Mechanical Harness Design Engineer

ARi, headquartered in East Peoria, IL, USA, is a rapidly expanding global engineering enterprise. The essence of our "i" symbolizes our distinctiveness from competitors – an embodiment of innovation, intelligence, ingenuity, and insight. Boasting a diverse team of over 1,500 engineering experts hailing from various nations and cultures across the globe, we are excellently poised to provide intricate and personalized resolutions to our esteemed clients.

Summary
The Mechanical Harness Design Engineer will support the mechanical design, routing, packaging, mounting, and integration of wiring harnesses and cable assemblies for client heavy-equipment platforms. This role focuses on ensuring robust mechanical packaging of the harness system (routing, brackets, clips, protection) in collaboration with electrical systems, manufacturing, and supplier teams to launch high-quality, manufacturable harness solutions.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Develop 3D CAD routing layouts of wiring harnesses and cable assemblies in the vehicle or equipment platform (frame, cab, powertrain, body) including mounting, clips, routing retention, grommets, and protective conduit/looming.
• Design mechanical interfaces: brackets, clamps, clips, grommets, protective covers, sleeves, backshells for harness routing and securement under vibration, thermal, abrasion, and environment loads.
• Verify clearances, interference checks, harness bend-radii, strain-relief, serviceability, and packaging integration with other subsystems (hydraulics, engine, chassis, cab).
• Collaborate closely with electrical systems engineers (harness/connector/splice selection), mechanical packaging teams, manufacturing, and suppliers to ensure harness-to-mechanical integration is manufacturable and serviceable.
• Ensure harness routing design supports DFM/DFA (Design for Manufacturability / Assembly) and meets cost, weight, service-accessibility, modularity and reliability targets.
• Produce mechanical documentation: 3D models, 2D installation drawings, BOMs (bill of materials) for mechanical harness mounting hardware, installation guides, connector/mounting tables.
• Support prototype harness builds and integration build-trials: validate routing, fit, installation process, accessibility, and field serviceability; identify and resolve packaging issues, coordinate changes.
• Manage design changes and engineering change notices (ECO/ECNs) within PLM system (e.g., Teamcenter, Windchill) and ensure version control of routing and mounting designs.
• Participate in design reviews, failure mode & effects analysis (FMEA), and validation testing (vibration, thermal, fluid exposure, durability) related to harness mechanical packaging.
• Interface with external suppliers of harness mounting hardware and clip/bracket assemblies, support supplier feasibility, DFM reviews, cost/weight reduction, standardization efforts.
• Stay informed of industry and internal standards for harness mechanical packaging (bend-radius, abrasion/heat protection, retention/fixation, service loops) and apply to design.
• Travel as needed (supplier sites, integration labs, manufacturing facilities) for build support, installation audits or supplier design coordination (approx. ~10%).

Required Skills / Experience (~5-6 years)

• Bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical engineering, Mechatronics, or electrical.
• Approximately 5–6 years of experience in harness/cabling mechanical routing and packaging design—ideally in automotive, heavy equipment/off-highway, or industrial machinery.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD tools (e.g., PTC Creo, CATIA V5/V6, Siemens NX) for harness routing and mounting part design.
• Solid understanding of mechanical design fundamentals: tolerance stack-ups, GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing), clearance/interference analysis, bend-radius, strain-relief, vibration/thermal packaging constraints.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with electrical systems engineers, mechanical packaging, manufacturing and suppliers.
• Strong analytical problem-solving skills: identifying packaging or routing issues and delivering practical solutions under cost, weight, schedule, and serviceability constraints.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and ability to coordinate internal teams and external suppliers.
• Proven ability to deliver on program milestones, handle change-orders, ensure mechanical packaging designs are launched and maintained with minimal field issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in heavy equipment or off-highway machinery harness routing and packaging (such as for OEMs like Client) rather than purely automotive.
• Familiarity with electrical systems, harness architecture, connector/splice concept from a mechanical packaging perspective.
• Knowledge of DFMEA/PFMEA, APQP/PPAP and other product development/quality processes.
• Experience with PLM systems (e.g., Teamcenter, Windchill, ENOVIA) and harness-specific tools (e.g., Zuken , Mentor Capital) for mechanical routing.
• Demonstrated success in cost/weight reduction initiatives, standardization of mounting hardware or harness modules, supplier design governance.
• Exposure to high-voltage harness packaging (hybrid or electrified equipment) is a plus.
• Experience with build-trial support, field service feedback integration for harness mechanical refinements.

The Benefits Of Working At ARi
At ARi, our commitment to our employees goes beyond the workplace, ensuring comprehensive benefits. From day one, full-time employees enjoy group health, dental, and life insurance coverage. Additionally, vision coverage is accessible starting the following month.

Recognizing the significance of rejuvenation, we provide paid time off, sick days, company holidays, and maternity/paternity leave to our full-time staff. In times of loss, we also offer bereavement support. Furthermore, a 401(k) program is maintained for eligible employees.