Staff Harness & Interconnect Engineer

CONNECTOR & INTERCONNECT DESIGN

Design and qualify custom and COTS connectors for spacecraft applications 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 (STP, coax), 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 (hotbar/wave solder), potting, and protection (sleeving, tape, fixation).

ELECTRICAL INTERFACE & INTEGRATION

Develop and maintain the Electrical Interface Control Document (EICD) and from/to interconnect lists driving connector selection across the spacecraft bus.

Interface with systems, RF, power, and digital teams on signal routing, impedance requirements, and EMI/EMC considerations.

Work with internal engineering teams to optimize board placement and overall connectivity strategy.

Evaluate emerging interconnect technologies: laser-cut FPC, conductive adhesives, silver ink traces, and R2R-compatible solutions 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 teams to ensure high success rates in engineering-to-manufacturing transitions, including process validation, documentation, and first-article support.

Drive design-for-manufacturing optimization on interconnect solutions to hit cost and mass targets at constellation scale.