EMI teams to ensure reliable integration for space missions.

The role emphasizes multidisciplinary design, system trades, and manufacturability, with responsibilities spanning design, analysis, and property qualification across the satellite

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, or other engineering discipline.
• Experience with electro‑mechanical wire harness design or manufacturing (internships, student projects, or professional).

Responsibilities

• Own harness design from early stages through production and flight.
• Architect harness/system designs with power, connectivity, fault tolerance, and configuration management.
• Develop electro‑mechanical harness designs and drawings in a 3D NX CAD environment.
• Contribute to physical layout to optimize size, weight, power, and assembly.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, RF, EMI, and other teams to close requirements.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Wire harness design

Team lead experience

3D CAD modeling

System integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

HARNESS DESIGN ENGINEER (STARSHIELD)

Starshield leverages SpaceX’s satellite technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on earth observation, communications, and hosted payloads.

SpaceX is looking to hire a satellite harness design engineer to work with a brilliant and passionate team of engineers. As a harness design engineer on the Starshield team, you will own harness design from the early stages of developing the vehicle electrical connectivity to component selection, qualification, production, and ultimately flight. This role is extremely multidisciplinary and will give you unparalleled exposure to high‑level vehicle architecture and systems integration.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the responsible engineer for satellite avionics interconnection systems, owning outcomes across design, integration, test, production, launch, and in‑orbit operations.
• Architect system designs by specifying harness/channel capabilities, power and network connectivity, fault tolerance, reliability, and configuration management. Generate detailed electrical schematics to actualize architecture design.
• Develop electro‑mechanical harness designs and drawings in a 3D NX CAD environment, with emphasis on articulating design intent to harness manufacturing and integration counterparts.
• Contribute to overall physical layout design to improve size, weight, power, and ease of assembly of the entire satellite.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders across all disciplines (mechanical, electrical, RF, EMI, etc.) to identify requirements and close all trades.
• Perform analysis and physical testing of harnessing with respect to thermal, loads, and vibration to ensure electrical and mechanical properties are fully qualified over the full lifecycle.
• Own product delivery timelines from conception through launch. Work closely with harness production, integration, and supply chain teams to ensure designs are manufacturable, reliable, and installable on the satellite line on schedule.
• Perform R&D investigations and trade studies to push wire harness design to new boundaries in terms of reliability, mass, and cost savings at the satellite level.
• Demonstrate extreme ownership of product outcomes at every stage of development and production.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, or other engineering discipline.
• Experience with electro‑mechanical wire harness design or manufacturing (includes internships, student projects, and professional experience).

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with system trades and first‑hand knowledge of how requirements tie hardware to larger systems.
• 1+ years of hands‑on project experience with complex mechanical or electrical systems, preferably as a team lead (including internships).
• Proficiency with CAD software packages, especially Siemens NX.
• Experience with electrical and optical harness design. In particular, schematic or wiring diagram definition, 3D design, formboard creation, 3D modeling of complex top‑level assemblies, 3D modeling and analysis of avionics enclosures and secondary structure.
• Experience with harness design with complex requirements or environmental considerations in an at‑rate manufacturing setting, such as in the aerospace, automotive, or marine industry.
• Experience with connector, wire, cable, fiber, overwrap, and shield component specification and selection.
• Demonstrated ability to own hardware or systems within an integrated engineering team outside a classroom setting (FSAE, Engineers without Borders, Student Directed Research, Design‑Build‑Fly, NASA student launch, personal entrepreneurial ventures, etc.).
• Self‑motivated with strong organizational, written, and oral communication skills.
• Must have an ongoing drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of work.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance is desired but not required. An active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions; if so, you will be subject to pre‑employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing.
• Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to meet mission‑critical deadlines.
• Ability to travel to SpaceX, vendors, customers, and partner locations as necessary.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Pay Range:
Level 1: $100,000.00 - $117,500.00
Level 2: $115,000.00 - $140,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job‑related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long‑term incentives, in the form of company stock or long‑term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

Those with an active clearance will receive a 10% differential, up to an additional $20,000 annually, once officially briefed into a classified program.

EEO & DISABILITY STATEMENTS

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. §1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. §1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s affirmative action plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to [e-mail].