Astra’s mission is to improve life on Earth from space by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services, and one of the industry’s leading flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, the Astra Spacecraft Engine.

The Opportunity 

We are looking for a talented and curious engineer to join our Avionics team to help design the harnesses for our launch vehicle. You will own the harness architecture and design, first article assembly, production, and testing of test and flight harnesses for the rocket system. The job will involve working with multi-disciplinary teams and leaders for end-to-end development of state-of-the-art harness designs, including mechanical design, schematic design, analysis, qualification testing, and system integration. 
A successful person for this job will be dynamic, self-starting, thrives in an entrepreneurial environment, and has the potential to become a significant contributor to the overall direction and success of our business. 

How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

• Act as the Harness Responsible Engineer on the launch vehicle program 

• Work cross functionally with Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical engineers to define harness requirements, material and connector selection 

• Design routing, mechanical layout, Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) details, etc. 

• Draft and review manufacturing and assembly drawings 

• Create and maintain product and system level wiring diagrams and schematics 

• Perform testing such as pin-to-pin isolation, grounding, and continuity checks 

• Troubleshoot development and production issues as they arise 

• Work in a hands-on design, production, and testing environment 

Why We Value You

• You have a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related technical field 

• You have 5+ years professional experience with harness design 

• You have 3+ years of experience with mechanical design / CAD software and PLM software 

• You have the ability to interpret and create complex electrical wiring diagrams 

• You have an in-depth understanding of wire harness design and manufacturing processes 

• You have experience with component material selection for aerospace applications 

• You have hands on experience testing and troubleshooting complex wiring issues by getting to root cause and providing corrective action 

• You can document & update testing procedures, test & analysis results, FMEAs, requirement documents, work instructions, etc. 

• You have experience with any of the following specifications: IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA-STD-8739.4 and 8739.6, NASA-STD-6016, SAE AS22759, or J-STD-001 

• You design hardware with weight, cost, and manufacturability in mind 

• You have the initiative to execute on open-ended problems and deliver quality results 

• You clearly communicate technical reasoning and manage hardware interfaces collaboratively between teams 

• You apply critical thinking to root cause investigations and corrective actions 

• You are self-motivated and have excellent written and verbal communication skills 

Desired Multipliers 

• Familiarity with aerospace applications 

• Experience with redundancy strategies for flight critical systems 

• Experience with designing for high-vibration and vacuum environments 

• Experience using Siemens NX and Teamcenter 

• Experience using RapidHarness 

The pay range for this role is: $131,750-162,350 

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base salary range in the San Francisco Bay Area and excludes additional earnings such as bonus and benefits. If your salary requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply.

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Astra, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

San Francisco Applicants: Astra will consider applicants with arrest and conviction records (criminal histories) in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

ITAR Requirements: This position requires compliance with U.S. Government space technology  trade restrictions, specifically the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and additional regulations governing satellite, launch vehicle, missile, and other related technologies. All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant’s status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. and California laws. Similarly, positions requiring the ability to work on government contracts or a security clearance are also contingent upon the applicants ability to receive the appropriate clearance and be allowed to work on U.S. government contracts.