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Senior Harness Engineer

Join Atoms as a Senior Harness Engineer to design and manage wire harnesses for on-road autonomous vehicles.

Location
San Francisco, CA, United States
Compensation
$139k–$172k/yr
Level
senior
Type
full time · On-site

Posted by employer 1 day ago

First seen on Joblaze 1 hour ago

Last verified on the company career page 1 hour ago

Apply at Atoms → Save job Scanned from atoms.co

What you'll build

  • Design wire harnesses for on-road vehicles
  • Produce and release complete harness documentation
  • Build and test prototype harnesses
  • Manage harness variants and configuration
  • Support vehicle builds and bring-up

Must have

  • 5+ years designing and releasing wire harnesses
  • Experience producing complete harness documentation
  • Hands-on harness fabrication skills
  • Working knowledge of IPC/WHMA-A-620
  • Experience with PLM or PDM systems

Nice to have

  • Experience with contract harness manufacturers
  • Knowledge of vehicle network fundamentals
  • Experience with structured problem solving methods

Practical constraints

  • Work onsite five days a week
  • Valid driver's license with a clean driving record
  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs

Requirements

Experience
5+ years
Education
Bachelor's degree

Not disclosed in this posting: visa sponsorship.

Benefits

401k Match Unlimited PTO Equity/Stock Options Health Insurance Parental Leave

Joblaze summary

The Senior Harness Engineer at Atoms is responsible for the complete lifecycle of wire harnesses for on-road autonomous vehicles, from initial design to final installation and testing. This role requires expertise in electrical architecture, harness documentation, and hands-on fabrication skills, with a strong emphasis on quality control and compliance with industry standards. Ideal candidates will have over five years of experience in vehicle or aerospace harness design and a solid understanding of vehicle network fundamentals. The position involves close collaboration with manufacturing partners and a hands-on approach in a dynamic build environment.

Joblaze insights

  • Listed today — first seen on Joblaze October 17, 2026. Last confirmed on Atoms's careers page October 17, 2026.
  • Salary band is in line with the typical range for comparable tech roles (median ~$129,600).
  • Starts above 25% of 40 comparable senior other roles in United States that list Mechanical Engineering we track (median $150,000 across 17 companies).
  • Mechanical Engineering appears in 3.4% of 2561 comparable senior other roles in United States; Mechatronics appears in 0.2% of 2561 comparable senior other roles in United States.

Quick facts

Is the Senior Harness Engineer role remote?
No — this is an on-site role in San Francisco, CA, United States.
What's the salary range?
Atoms lists $139,000–$172,000 for this role.
How much experience is required?
At least 5 years of relevant experience for this Senior Harness Engineer role.
Where is the role based?
Atoms is hiring for this position in San Francisco, CA, United States.
What's the tech stack?
Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, wire harness design.
What seniority level is this role?
Atoms targets senior candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?
Full-time for this Senior Harness Engineer role at Atoms.

From the original posting

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Harness Engineer to own the wire harnesses on our on-road autonomous vehicles, from design through fabrication and quality. In this role, you will take a harness from electrical architecture and schematic, to a released drawing package, to a built, tested, and installed assembly, working out how wire, connectors, routing, and protection come together on the vehicle. You will do this across our vehicle platforms and hardware revisions, and you will own the fabrication and inspection process every harness passes before it goes on a vehicle. This is a hands-on role based in the garage, on the build floor, and at our harness manufacturing partners.

