Internal Harness and Interconnect Engineer at Panthalassa · Portland

About the Company

We are a renewable energy and ocean technology company committed to rapidly developing and deploying technologies that will ensure a sustainable future for Earth by unlocking the vast energy potential of its oceans. Our focus is on capturing civilizational levels of ultra-low-cost renewable energy for applications including computing and affordable renewable fuels delivered to shore.

The company is a public benefit corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and backed by leading venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, university endowments, and private investment offices. We operate as an idea meritocracy in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis.

Our staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, Astra, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries.

About the Job

Our core technology is the node, a device that produces energy in the ocean’s harshest conditions for years at a time without human maintenance or intervention.

This role would exist in the Core Systems Integration & Test team. As the Internal Harness & Interconnect Engineer, you will own the dry-side nervous system of our node technology. You will be responsible for the architecture, physical hardening, and end-to-end delivery of all internal wiring, cabling, and interconnects across the entire system. In this role, you will bridge the gap between our Electrical Engineering and Core Systems & Software teams, manage external manufacturing partners, and serve as the go-to technical authority on the shop floor when diagnosing and resolving integration issues. Your work will directly dictate the reliability and signal integrity of critical computing and power systems operating in continuous, uncrewed maritime environments.

Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis. You will own your designs cradle-to-grave, from first concept through fabrication and deployment at sea. If you are an excellent engineer, regardless of your background, we want you to apply.

We strive to be the best engineering team on the planet and we compensate our team accordingly.

Responsibilities

• Be a leading contributor on the complete interconnection lifecycle for all dry-side node electronics – including connector selection, harness routing, wire termination, backshell integration, potting, strain relief, and mechanical retention.
• Develop and standardize robust harness assembly workflows (crimping, soldering, potting, connectorization, and continuity/hipot testing) to ensure repeatable, high-yield builds from prototype to production.
• Embed Design for Excellence (DFX) into every harness iteration:
• DFM: Simplify connector counts, standardize keying/polarization, and optimize routing to eliminate mis-mates and reduce assembly cycle time.
• DFT: Integrate automated continuity test points and derating strategies to survive continuous thermal-mechanical stress and high-vibration ocean environments.
• Architect clean signal and power pathways, eliminating electromagnetic interference, crosstalk, and ground loops between high speed data channels and power lines.
• Manage the interconnect BOM and vendor pipeline driving procurement, tolerance analysis, second-sourcing, and obsolescence mitigation for future node architecture rollouts.
• Drive quality verification and shop-floor triage, leading first article inspections and serving as the primary technical authority to debug electrical interconnect anomalies during system integration.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated capability in designing, packaging, and documenting complex wiring harnesses and interconnect assemblies for high-reliability systems (e.g., aerospace, marine, automotive, robotics, industrial automation or other harsh environments).
• Deep technical knowledge of connector families (e.g., Phoenix, Amphenol, Deutsch, Molex), specialized wire insulation/jacketing materials, and cable shielding techniques.
• Demonstrated track record diagnosing and resolving noise, grounding, and signal integrity artifacts in mixed data/power cabling architectures.
• Proficiency in wire harness design software (e.g., Zuken E3.series, RapidHarness, or equivalents).
• Hands-on expertise with harness fabrication, crimp validation, rework tools, and diagnostic instrumentation (DMMs, oscilloscopes, TDRs, insulation testers/meggers).

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or equivalent field.
• Familiarity with industry manufacturing standards such as IPC/WHMA-A-620 (Class 3) or high-reliability aerospace/military equivalents.
• Experience designing interconnects for sealed enclosures, pressure vessels, or chassis exposed to rigorous shock, vibration, and thermal cycling environments.
• Experience with high-speed data transmission (Ethernet, RF, high-speed differential pairs), fiber optic terminations, or high-voltage DC distribution.
• Familiarity with automated wire processing equipment and automated harness test systems (e.g., Cirris, CableEye).
• Proven track record establishing vendor second-sourcing and qualification pipelines for custom cable assemblies and specialized interconnect hardware.
• Direct work with hand

The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed.

Additional Requirements

• Travel to vendors and test sites as needed
• Intermittently able to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs. While we expect a lot of each other, we also offer a high degree of autonomy and work-life balance, including flexiblePTO and flexible working hours.

Compensation and Benefits

If hired for this full-time role, you will receive:

• Cash compensation of $125,000 - $175,000.
• Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re successful, this equity should be far and away the most valuable component of your compensation.
• A benefits package that helps you take care of yourself and your family, including:
  • Flexible paid time off
  • Health insurance (the company pays 100% of gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Dental insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Vision insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Disability insurance (the company pays 100% for a policy to provide long-term financial support if you become disabled)
  • Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA
• Relocation assistance to facilitate your move to Portland (if needed).

Location

This is an on-site position. Our offices, lab, and shop are located in Portland, Oregon.