Senior Spacecraft Harness Design Lead Engineer - TeraWave

BLUE ORIGIN • Los Angeles, WA

1d

About The Position

This role is part of TeraWave, a satellite communications network designed to deliver symmetrical data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth. TeraWave consists of 5,408 optically interconnected satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO), providing enterprise-grade connectivity for tens of thousands of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations. As the Harness Design Lead, you will be the technical authority for all spacecraft harnessing decisions and will lead a team of 5–7 harness design engineers through the full design-to-production lifecycle. You will define the harness architecture, establish design standards, and drive the team to deliver drawings on schedule to support first launch in late 2027.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field
• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft, satellite, or automotive harness design, cable routing, or electrical integration
• 3+ years of experience leading or managing a harness design team
• Demonstrated experience defining harness architecture for complex spacecraft or satellite programs
• Extensive experience producing and reviewing harness assembly drawings, BIDs, WIDs, and connector pin assignments
• Proficiency with electrical harness CAD tools (Creo Cabling / Routed Systems, Zuken, Capital Harness, or equivalent)
• Deep knowledge of harness fabrication standards
• Strong understanding of EMI/EMC principles as applied to harness segregation, shielding, and grounding
• Expert knowledge of connector systems used in space applications (Micro-D, Nano-D, D-sub, circular MIL-DTL-38999, MIL-DTL-83513, etc.)
• Proven ability to coordinate across multiple engineering disciplines and manage competing priorities
• Experience with harness design-for-manufacturability in production environments

Nice To Haves

• Experience standing up a harness design team from scratch — defining processes, tools, and standards
• Direct experience designing harnesses for satellite constellations or high-rate production environments
• Experience with Creo Cabling / Routed Systems and Windchill PLM for harness configuration management
• Experience with high-voltage (>50V) spacecraft power harness design including Paschen discharge and corona considerations
• Background in harness-level signal integrity analysis for high-speed data interfaces (Ethernet, SpaceWire, LVDS)
• Experience with harness weight optimization techniques for mass-constrained spacecraft
• Experience supporting harness fabrication shops — reviewing first articles, dispositioning nonconformances, and developing rework procedures
• Familiarity with automotive/EV harness design practices and high-rate production techniques

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of 6-8 harness design engineers
• Facilitate daily standups and weekly design reviews
• Assign and prioritize work packages across the team
• Track schedule milestones and report progress
• Conduct technical interviews for harness design candidates
• Establish team processes and design review gate
• Define the harness architecture for the TeraWave satellite constellation
• Establish harness design standards and naming conventions
• Own the harness-level Interface Control Documents (ICDs) with all subsystem teams
• Drive harness design-for-manufacturability decisions at the architecture level
• Lead harness mass budget allocation and tracking
• Serve as the primary technical interface between the harness team and all subsystem leads (EPS, C&DH, GNC, propulsion, solar array, RF payload, optical payload, thermal)
• Coordinate with Systems Engineering on harness-related requirements and verification
• Represent the harness team in program-level design reviews
• Develop and maintain harness Bundle Interconnect Diagrams (BIDs) and Wire Interconnect Diagrams (WIDs) for all spacecraft subsystems
• Create detailed harness assembly drawings, installation drawings, and connector pin assignment documentation
• Perform harness analysis including voltage drop calculations, current derating analysis, and mass estimation
• Conduct 3D harness routing and clearance verification using spacecraft CAD models
• Define harness segregation requirements for power, signal, and RF interfaces to ensure EMI/EMC compliance
• Specify connector types, wire gauges, shielding requirements, and termination methods for all harness branches
• Support harness design reviews and coordinate resolution of design issues with cross-functional teams
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering to ensure harness designs are optimized for production
• Support harness fabrication shops during build activities including first article reviews and nonconformance disposition
• Participate in spacecraft integration and test activities to verify harness installation and functionality
• Develop harness installation procedures and work instructions for integration teams
• Support troubleshooting of harness-related issues during spacecraft assembly and test

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Short and long-term disability
• 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%
• Education Support Program
• Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours
• Up to 14 company-paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior