Reliability, Validation, and Testing Engineer

San Carlos, CA

We are seeking a hands‑on Reliability Validation & Testing Engineer to lead product reliability validation throughout the NPI lifecycle. This role is primarily focused on designing, executing, and analyzing reliability validation testing across electrical, mechanical, thermal, and environmental domains.

The engineer will own the full validation strategy — from test planning through execution, data analysis, failure investigation, and design feedback — ensuring products meet reliability targets before production ramp and customer release. The ideal candidate combines strong engineering fundamentals, lab testing expertise, and structured problem‑solving capability grounded in reliability engineering principles.

Reliability Strategy & Test Planning

• Develop product reliability validation strategies aligned with reliability targets (MTBF, mission profile, warranty life, field exposure risk).
• Create and own DVP&R (Design Verification Plan & Report) focused on reliability validation and accelerated life testing.
• Translate customer requirements, use cases, and environmental exposure into structured validation plans.
• Define accelerated test profiles (HALT, HASS, vibration, thermal cycling, shock, humidity, power cycling, etc.).

Hands‑On Validation Testing

• Execute electrical, mechanical, environmental, and thermal reliability tests.
• Design and build test fixtures when required.
• Usage of Instrument products with sensors (thermocouples, strain gauges, data loggers, etc.).
• Develop test automation where applicable.
• Monitor, log, and validate test data integrity.

Failure Analysis & Risk Assessment

• Lead failure investigations from lab or field returns.
• Conduct structured root cause analysis (8D, fishbone, fault tree, Weibull analysis).
• Perform field exposure risk assessments and containment planning.
• Drive corrective actions into design and process teams.
• Apply Physics‑of‑Failure principles to understand degradation mechanisms.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Perform statistical analysis of test results (Weibull, life data analysis, confidence intervals).
• Evaluate reliability growth trends.
• Present technical findings clearly to cross‑functional stakeholders and leadership.
• Maintain thorough validation documentation for regulatory and customer audits.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with design engineering to influence product robustness early in development.
• Partner with manufacturing engineering to ensure validation learnings are incorporated into production controls.
• Support qualification builds and pilot runs.
• Contribute to FMEA (DFMEA, PFMEA) updates based on validation findings.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Advanced degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Materials Engineering.
• 3–6 years of experience in reliability validation, test engineering, or product validation roles. Strong lab‑based hands‑on testing experience required. New graduates with extensive thesis/lab research in reliability testing may be considered.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of reliability engineering fundamentals:
  • Acceleration models (Arrhenius, Coffin‑Manson, inverse power law)
  • Reliability growth methods
• Experience creating and executing DVP&R plans.
• Hands‑on experience with:
  • Environmental chambers
  • Vibration and shock testing
  • Thermal cycling
  • Electrical load testing
  • Data acquisition systems
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Statistical analysis capability (Excel, JMP, Minitab, Python preferred).
• Structured problem‑solving skills (8D, DMAIC, fault tree).
• Strong documentation discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with HALT / HASS methodologies.
• Experience performing life data modeling and Weibull analysis.
• Familiarity with APQP and DFMEA integration.
• Experience in high‑volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience in regulated industries (automotive, battery, aerospace, etc.).
• Experience developing automated test setups or scripting test sequences.
• Knowledge of reliability standards (IEC, UL, ISO, MIL‑STD, etc.).

Personal Attributes

• Hands‑on engineer who enjoys working in the lab.
• Comforta…