Harnessing Engineer (Launch Vehicle Avionics)

The Valentino Group•Alameda, CA

About The Position

Harnessing Engineer (Launch Vehicle Avionics) The Team Our clients Avionics team is responsible for the electrical architecture that powers and controls the launch vehicle. As a Harnessing Engineer, you'll own the design and execution of flight and test harnesses that connect avionics, sensors, power systems, and vehicle subsystems—ensuring reliability in extreme environments. This is an end-to-end role spanning requirements definition, architecture, detailed design, first-article builds, qualification testing, and production support. Youll work closely with mechanical, thermal, electrical, integration, and manufacturing teams to deliver harness systems that are safe, lightweight, manufacturable, and flight-ready. The Opportunity Were looking for a hands-on, highly collaborative engineer who thrives in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments and is excited to build real flight hardware. Youll be a key technical owner on the vehicle program with high visibility and the ability to shape best practices as the organization scales.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related technical field
5+ years of professional experience in wire harness design (aerospace, vehicles, robotics, defense, or similarly rigorous environments)
3+ years using mechanical CAD tools and PLM systems; comfortable releasing production drawings
Ability to interpret and create complex wiring diagrams, schematics, and interface documentation
Strong understanding of harness design and manufacturing methods (buildability, inspection, testability, and rework considerations)
Experience with aerospace-grade materials/component selection and design for weight, cost, and manufacturability
Hands-on experience troubleshooting harness issues to root cause, with a corrective-action mindset
Familiarity with one or more relevant standards, such as: IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA-STD-8739.4 / 8739.6, NASA-STD-6016, SAE AS22759, J-STD-001
Strong communication skills and ability to manage interfaces across multiple engineering teams
Self-directed and comfortable solving open-ended problems with speed and rigor

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in aerospace or launch vehicle applications
Knowledge of redundancy strategies for flight-critical systems
Experience designing for high vibration, vacuum, thermal cycling, and harsh EMI environments
Proficiency with Siemens NX and Teamcenter
Experience with harness-specific design tools such as RapidHarness

Responsibilities

Serve as the Harness Responsible Engineer for the launch vehicle program
Partner cross-functionally with Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical Engineering to define harness requirements, interfaces, and system constraints
Select materials and components (wire, connectors, backshells, shielding, strain relief, etc.) appropriate for aerospace environments
Design harness architecture and routing, including mechanical layout, service loops, strain relief, and EMI/EMC considerations
Create and maintain system-level schematics, wiring diagrams, and pinouts
Draft and review manufacturing/assembly drawings and ensure alignment with production processes
Support first-article builds and transition designs into repeatable production flows
Execute and/or define test approaches including continuity, isolation, grounding, pin-to-pin verification, and troubleshooting
Investigate development and production nonconformances, drive root cause , and implement corrective actions
Document and maintain engineering artifacts including test procedures, analysis/results, FMEAs, requirement docs, and work instructions
Operate in a hands-on environment—supporting design, build, integration, and test activities as needed