
Engineering Technician, Powertrain Test
Harbinger Motors · Garden Grove, CA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 3+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level manufacturing role at Harbinger Motors (automotive) in Garden Grove, CA. Maintain a clean, organized, and strictly compliant high-voltage safe working environment in the testing lab.
- They ask for
- 3+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Machining, Welding, Tooling
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k.
Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (3+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$157k, from 105 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 53%
- New product launch 51%
- Root cause 40%
- Automation 35%
- ✓ Machining 29%
- CATIA / NX 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Union environment, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Harbinger Motors
We found 2 people at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role, 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Vincent → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
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If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Harbinger Motors in Garden Grove
27 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Harbinger Motors.
- Manufacturing Process Engineer, Battery · Process
- Controls Engineer, Power Electronics · Controls
- Quality Engineer, Quality Management Systems · Quality
- Quality Engineer, Electrical · Quality
- Supplier Quality Engineer, Cabin · Quality
- Supplier Quality Engineer, High Voltage Systems · Quality
Full description from Harbinger MotorsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Key Responsibilities
- ◆Execute mechanical and electrical setup of powertrain components on dynamometers and test rigs for performance and durability testing.
- ◆Assemble and disassemble a variety of Powertrain systems, subsystems, and components for testing including electric motors and drive units.
- ◆Instrument test hardware with various sensors, including thermocouples, pressure transducers, accelerometers, and flow meters.
- ◆Fabricate custom test fixtures, cooling loops, and specialized high-voltage and low-voltage wiring harnesses.
- ◆Troubleshoot and resolve complex mechanical and electrical issues in real-time to maintain testing uptime.
- ◆Maintain a clean, organized, and strictly compliant high-voltage safe working environment in the testing lab.
- ◆Collaborate closely with test and design engineers to document test anomalies, teardown findings, and hardware iterations.
Required Skills & Experience
- ✓3+ years of hands-on experience in automotive, aerospace, or heavy-duty powertrain testing and assembly.
- ✓Proficiency in using standard shop tools, torque wrenches, multi-meters, oscilloscopes, and basic fabrication equipment.
- ✓Strong understanding of mechanical systems and high-voltage electrical safety protocols (up to 800V+).
- ✓Excellent troubleshooting, communication, and organizational skills, with a high attention to detail in technical documentation.
- ✓High School Diploma or equivalent practical experience; technical school certificate or Associate's degree in a related technical field is highly valued.
Preferred Qualifications
- ✓Experience working with dynamometer test cells and data acquisition systems, including test rig operation and troubleshooting.
- ✓Proven ability of building custom wiring harnesses, instrumenting stators with thermocouples, and fabricating custom mounting hardware.
- ✓Familiarity with Jira software for project management and issue tracking.
- ✓Advanced degree or certification , such as ASE certifications, High-Voltage Safety Training, or Machining/Welding certifications.
Pay Rate: $35-45/hr
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 info@harbingermotors.com.
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 post
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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.
Role Overview
As a Powertrain Technician at Harbinger, you will play a critical role in the physical testing and validation of our cutting-edge electric powertrains. Joining the Powertrain Test team, you will be primarily responsible for the setup, instrumentation, operation, and teardown of test articles, including electric motors, inverters, and electric drive units. Your hands-on expertise will directly impact the reliability and performance of our medium-duty commercial EVs, helping to bridge the gap between engineering design and real-world execution.
