Harbinger Jobs

Staff Powertrain Engineer (Advanced Engineering)

Harbinger

Staff Powertrain Engineer (Advanced Engineering)

Posted Yesterday

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Garden Grove, CA, USA

Hybrid

170K-200K Annually

Senior level

Automotive • Energy

The Role

Lead advanced powertrain engineering from concept through production and full product life. Design and develop electric drive units, generator sets, and internal combustion engines; establish engineering standards; perform FEA, design analysis, and validation; develop prototypes with technicians and suppliers; solve complex technical challenges; and guide multidisciplinary teams while mentoring junior engineers.

Summary Generated by Built In

About Harbinger

Harbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger’s best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.

Job Overview

Based out of our Garden Grove headquarters, the Staff Powertrain Engineer serves as a domain leader and technical authority responsible for driving powertrain development from advanced concepts through production launch and full product life. They will have deep knowledge in Electric Drive Units (EDUs) and Internal Combustion (IC) engines. This role requires complete mastery of powertrain engineering disciplines (design, analysis, and validation) alongside broad working knowledge of low-voltage/high-voltage electrical systems, controls, thermal management, packaging, and manufacturing processes. As a technical lead, you will break down broad, ambiguous powertrain challenges into implementable strategies, define functional standards and project timelines, and guide cross-functional teams to deliver high-performing powertrain solutions.

What You’ll Do:

Lead the design and development of key Powertrain systems such as Electric Drive Units (EDUs) or Generator Sets (Gen-sets), and Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)
Break down complex technical challenges into smaller components and support junior engineers in delivering solutions.
Set standards and create best practices for others to follow in technical tasks (FEA, design guidelines, hand calculations etc)
Support developing clean-sheet projects, creating novel solutions from first principals, academic research, and industry benchmarking
Work closely with technicians and suppliers to create prototypes for validations
Take in, process, and communicate complex technical information to a wide audience.

Who You Are:

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (or similar) with a minimum of 10 years of relevant industry experience with emphasis on mechanical design.
Curiosity for engineering and eagerness to make a positive impact.
Strong project discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Foundational knowledge of HV motor/generator design and manufacturing processes.
A design engineer who has owned multiple powertrain systems from concept through full life in an automotive environment.
Demonstrated experience working with Electric Drive Units (EDUs), Internal Combustion (IC) engines, or Power Generation units (Gen-sets).
Deep understanding of powertrain manufacturing processes.
Proficiency in 3D CAD systems (CATIA 3DX preferred), FEA (stress analysis, thermal simulations, etc.) and the design of rotating components.
A clear communicator, who has a proven record of delivering complex projects with multi-disciplinary teams under tight deadline pressure.

Key Benefits & Perks:

Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision (HDV) – 100% employee covered
Early-stage Stock Options
Robust Retirement Savings (401k, HSA, FSA)
Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) & Parental Leave
Annual Vacation Bonus
Wellness & Fertility Benefits
Cell Phone Stipend
Complimentary Meals & Stocked Kitchens

California Pay Range

$170,000—$200,000 USD

Equal Opportunity

Harbinger is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Harbinger is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [email protected].

Candidate Data Privacy

Harbinger may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Harbinger may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Harbinger may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our HR, legal, and finance teams, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Harbinger affiliates; and (iii) Harbinger’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Harbinger may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. Any unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted in response to our job posting shall be considered the property of Harbinger and are not subject to payment of referral or placement fees if any such candidate is later hired by Harbinger unless you have a signed written agreement in place with us which covers the applicable job posting.

Skills Required

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering or a similar field
Minimum 6 years of relevant industry experience with emphasis on mechanical design
Experience owning multiple powertrain systems from concept through full life in an automotive environment
Experience working with Electric Drive Units and Internal Combustion engines
Deep understanding of powertrain manufacturing processes
Proficiency in 3D CAD systems; CATIA preferred
Experience with FEA, including stress analysis and thermal simulations
Experience designing rotating components
Proven ability to communicate clearly and deliver complex projects with multidisciplinary teams under tight deadlines

Harbinger Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Harbinger and has not been reviewed or approved by Harbinger.

Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for its market and stage, and feedback suggests ranges are posted and compensation is communicated clearly in listings.
Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is highlighted as 100% employer‑paid for employees across postings, indicating strong medical, dental, and vision support.
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is described as generous, with parental leave and an annual vacation bonus appearing alongside core PTO.

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The Company

HQ: Garden Grove, CA

407 Employees

Year Founded: 2021

What We Do

Harbinger is a commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger's best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs. Leveraging a foundation of proprietary, in-house developed vehicle technologies designed specifically for commercial vehicles, Harbinger is bringing a first-of-its-kind EV platform to market, priced for zero acquisition premium. Harbinger: familiar form, revolutionary foundation.