Sr. Manufacturing Engineer (Connector, Harness & Cable)

Blue Origin; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Travel up to 50%

Job summary

Blue Origin in Cupertino seeks a Senior Manufacturing Interconnection Engineer to own end-to-end interconnection assembly design and production readiness for TeraWave modules. This role bridges connector selection, harness and cable design, and volume production readiness, ensuring manufacturability and testability at orbital scale.

Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates, with travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering required.
• 10+ years of interconnection design, harness/cable engineering, or electromechanical assembly in high-volume environments.
• Experience designing connector/harness/cable assemblies with tight performance and reliability specs; proficiency in harness tools.
• Hands-on experience with crimping, soldering, potting, connectorization, continuity testing, and line bring-up.

Responsibilities

• Lead interconnection assembly design for satellite modules: connector selection, harness routing, cable design, wire termination, backshell integration.
• Own interconnection assembly process development to ensure robust, repeatable assembly.
• Manage BOM procurement, vendor coordination, tolerance analysis, and assembly oversight.
• Drive first-article inspection, continuity and performance validation, and manufacturing readiness reviews for production ramp.

Skills

Interconnection design

Harness engineering

DFX principles

Documentation skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Capital

Zuken E3

SolidWorks Electrical

Job description

As a Senior Manufacturing Interconnection Engineer (Connector, Harness & Cable), you will own the end-to-end interconnection assembly design integration of TeraWave modules — bridging connector selection, harness and cable design, and volume production readiness. As a foundational element of TeraWave operations, hardware must be architected not only for performance but for manufacturability, testability, reliability, and serviceability at constellation scale. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who has designed, integrated, and shipped complex connector, harness, and cable assemblies in fast-moving, high-volume manufacturing environments and wants to apply that experience to hardware operating at orbital scale.

Special Mentions:

• Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates.
• Travel: Up to 50%.

Responsibilities:

Interconnection Assembly Design, Integration & Manufacturing

• Lead interconnection assembly design for satellite modules and subsystems: connector selection, harness routing, cable design, wire termination, backshell integration, and mechanical integration of interconnection hardware.
• Own interconnection assembly process development — including crimping, soldering, potting, strain relief, connectorization, continuity testing, and integration workflows — to ensure robust, repeatable assembly.
• Manage connector/harness/cable BOM procurement, vendor coordination, wire and connector tolerance analysis, and assembly oversight.
• Drive first-article inspection, continuity and performance validation, process validation, and manufacturing readiness reviews to support production ramp.

Design for Excellence (DFX)

• Drive Design for Excellence (DFX) principles — DFM, DFT, DFA, DFR, and DFS — across the full interconnection assembly lifecycle to ensure hardware scales from prototype through volume production for TeraWave operations.
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Optimize connector selection, harness routing, wire gauge and termination methods, and assembly processes to maximize yield and minimize cost at constellation-scale production volumes.
• Design for Test (DFT): Architect continuity test points, connector mating references, and automated test coverage to enable efficient factory acceptance and in-field diagnostics.
• Design for Assembly (DFA): Simplify connector count, keying/polarization, routing, and termination methods to reduce assembly time, rework, and error rates on the line.
• Design for Reliability (DFR): Apply derating, worst-case analysis, FMEA, thermal-mechanical and vibration analysis, and reliability prediction to ensure stable interconnection performance and long-duration operation in the orbital environment.
• Design for Serviceability/Supply Chain (DFS): Coordinate with supply chain and manufacturing partners to drive connector and wire standardization, second-sourcing strategies, and obsolescence mitigation across the production lifecycle.
• Partner with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to define acceptance criteria, drive yield optimization, and support production ramp for sustained TeraWave operations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in interconnection design, harness/cable engineering, or electromechanical assembly in a product development and volume production environment.
• Experience designing connector, harness, and cable assemblies with tight performance and reliability requirements; proficiency in harness design tools (Capital, Zuken E3, SolidWorks Electrical, or equivalent).
• Hands-on experience with interconnection assembly processes, including crimping, soldering, potting, connectorization, continuity test, and line bring-up.
• Demonstrated application of DFX principles (DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR) in bringing interconnection assemblies from design into volume production.
• Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
• 15+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with high-reliability connectors, high-speed/RF cabling, and space-grade wire and harness standards (IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA-STD-8739).
• Experience with harness routing analysis, EMI/EMC shielding, and signal integrity in a design context.
• Experience designing and manufacturing interconnection hardware for space, aviation, or other high-reliability thermal-vacuum environments.
• Experience with automated harness manufacturing, wire processing equipment, and test systems.
• Background in production hardware including comprehensive DFX practices (DFM/DFT/DFA/DFR), process optimization, supply chain coordination, and yield optimization at scale.