Lead Spacecraft Harness & Interconnect Engineer

E-Space; Saratoga (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Paid time off

Competitive salary

Professional development

Job summary

E-Space seeks an experienced interconnect and harness designer to own the end-to-end design, development, and manufacturing transition of spacecraft harnesses and interconnect solutions for a LEO constellation.

Responsibilities include connector design, cable routing, and vendor coordination to move designs from prototype to volume production, with a focus on space-qualified interfaces and high-reliability assemblies.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 10+ years in interconnect, harness, or electro-mechanical design with 5+ years on spacecraft or aerospace programs.
• Hands-on experience with connector selection and qualification for space environments (thermal cycling, vibration, vacuum, outgassing).
• Familiarity with IPC-620 (cable/harness), J-STD, and NASA/ECSS/SAE standards.
• Experience with CAD and harness design tools (SolidWorks, RapidHarness, Zuken, or equivalent).
• Proficiency with lab equipment: multimeters, soldering, crimpers, TDR, hand tools.
• Direct experience managing international component and cable vendors.

Responsibilities

• CONNECTOR & INTERCONNECT DESIGN: Design and qualify custom and COTS connectors for spacecraft interfaces including shielded/unshielded low-pin-count, board-to-board, coax, high-speed, and fiber-optic interfaces.
• Own connector selection trades across mass, volume, retention force, signal integrity, and space qualification requirements.
• Develop overmolding tooling and processes for connector space qualification.
• Coordinate with domestic and East Asian connector vendors on custom solutions, design reviews, and qualification activities.
• CABLE & HARNESS DESIGN: End-to-end ownership of cable and harness design: wire gauge selection, shielding architecture, routing, and drawing creation.
• Drive cable manufacturing solutions from prototype through volume production.
• Evaluate and specify specialty cables including ultra-lightweight coax and space-grade fiber optic assemblies.
• Support harness manufacturing process development: stripping, termination, potting, and protection.
• ELECTRICAL INTERFACE & INTEGRATION: Develop and maintain the EICD and interconnect lists driving connector selection.
• Interface with systems, RF, power, and digital teams on signal routing, impedance and EMI/EMC.
• Work with internal engineering teams to optimize board placement and connectivity strategy.
• Evaluate emerging interconnect technologies: laser-cut FPC, conductive adhesives, silver ink traces, and R2R for antenna and thin-film applications.
• VENDOR & MANUFACTURING: Manage vendor relationships for connectors, cables, and interconnect components across domestic and East Asian suppliers.
• Support manufacturing equipment sourcing and process development for cable stripping, termination, and assembly.
• Partner with manufacturing to ensure high success rates in engineering-to-manufacturing transitions, including process validation and first-article support.
• Drive design-for-manufacturing optimization on interconnect solutions to hit cost and mass targets at constellation-scale.

Skills

Interconnect design

Laboratory testing

Vendor management

High-speed interconnects

Signal integrity basics

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering or related

Tools

SolidWorks

RapidHarness

Zuken

Altium Designer

Job description

E-Space seeks an experienced interconnect and harness designer to own the end-to-end design, development, and manufacturing transition of spacecraft harnesses and interconnect solutions for a LEO constellation.

Responsibilities include connector design, cable routing, and vendor coordination to move designs from prototype to volume production, with a focus on space-qualified interfaces and high-reliability assemblies.