What you’ll do

  • Design the wire harnesses that connect sensors, compute, power distribution, and vehicle interfaces on our on-road vehicles: circuit allocation, wire and terminal selection, connectors and seals, splices, circuit protection, grounding, and shielding.
  • Produce and release the complete harness package: schematics, harness and formboard drawings, pinouts, wire lists, BOMs, and manufacturing drawings, with 3D routing and length verification against the vehicle model.
  • Define routing, retention, protection, and service loops on the vehicle, and verify fit, bend radius, clearance, and strain relief on the first installation of each new design.
  • Build and test prototype harnesses in house, and run first article builds and production releases with harness manufacturing partners, including DFM and DFA review, tooling and formboard requirements, and lead time planning.
  • Write the work instructions, inspection criteria, and end-of-line test procedures for harness fabrication, and keep them current through engineering change.
  • Hold harness workmanship to IPC/WHMA-A-620: crimp validation by pull test and crimp height, incoming inspection of purchased harnesses, and continuity and hipot testing before a harness is released to the build floor.
  • Manage harness variants and configuration across vehicle platforms and hardware revisions, and run engineering changes through PLM with effectivity and cut-in defined for vehicles in build and in the fleet.
  • Own harness issues from the build floor and the fleet: reproduce the failure, establish root cause with technicians and integration engineers, and drive corrective action with design or the manufacturing partner through verification on the builds that follow.
  • Qualify harness components and assemblies for the vehicle environment, including connector sealing, temperature, vibration, and chemical exposure, and turn the results into design rules and an approved component list.
  • Support vehicle builds and bring-up in the garage, including harness installation, debug of power and network faults, and rework and repair decisions.
  • Standardize connectors, terminals, and harness components with electrical, mechanical, and supply chain, covering cost, availability, and serviceability. Internal customers are vehicle integration, manufacturing, and fleet operations.

What we’re looking for

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Aerospace Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent hands-on experience will be considered in place of the degree.
  • 5+ years designing and releasing wire harnesses for vehicles, aircraft, or robotic systems, in automotive, autonomous vehicle, aerospace, or commercial vehicle programs, including harnesses you took from concept through production release.
  • Experience producing complete, buildable harness documentation: schematics, harness and formboard drawings, pinouts, wire lists, and BOMs, in an electrical design tool such as Capital or Zuken E3.series, with 3D routing in CATIA, NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent.
  • Working knowledge of wire, terminal, connector, seal, and circuit protection selection, grounding and shielding practice, and the sealed automotive connector systems in common use.
  • Hands-on harness fabrication: cutting, stripping, crimping, soldering, splicing, shielding, loom and overbraid, labeling, and continuity testing, with the ability to build and rework a harness yourself.
  • Working knowledge of IPC/WHMA-A-620 and crimp validation methods, including pull testing, crimp height measurement, and cross-sectioning.
  • Experience working with a contract harness manufacturer on DFM, first articles, quality issues, and engineering changes.
  • Vehicle network and interface fundamentals as they apply to harness design: CAN and CAN FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, and high-speed sensor links such as GMSL or FPD-Link, including twisted pair, shield, and termination requirements.
  • Experience with a PLM or PDM system and an engineering change process, including effectivity and cut-in on hardware already in the field.
  • Working knowledge of structured problem solving on build and field failures: 8D, 5 Whys, fishbone, and FMEA.
  • Clear written communication for drawings, work instructions, failure reports, and supplier correspondence.
  • Ability to work onsite five days a week in San Francisco, with regular time in the garage and on the build floor, and travel to harness manufacturing partners and test sites. Valid driver's license with a clean driving record. The role requires lifting up to 50 lbs and working at roof level and under vehicles, with or without reasonable accommodation.

What else you need to know

This role is based in our San Francisco office. Atoms is a company driven by invention and continuous change - we are constantly reimagining our industries, building new products, and refining how we operate. We do our best work together. That’s why all of our office-based teams work onsite, five days a week.

The base salary range for this role is $139,000 - $172,000 per year.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards.

Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees):

  • Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
  • Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account Options
  • 401(k)
  • Equity
  • Sick Time, Unlimited Flexible Time Off, and Paid Holidays
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit Plan
  • Team lunch in our SoMa office every Tuesday and Thursday

#LI-Onsite

Standard company text repeated across Atoms's postings is omitted here.

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