Harness Technician

Strix Drones; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 30,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive hourly pay benchmarked to/

Job summary

STRIX USA is seeking an experienced Harness Technician in the Denver area to build, solder, terminate, and test wire harnesses for drone and cUAS systems. You will read drawings, meet IPC/WHMA-A-620 and J-STD-001 standards, and collaborate with electrical engineers on prototypes and production.

The role covers low-voltage wiring, RF coax, and high-current power distribution, with on-site production. A strong emphasis on quality, safety, and ITAR compliance is essential.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of hands-on wire harness experience in aerospace/defense/high-reliability industries.
• Expert hand-soldering skills with ability to achieve IPC J-STD-001 Class 3 workmanship.
• Current IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIS certification, or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.
• Current IPC J-STD-001 CIS certification, or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.
• Able to read and interpret wiring diagrams, schematics, mechanical drawings, BOMs.
• Experience with MIL-spec wires/connectors (MIL-DTL-38999, M22759, M27500) and calibrated crimp tooling.
• Experience with continuity and hi-pot testing and troubleshooting harness faults.
• Working knowledge of ESD-safe handling practices.
• Strong attention to detail, manual dexterity, and comfort with magnification.
• Must be a U.S. Person (citizen or lawful permanent resident) per ITAR.

Responsibilities

• Fabricate wire harnesses, cable assemblies, and interconnects from drawings, schematics, wire lists, and build instructions.
• Hand-solder wires, terminals, connectors, and through-hole/SMD components to J-STD-001 Class 3.
• Crimp, strip, and terminate wire using calibrated tooling; perform crimp pull tests.
• Build harnesses on formboards with routing, breakouts, lacing, tie-wrapping, sleeving, heat-shrink, labeling, and strain relief.
• Terminate MIL-spec and commercial connectors (circular, D-sub, Micro-D, high-current power) and RF coaxial connectors.
• Wire high-current power distribution, battery leads, ESC/motor wiring, and avionics/flight-controller interconnects.
• Apply shielding, grounding, EMI practices; perform potting, encapsulation, and overmolding as specified.
• Test finished assemblies for continuity, insulation resistance, and hi-pot using Cirris and multimeters; troubleshoot defects.
• Inspect own and others’ work against IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC-A-610; document nonconformances.
• Maintain build travelers, inspection records, and traceability.
• Support prototyping with engineering; provide DFMA feedback; help write work instructions and build standards.
• Maintain tooling and calibration schedules, 5S work area, ESD controls.
• Follow ITAR/export control, security, and quality procedures for controlled hardware.

Skills

Hand-soldering

Class 3 workmanship

Wiring diagrams reading

Attention to detail

Education

IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIS

IPC J-STD-001 CIS

Tools

Calibrated crimp tooling

Cirris cable testers

Job description

STRIX USA builds counter-unmanned aerial systems (cUAS) and drone-based defense technology. We are standing up our U.S. production facility in the Denver area and building the team that will turn our designs into flight-ready hardware for defense customers.

We are looking for an experienced Harness Technician to build, solder, terminate, and test wire harnesses and cable assemblies for our drone and cUAS systems. You will work from engineering drawings and schematics, build to IPC/WHMA-A-620 and J-STD-001 workmanship standards, and work closely with our electrical and integration engineers on both prototypes and production builds. The work spans low-voltage signal and data wiring, RF coax, and high-current power distribution for battery-powered airframes.

Responsibilities:

• Fabricate wire harnesses, cable assemblies, and interconnects from drawings, schematics, wire lists, and build instructions.


• Hand-solder wires, terminals, connectors, and through-hole/surface-mount components to J-STD-001 Class 3 workmanship.


• Crimp, strip, and terminate wire using calibrated hand and bench tooling; perform and record crimp pull tests.


• Build harnesses on formboards, including routing, breakouts, lacing, tie-wrapping, sleeving, heat-shrink, labeling, and strain relief.


• Terminate MIL-spec and commercial connectors (circular, D-sub, Micro-D, high-current power) and RF coaxial connectors.


• Wire high-current power distribution, battery leads, ESC/motor wiring, and avionics/flight-controller interconnects.


• Apply shielding, grounding, and EMI practices; perform potting, encapsulation, and overmolding where specified.


• Test finished assemblies for continuity, insulation resistance, and hi-pot using automated cable testers (e.g., Cirris) and multimeters; troubleshoot and rework defects.


• Inspect own and others’ work against IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC-A-610 criteria; document nonconformances.


• Maintain accurate build travelers, inspection records, and traceability (wire and connector lot numbers).


• Support prototyping with engineering, provide design-for-manufacturability feedback, and help write work instructions and build standards.


• Maintain tooling and calibration schedules, ESD controls, and a clean, organized (5S) work area.


• Follow ITAR/export control, security, and quality procedures for controlled hardware and technical data.

Required Qualifications

• 3–5 years of hands-on wire harness and cable assembly experience in aerospace, defense, space, or a comparable high-reliability industry (UAS, avionics, satellites, launch vehicles).


• Expert hand-soldering skills; able to consistently meet Class 3 workmanship.


• Current IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) certification, or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.


• Current IPC J-STD-001 Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) certification, or ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.


• Able to read and interpret wiring diagrams, schematics, mechanical drawings, wire lists, and BOMs.


• Experience with MIL-spec wire and connectors (e.g., MIL-DTL-38999, M22759, M27500) and calibrated crimp tooling (e.g., M22520 / Daniels-style tools).


• Experience with continuity and hi-pot testing and troubleshooting harness faults.


• Working knowledge of ESD-safe handling practices.


• Strong attention to detail, good manual dexterity, and comfort working under magnification and microscopes.


• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) as required by ITAR.

Preferred Qualifications

• ESD Control Program training aligned to ANSI/ESD S20.20.


• IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified IPC Trainer (CIT), or interest in becoming the in-house trainer as the team grows.


• Active U.S. security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one.


• Experience with drones, UAS, or electric propulsion: LiPo/Li-ion battery packs, high-current connectors, ESCs, flight controllers, and RF/datalink cabling.


• Experience with potting, conformal coating, and overmolding.


• Experience working within AS9100 or ISO 9001 quality systems.


• Startup or new production line bring-up experience.


• On-site production and lab environment; this role cannot be performed remotely.


• Extended periods of seated or standing bench work and fine, repetitive hand work.


• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs.


• Work around soldering fumes (with extraction), adhesives, potting compounds, and lithium battery systems, following safety procedures and PPE requirements.


• Occasional support of field and flight testing at off-site test locations.

What we Offer

• Competitive hourly pay benchmarked to Denver-area defense and aerospace manufacturing.