Electrical Engineer - Cable Harness Design
Actalent View all jobs
- Ottawa, ON
- $40.00-50.00 per hour
- Contract
- Full-time
Job DescriptionThis role offers the opportunity to contribute to a major defence-related naval program by designing cable and harness solutions for high‑reliability tactical electronic systems. As a Junior or Intermediate Electrical Engineer, you will focus on developing detailed cable and harness designs, drawings, and documentation that support advanced communication and situational awareness systems for naval operators. You will collaborate closely with engineering, production, and supply chain teams to ensure robust, manufacturable, and compliant designs that perform reliably in demanding marine environments.Responsibilities
- Prepare and review project deliverables such as engineering plans, technical reports, and drawings within your area of electrical design expertise.
- Develop detailed cable and harness design solutions that meet specific system and customer requirements.
- Create power distribution and system functional/block diagrams, as well as wiring diagrams, to define interconnections between system components.
- Produce complex working cable drawings and interpret hardware design documents to ensure accurate implementation of design intent.
- Analyze and interpret schematic diagrams and mechanical drawings annotated with tolerances, symbols, and industry standards to design and arrange cables, harnesses, and systems.
- Apply knowledge of Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) issues to support cable design, bonding, and grounding strategies.
- Build and maintain parts Bills of Materials (BOMs) for cable and harness assemblies and address component obsolescence as required.
- Support the Production team during New Product Integration (NPI) stages by clarifying design intent, resolving issues, and implementing design improvements.
- Conduct ongoing research into new materials and suppliers to strengthen the supply chain and improve product performance or manufacturability.
- Assist with configuration management processes for engineering changes, ensuring accurate documentation and traceability.
- Develop electrical drawings and diagrams, including block diagrams, interconnect diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, and cabling diagrams.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure designs meet environmental, reliability, and compliance requirements for naval applications.
- Contribute to a long-term, complex program focused on designing and developing high-reliability communication devices capable of maintaining continuous connectivity under extreme conditions.
- 2–5 years of experience in electrical engineering focused on electrical design; hardware engineering experience outside this focus is not relevant for this position.
- Hands-on experience developing electrical drawings and diagrams, including block diagrams, interconnect diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, and cabling diagrams.
- Practical experience with cable assembly, harness assembly, harness design, and cable design for complex systems.
- Ability to create and interpret interconnect diagrams, block diagrams, schematics, wiring diagrams, and cabling diagrams to a high level of detail.
- Strong skills in analyzing and interpreting schematic and mechanical drawings, including tolerances and industry-standard symbols.
- Experience with harness assembly or manufacturing drawings.
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or an electrical technologist diploma from an accredited college, or equivalent education and experience.
- Experience using Zuken Electrical Design Software for electrical and harness design.
- Understanding of EMP/EMI considerations and their impact on cable design, bonding, and grounding.
- Knowledge of MIL-STD and MIL-Spec standards such as MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461/464, and MIL-STD-901/167.
- Familiarity with design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) principles, as well as design-to-cost considerations.
- Self-starter with strong initiative and the ability to work independently while communicating clearly with stakeholders.
- Eligibility for Controlled Goods and Secret security clearance (with the ability to start with Reliability clearance).
- Ability to work on-site in Ottawa as required by a hybrid work arrangement.
- Experience designing systems that must perform reliably under environmental stresses such as mechanical shock, vibration, humidity, dust, and thermal extremes.
- Knowledge of EMI/EMC compliance requirements and their application to cable and harness design.
- Familiarity with ECAD tools and workflows for cable and harness design.
- Understanding of design-to-cost principles to balance performance, reliability, and affordability.
- Knowledge of design for manufacturability and assembly principles to ensure efficient production and integration.
- Exposure to defence, naval, or other high-reliability, mission-critical systems is an asset.
- Experience applying DFM and DTC methodologies in a production or NPI environment.
- Familiarity with relevant military specifications and standards for materials, components, and testing.
- Strong communication skills to convey technical information clearly to engineering, production, and supply chain teams.
- Results-oriented mindset with a focus on delivering high-quality, accurate design documentation on schedule.
- Hiring diverse talent
- Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
- Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
- Ensuring growth opportunities for our people