Harness Designer

ALTEN Technology USA; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA seeks a Harness Designer to lead analog and digital harness development for aerospace and defense programs. You will create and review electrical drawings, drive hardware design from system requirements, and collaborate with suppliers and customers.

This role requires a strong background in Altium, EMI/EMC, MIL-STD-461, and experience with RS-422/485 or MIL-STD-1553, plus hands-on testing with scope, DMM, and LabVIEW.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizen required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or similar.
• Typically 5+ years of aerospace, defense, and/or avionics experience.
• Proficient in schematic capture, PCB layout, and harness/interconnect design using Altium Designer (required), along with simulation tools such as PSPICE/LTSPICE.
• Proven experience leading hardware design and development.
• Detailed knowledge of military specifications and IPC standards.
• Experience with testing, troubleshooting, and failure analysis.
• Experience using RS-422/RS-485 and MIL-STD-1553 serial communications.
• Knowledge of EMI/EMC design to MIL-STD-461; proficient with lab/testing tools (oscilloscope, DMM, power supply, DAQ, logic/spectrum analyzers).
• Familiarity with FPGA or microcontroller design; C, C++, Python; LabVIEW is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Leads analog and digital circuit designs in accordance with customer requirements and industry standards.
• Creates and reviews electrical drawings, manufacturing requirements, QA specs, and harness drawings.
• Reviews designs for functionality, manufacturability, cost, and quality.
• Leads test and analysis activities throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Develops interconnect and harness designs from system pin-outs through release.

Job description

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

2-3 MONTHS

As a Harness Designer you will be responsible for;

• Leads analog and digital circuit designs in accordance with customer requirements and industry standards.
• Creates and reviews formal or informal electrical engineering drawings, manufacturing requirements, inspection/quality assurance specifications, and harness drawings.
• Reviews electrical designs for functionality, manufacturing, cost, and quality.
• Heavily involved during system architecture and requirements review phases of program development. Helps to ensure program requirements and proposed design elements align.
• Leads test and analysis activities throughout product development lifecycle.
• Writes test procedures, test reports, and analysis reports.
• Verifies calculations, testing, and analysis work of peers and junior engineers.
• Supports manufacturing, quality, and assembly of designs from concept to delivery, including electrical harness integration.
• Supports management of electrical libraries and other department development.
• Professionally interacts with customers by supporting presentations and technical reviews.
• Capable of managing suppliers and vendors.
• Mentor and resource for junior engineers.
• Develops interconnect and harness designs from system pin-out requirements through final documentation release.

Qualifications;

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or similar.
• Typically possesses 5+ years of aerospace, defense, and/or avionics experience.
• Proficient in schematic capture, PCB layout, and harness/interconnect design using Altium Designer (required), along with simulation tools such as PSPICE/LTSPICE.
• Proven experience in leading design and development of robust hardware.
• Detailed knowledge of military specifications and industry standards including IPC.
• Experience with testing, troubleshooting, and failure analysis techniques.
• Experience utilizing serial communication protocols (RS-422, RS-485, MIL-STD-1553, etc.) and developing serial communication Hardware / Software.
• Knowledge of designing for EMI/EMC to meet MIL-STD-461 requirements.
• Proficient with electrical test equipment including oscilloscope, DMM, power supply, DAQ, logic analyzer, spectrum analyzer, etc.
• Experience designing and developing automated test equipment apparatuses (LabView experience is a plus).
• Familiarity with FPGA or microcontroller design, development, and test are a plus.
• Familiarity with C, C++, Python, Matlab (Verilog or VHDL are a plus).

Salary Range: $75k-$100k

The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience

MANDATORY FOR ALL REMOTE/HYBRID AND/OR CALIFORNIA, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, HAWAII, COLORADO, MARYLAND, CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, MINNESOTA, VERMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, NEVADA, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, WASHINGTON STATE & CINCINNATI, OHIO, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, TOLEDO, OHIO BASED ROLES.

Note: Due to the nature of the work, only US Persons (citizens or permanent residents) need apply for this position. - OPTIONAL

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug-free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire.