Satellite Harness Engineer

Xona; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a Harness Engineer to design and build the satellite harnesses, working closely with avionics, mechanical, GNC, and manufacturing teams to shape a critical subsystem of our space platform.

You will own harness design, cable routing, testing, and documentation, ensuring manufacturability and life‑of‑mission reliability in a cross‑disciplinary environment.

Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent industry experience.
• 2+ years experience in electrical harness design.
• Ability to read and interpret PCBA schematics, technical drawings, test plans, and procedures.
• Experience using harness test equipment such as multimeters and Hipot testers as well as building test fixtures.
• Familiarity with Windows-based PC operating systems.
• Ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing in English.

Responsibilities

• Own the design, cable routing, and build of the satellite’s harnesses.
• Closely work with electrical, mechanical, and other satellite design engineers to create harness drawings.
• Understanding of industry-standard electrical design principles and standards (IPC, MIL-STD, SMC).
• Determine processes and select components to ensure a reliable and manufacturable solution that will survive the life of the mission.
• Coordinate harness builds with contract manufacturers, taking into account the program build schedule and design requirements.
• Track, design, and build test harnesses to support various test set ups (DVT, environmental, subsystem debug, etc).
• Interpret PCBA schematics, technical drawings, test plans, and work instructions.
• Develop, maintain, and follow work instructions, connector mate logs, and test logs.
• Support hardware troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.

Skills

Electrical harness design

Schematic interpretation

Test equipment operation

English communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Multimeters

Hipot testers

Test fixtures

PCBA drawings/CAD

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

Description

We are looking for a Harness Engineer to design and build the satellite’s harnesses and cables. This is a hands‑on, cross-disciplinary role where you will work closely with experienced engineers across avionics, mechanical, GNC, and manufacturing teams. It is a unique opportunity to build a critical subsystem of a cutting‑edge space technology platform.

What You’ll Do

• Own the design, cable routing, and build of the satellite’s harnesses
• Closely work with electrical, mechanical, and other satellite design engineers to create harness drawings
• Understanding of industry-standard electrical design principles and standards (IPC, MIL-STD, SMC)
• Determine processes and select components to ensure a reliable and manufacturable solution that will survive the life of the mission
• Coordinate harness builds with contract manufacturers, taking into account the program build schedule and design requirements
• Track, design, and build test harnesses to support various test set ups (DVT, environmental, subsystem debug, etc)
• Interpret PCBA schematics, technical drawings, test plans, and work instructions
• Develop, maintain, and follow work instructions, connector mate logs, and test logs
• Support hardware troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and corrective actions

Required Qualifications

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent industry experience
• 2+ years experience in electrical harness design
• Ability to read and interpret PCBA schematics, technical drawings, test plans, and procedures
• Experience using harness test equipment such as multimeters and Hipot testers as well as building test fixtures (test boards, peg boards, etc.)
• Familiarity with Windows-based PC operating systems
• Ability to clearly communicate verbally and in writing in English

Desired Qualifications

• Experience designing, handling, and integrating spaceflight hardware
• Exposure to spacecraft environmental testing (vibration, thermal vacuum, thermal cycling)
• Experience working in cleanroom environments
• Familiarity with aerospace documentation standards and configuration control

For U.S. Roles:

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles:

To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.