Harness Manufacturing Engineer at Planet in San Francisco, CA

Job description

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth. Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one. Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles. As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains. We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world. Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands. About the Role: We are standing up an in-house harness production line, and we are looking for a Harness Manufacturing Engineer to own the manufacturing side of it. You will own harnesses across every satellite Planet builds. You will work inside the New Product Introduction (NPI) team, which develops and scales the assembly, integration, and test operations for our next generation of satellites, and you will partner closely with our Electrical Engineering harness design team, production technicians, quality, and supply chain to take harnesses from first article through qualified, repeatable flight production. This role is ideal for someone who wants to build a manufacturing capability from the ground up and enjoys hands-on work with the hardware. This is a full-time, in-office position based in our San Francisco HQ 5 days per week. Impact You'll Own: Own manufacturing engineering and production operations for Planet’s in-house wire harness cell across all satellite programs Develop and document harness assembly procedures, process flows, work instructions, and cleanroom/ESD protocols Scope, design, and deploy tooling, fixtures, workstations, and verification programs (continuity, HiPot, pull-tests) for the harness cell Partner with Electrical Engineering to provide DFM/DFA feedback on new harness designs prior to release Support vehicle subsystem integration, troubleshoot build issues, and drive nonconformances to resolution Manage the make versus buy transition, including qualifying external vendors and phasing production in-house Participate in hiring and training production technicians to transition builds from prototype to flight production Monitor production metrics and recommend facility or capital equipment improvements to scale capacity What You Bring: 4+ years of manufacturing development experience, including direct experience with wire harness or cable assembly manufacturing Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field Hands-on knowledge of harness fabrication, including wire preparation, crimping, solder cup termination, shield termination, backshell installation, and potting Working knowledge of IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 workmanship requirements Experience reading and creating harness drawings, wiring diagrams, and pinout tables Experience with harness design and routing CAD such as RapidHarness or SolidWorks Electrical SolidWorks skills sufficient to develop tooling and fixturing, verify routing and bend radius clearance in vehicle assemblies, and extract useful views for work instructions Hands-on experience with hardware assembly, integration, and test Excellent attention to detail and technical writing skills for documenting assembly and test processes What Makes You Stand Out: Experience standing up a new manufacturing cell or bringing outsour