Senior Hardware Reliability Test Engineer (Electrical Systems & Power Electronics)

Quick Facts

• Role: Senior Hardware Reliability Test Engineer focused on Electrical Systems & Power Electronics
• Location: Sunnyvale, CA

Description

Develop test capabilities and experimental evidence to assess the reliability of electrical hardware, including PCB assemblies and power supplies. You will design and build custom test jigs and fixtures, integrate instruments and electronic loads, automate test sequences with monitoring and fault capture, and execute accelerated stress testing under realistic operating conditions. You will also perform electrical failure analysis to reproduce failures, isolate suspect circuits/components, and validate corrective actions.

Responsibilities

• Design, assemble, and troubleshoot custom electrical test jigs, fixtures, interface boards, load circuits, and wiring harnesses
• Establish representative workloads, power sequencing, electrical interfaces, operating limits, and monitoring requirements with the Systems team
• Translate product reliability risks into test plans with stress conditions, sample sizes, durations, measurements, and acceptance criteria
• Build automated test setups integrating programmable power supplies, electronic loads, switching hardware, sensors, and data acquisition
• Develop automation software (Python or equivalent) for instrument control, sequencing, continuous monitoring, fault capture, and analysis
• Execute accelerated life testing, burn-in, powered temperature cycling, power/load cycling, and biased temperature/humidity testing
• Create electrical baselines and monitor changes pre/during/post stress (efficiency, regulation, ripple and noise, transient response, startup/shutdown behavior, protection functions, thermal derating)
• Investigate electrical failures using schematics, PCB layouts, component datasheets, and bench measurements to isolate shorts, opens, leakage, intermittents, and performance degradation
• Reproduce system-level anomalies in controlled experiments and correlate electrical results with failure-analysis findings
• Use DOE, statistical reliability analysis, and physics-of-failure methods to assess degradation, compare design alternatives, and evaluate component or process changes
• Partner with Design, Failure Analysis, Mechanical/Thermal Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and suppliers to validate corrective actions and communicate reliability risks
• Maintain calibrated, repeatable test setups with appropriate electrical protection and interlocks
• Document fixture designs, test procedures, results, and investigation findings so methods can be reproduced

Benefits

• Base salary range: $190,000–$230,000 annually
• Compensation may include bonus and equity, based on experience, skills, and qualifications