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Senior Wire Harness Engineer

Austin, TX

Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better.  We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products. 

You will join a team developing state-of-the-art general-purpose robots designed to operate in human spaces and with human tools. It is designed to work alongside humans, mobilize to human spaces, and manipulate the world around it.

The Role

We're looking for a skilled and dedicated Robotics Harness Engineer to join our team at Apptronik. You will be a core contributor to our humanoid robot platform, responsible for designing and developing the critical wiring and harnessing that serves as the robot’s nervous system. This is a hands-on role where your expertise will be essential in creating robust, reliable, and manufacturable power and data distribution systems for a dynamic, complex electromechanical machine.

Responsibilities

  • Design, route, and document complex wire harness assemblies, including detailed 2D and 3D wire harness drawings and schematics using E-CAD software.
  • Select and specify connectors, terminals, and wire types based on electrical, mechanical, and environmental requirements, ensuring high reliability and manufacturability.
  • Develop and own the full Bill of Materials (BoM) and all associated documentation for each harness, managing revisions and engineering change orders.
  • Collaborate closely with mechanical engineers to optimize harness routing and placement within the robot's tight spaces, considering flexibility, serviceability, and durability.
  • Work with electrical engineers to ensure the harness design meets all power and signal integrity requirements, including EMI/RFI shielding and grounding strategies.
  • Conduct hands-on prototyping and validation, building initial harness samples and performing tests such as continuity checks, Hi-Pot, and pull-force tests to verify design integrity.
  • Support manufacturing and production teams during the build process, troubleshooting any issues and implementing continuous improvements to enhance assembly speed and quality.
  • Define and document system requirements, block diagrams, mechanical outlines, construction details, and electrical layouts.
  • Conduct design reviews, DFMEAs, and risk analysis to identify and mitigate potential issues in system performance and reliability.
  • Harness functional testing and creation of test protocols and procedures.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field with at least 4 years of experience in the design and development of wire harnesses and cable assemblies, preferably for robotics, or similar applications.
  • Proven proficiency with E-CAD software (e.g., Zuken E3.series, SolidWorks Electrical, Altium, Rapid Harness, Zuken E3, Capital Harness Designer or similar).
  • Experience with high flex cabling and routing best practices around moving joints
  • Strong understanding of wire sizing, voltage drop, signal integrity, and high-speed data transmission principles.
  • Knowledge of communication interface and protocols (both low and high speeds, CAN, GMSL, Ethercat…)
  • Experience with connector selection, backshells, overmolding, cable assembly and management.
  • Familiarity with EMI shielding, signal integrity, and thermal management principles in harness design.
  • Direct experience with common industry standards and best practices for harness manufacturing and quality control.
  • A hands-on, problem-solving mindset and the ability to work independently to debug and resolve hardware issues.
  • Excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach to working with cross-functional teams.

 

 

*This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations. 

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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