Senior Harness Engineer Verified today

About Inversion Space

Inversion builds advanced reentry systems to deliver next-generation capabilities from space. The mission is to make Earth radically more accessible by turning Low-Earth Orbit into an on-demand logistics domain. Spacecraft are designed to deliver payloads anywhere on Earth in under an hour, operating through extreme reentry conditions and landing with high precision.

What You'll Do

As a Senior Harness Engineer, you will report directly to the Director of Engineering, Avionics. You will own the end-to-end design, 3D routing, documentation, and physical integration of all electrical wire harnesses for Inversion's hypersonic reentry vehicle. You will bridge the gap between electrical schematics and physical vehicle structures, solving complex packaging, thermal protection, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) challenges. Operating with high autonomy, you will establish harness manufacturing standards, mentor junior engineers, and work directly with integration technicians to build and route flight-ready hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the 3D harness routing and mechanical packaging of the entire vehicle electrical distribution system using CAD
• Generate 2D harness manufacturing drawings, schematics, flat patterns, nailboard layouts, and bill of materials (BOM)
• Select wire types, shielding, connectors, backshells, and over-braid materials to survive extreme aerospace environments (high vibration, vacuum, thermal, and plasma)
• Conduct trade studies on shielding, grounding, and wire sizing to ensure proper power delivery, signal integrity, and EMI/EMC compliance
• Author detailed harness fabrication procedures, routing checklists, and electrical inspection plans (continuity, isolation, and dielectric testing)
• Provide hands-on floor support during harness manufacturing, vehicle-level routing, and pin-out operations
• Mentor junior engineers and support technician training on aerospace-grade wire-crimping, shielding termination, and soldering techniques

Required Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent technical experience
• Typically 5+ years of hands-on experience in 3D CAD electrical harness routing and design for complex aerospace vehicles
• Proficiency in CAD software (Siemens NX or equivalent) with specialized routing modules
• Deep understanding of wire harness design principles, including component selection, wire sizing, shielding, grounding, and routing clearances
• Direct experience generating production-ready 2D harness drawings with detailed standard dimensions and notes
• Hands-on harness build experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with aerospace harnessing and soldering standards
• Experience designing harnesses for extreme thermal gradients, vacuum outgassing, and high-vibration rocket or reentry environments
• Familiarity with harness electrical analysis tools, schematic capture tools, and database management systems
• Prior experience in a fast-paced aerospace startup or small hardware integration team

Compensation and Work Location

California annual base salary: $137,000 to $193,000. Pay determined on a case-by-case basis according to role, level, location, and market data. This position requires in-office presence in Playa Vista, CA.