Senior Harness Engineer

Kindredventures; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 137,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Kindredventures is looking for a Senior Harnessing Engineer in Los Angeles, CA to design and integrate electrical wire harnesses for their hypersonic reentry vehicle. You will manage the end-to-end harness design process, ensuring compliance with aerospace standards, mentoring junior engineers, and working closely with integration teams.

The ideal candidate must possess a Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field, with over 5 years of hands-on experience in 3D CAD and wire harness implementation. This position requires in-office presence and offers a competitive salary range of $137,000 to $193,000 annually.

Qualifications

• Typically 5+ years of hands-on experience in 3D CAD electrical harness routing and design for complex aerospace vehicles.
• Deep understanding of wire harness design principles.
• Direct experience generating production-ready 2D harness drawings.

Responsibilities

• Own the 3D harness routing and mechanical packaging.
• Generate 2D harness manufacturing drawings and bill of materials.
• Conduct trade studies on shielding, grounding, and wire sizing.

Skills

3D CAD electrical harness routing

Engineering communication skills

Wire sizing and routing

Hands-on harness build

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Job description

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We Are:

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next‑generation capabilities from space. Our mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low‑Earth Orbit into an on‑demand logistics domain. We see space not as a destination, but as a platform — one that unlocks unprecedented speed and global reach. Our spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision. These systems open the door to new ways of testing, delivering, and operating at hypersonic speeds. Inherently dual‑use, our technology is built to meet urgent national security needs while laying the groundwork for future commercial applications. Backed by leading investors including Y Combinator, Spark Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures, and working with partners such as the U.S. Space Force and NASA, Inversion is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space‑based defense and logistics.

What You’ll Do

As a Senior Harnessing Engineer at Inversion, you will report directly to the Director of Engineering, Avionics. In this role, you will own the end‑to‑end design, 3D routing, documentation, and physical integration of all electrical wire harnesses for Inversion’s hypersonic reentry vehicle. You will bridge the gap between electrical schematics and physical vehicle structures, solving complex packaging, thermal protection, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) challenges. Operating with high autonomy, you will establish harness manufacturing standards, mentor junior engineers, and work directly with integration technicians to build and route flight‑ready hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the 3D harness routing and mechanical packaging of the entire vehicle electrical distribution system using CAD.
• Generate 2D harness manufacturing drawings, schematics, flat patterns, nailboard layouts, and bill of materials (BOM).
• Select wire types, shielding, connectors, backshells, and over‑braid materials to survive extreme aerospace environments (high vibration, vacuum, thermal, and plasma).
• Conduct trade studies on shielding, grounding, and wire sizing to ensure proper power delivery, signal integrity, and EMI/EMC compliance.
• Author detailed harness fabrication procedures, routing checklists, and electrical inspection plans (continuity, isolation, and dielectric testing).
• Provide hands‑on floor support during harness manufacturing, vehicle‑level routing, and pin‑out operations.
• Mentor junior engineers and support technician training on aerospace‑grade wire‑crimping, shielding termination, and soldering techniques.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• Typically 5+ years of hands‑on experience in 3D CAD electrical harness routing and design for complex aerospace vehicles.
• Proficiency in CAD software (Siemens NX or equivalent) with specialized routing modules.
• Deep understanding of wire harness design principles, including component selection, wire sizing, shielding, grounding, and routing clearances.
• Direct experience generating production‑ready 2D harness drawings with detailed standard dimensions and notes.
• Hands‑on harness build experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with aerospace harnessing and soldering standards.
• Experience designing harnesses for extreme thermal gradients, vacuum outgassing, and high‑vibration rocket or reentry environments.
• Familiarity with harness electrical analysis tools, schematic capture tools, and database management systems.
• Prior experience in a fast‑paced aerospace startup or small hardware integration team.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in‑office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $137,000 - $193,000. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job‑related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

ITAR Compliance

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.

Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. If you are a US Job Applicant see the CCAA Privacy Policy Notice for further details.