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Salary: USD 124,000 - 170,500 / annual
Rocket Lab is seeking a Senior Harness Design Engineer to join the Space Systems team at their Long Beach headquarters. This role focuses on the design, development, and integration of electrical harnesses for spacecraft. You will define interfaces, select components, specify split locations and lengths, and generate comprehensive design documentation to support the spacecraft engineering team.
Key responsibilities include:
Harness Design & Development:
- Design and develop electrical harness systems for spacecraft, including connector and backshell selection, wire selection, shielding, and routing
- Generate wiring diagrams, pinout tables, and interface definitions based on spacecraft interconnect diagrams
- Create and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs) in the product lifecycle management (PLM) tool
- Develop and maintain fabrication drawings and documentation using tools such as Capital Essentials, NX, and Teamcenter
- Support harness fabrication processes, ensuring compliance with space-grade standards and industry best practices
- Define and verify harness acceptance criteria, including electrical testing and inspection
- Collaborate with systems engineering, mechanical engineering, and assembly, integration, and test (AIT) teams to ensure proper integration of harnesses into spacecraft
Electrical Engineering:
- Perform electrical design and analysis to ensure harness systems meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements
- Support electrical system schematics and harness design documentation
- Participate in design reviews, providing technical input and ensuring designs meet program requirements
- Troubleshoot and resolve electrical issues related to harness systems during fabrication, integration, and testing
- Collaborate with systems engineering to interpret system architecture and define electrical interfaces
Rocket Lab's Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration and in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives. The team has built spacecraft, payloads, and components for missions to the Moon and Mars, working with partners including NASA, the Space Development Agency, and the U.S. Space Force.
QUALIFICATIONS (Required):
- Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or other engineering discipline
- 5+ years of electrical engineering or avionics experience
- U.S. citizenship required due to program requirements and ITAR regulations
QUALIFICATIONS (Preferred):
- Master's or PhD in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, or other engineering discipline
- Experience in the aerospace/defense industry
- Experience supporting satellite development programs and satellite operations
- Proficiency in electrical engineering principles, including power distribution, signal integrity, grounding, and communication systems (e.g., RS-422, SPI, Ethernet, CAN bus)
- Experience with harness design tools such as Capital Essentials, NX, and Teamcenter
- Familiarity with industry standards for harness design and fabrication (e.g., NASA-STD-8739.4, IPC/WHMA-A-620)
- Experience with electrical testing of harness systems, including continuity testing, insulation resistance testing, and functional testing
- Knowledge of thermal and mechanical considerations for harness routing and integration
- Familiarity with requirement management tools such as JAMA
- Ability to obtain a Top Secret Clearance
