Internal Harness and Interconnect Engineer

Panthalassa • Portland, OR

1d • $125,000 - $175,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Internal Harness and Interconnect Engineer will own the dry-side wiring, cabling, and interconnect system for the company’s ocean-energy node technology. The role sits within the Core Systems Integration & Test team and is responsible for interconnect architecture, physical hardening, and end-to-end delivery, from initial concept through fabrication and deployment at sea. The engineer will bridge Electrical Engineering and Core Systems & Software, manage external manufacturing partners, and provide technical leadership on the shop floor when diagnosing integration issues. The reliability and signal integrity of critical computing and power systems operating in continuous, uncrewed maritime environments depend on this work.

The position calls for an engineer who can take ownership of designs, work collaboratively in a creative and fast-moving environment, and contribute to the complete interconnection lifecycle. The role is on-site at the company’s offices, lab, and shop in Portland, Oregon. Travel to vendors and test sites may be needed, and longer hours or weekends may occasionally be required to support critical needs. The company offers flexible working hours and flexible paid time off.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to design, package, and document complex wiring harnesses and interconnect assemblies for high-reliability systems, such as aerospace, marine, automotive, robotics, or industrial automation.
• Deep technical knowledge of connector families such as Phoenix, Amphenol, Deutsch, and Molex; specialized wire insulation and jacketing materials; and cable shielding techniques.
• A demonstrated track record of diagnosing and resolving noise, grounding, and signal-integrity issues in mixed data and power cabling architectures.
• Proficiency with wire harness design software such as Zuken E3.series, RapidHarness, or equivalent tools.
• Hands-on expertise with harness fabrication, crimp validation, rework tools, and diagnostic instrumentation such as DMMs, oscilloscopes, TDRs, and insulation testers or meggers.
• Ability to travel to vendors and test sites as needed.
• Ability to work longer hours and weekends intermittently to support critical needs.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or an equivalent field.
• Familiarity with manufacturing standards such as IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 or high-reliability aerospace or military equivalents.
• Experience designing interconnects for sealed enclosures, pressure vessels, or chassis subject to rigorous shock, vibration, and thermal cycling.
• Experience with high-speed data transmission such as Ethernet, RF, or high-speed differential pairs; fiber-optic terminations; or high-voltage DC distribution.
• Familiarity with automated wire-processing equipment and automated harness test systems such as Cirris or CableEye.
• A proven track record of establishing vendor second-sourcing and qualification pipelines for custom cable assemblies and specialized interconnect hardware.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the complete interconnection lifecycle for dry-side node electronics, including connector selection, harness routing, wire termination, backshell integration, potting, strain relief, and mechanical retention.
• Develop and standardize robust harness assembly workflows, including crimping, soldering, potting, connectorization, continuity testing, and hipot testing, to support repeatable, high-yield builds from prototype to production.
• Apply Design for Manufacturing principles by simplifying connector counts, standardizing keying and polarization, and optimizing routing to reduce mis-mates and assembly time.
• Apply Design for Test principles by integrating automated continuity test points and derating strategies to withstand continuous thermal-mechanical stress and high vibration.
• Design clean signal and power pathways to reduce electromagnetic interference, crosstalk, and ground loops between high-speed data channels and power lines.
• Manage the interconnect bill of materials and vendor pipeline, including procurement, tolerance analysis, second-sourcing, and obsolescence mitigation for future node architecture rollouts.
• Lead first article inspections and shop-floor triage, serving as the primary technical authority for debugging electrical interconnect anomalies during system integration.
• Travel to vendors and test sites as needed.
• Work longer hours and weekends intermittently to support critical needs.

Benefits

• Equity in the company.
• Flexible paid time off.
• Health insurance, with the company paying 100% of the gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Dental insurance, with the company paying 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Vision insurance, with the company paying 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Disability insurance, with the company paying 100% for a policy providing long-term financial support in the event of disability.
• Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including a 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA.
• Relocation assistance to facilitate a move to Portland, if needed.
• Flexible working hours.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed