Hardware Reliability Engineer
A rapidly growing technology company developing advanced thermal-management solutions for high-performance computing and data center environments is seeking a Hardware Reliability Engineer.
This individual will lead the development and execution of mechanical and environmental validation strategies for complex hardware products. The role will focus on ensuring systems perform reliably under demanding real-world conditions through testing such as shock and vibration, thermal cycling, temperature and humidity exposure, and Highly Accelerated Life Testing.
This is a hands-on engineering position requiring strong technical depth, practical testing experience, and an understanding of how mechanical, thermal, electrical, and fluid-based systems interact at the product level.
The Hardware Reliability Engineer will work closely with mechanical engineering, hardware design, thermal engineering, manufacturing, quality, and system integration teams to identify risks, investigate failures, and improve product reliability.
Key Responsibilities
- Define reliability, qualification, and validation test strategies for new hardware products.
- Develop mechanical, thermal, and environmental test plans based on product use cases and reliability requirements.
- Lead or support shock and vibration, thermal cycling, HALT, HASS, temperature and humidity, and related environmental testing.
- Establish test specifications, acceptance criteria, and validation protocols.
- Partner with engineering teams to analyze test results, identify failure modes, and recommend corrective actions.
- Perform root cause analysis and support structured problem-solving efforts.
- Provide reliability feedback that influences product design, material selection, and manufacturing processes.
- Develop custom test fixtures, test setups, instrumentation plans, and data collection methods.
- Coordinate testing with external laboratories, suppliers, and equipment vendors when necessary.
- Maintain test procedures, reliability dashboards, technical reports, and customer-facing documentation.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives across product development and validation processes.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Reliability Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Five or more years of experience in hardware reliability, mechanical validation, product qualification, or test engineering.
- Experience supporting electronics, server hardware, thermal systems, industrial equipment, or similarly complex hardware products.
- Strong knowledge of environmental and mechanical testing practices.
- Experience with shock and vibration testing, thermal cycling, HALT, HASS, and temperature or humidity testing.
- Familiarity with recognized testing standards such as ISTA, MIL-STD-810, or comparable industry standards.
- Understanding of thermal design concepts, heat-transfer principles, and system-level thermal behavior.
- Experience conducting failure investigations and root cause analysis.
- Ability to interpret test data and translate findings into actionable design recommendations.
- Strong technical documentation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Reliability Engineering, or a related field.
- Experience with data center equipment, server systems, high-density electronics, telecommunications hardware, or high-performance computing products.
- Experience working with liquid-cooled or fluid-based thermal-management systems.
- Familiarity with pumps, heat exchangers, cold plates, vapor chambers, refrigerant systems, or related thermal components.
- Knowledge of reliability analysis tools and methodologies, including Weibull analysis, Design FMEA, Process FMEA, Physics of Failure, and reliability prediction.
- Hands-on experience operating environmental chambers, vibration shakers, data acquisition systems, sensors, and laboratory test equipment.
- Experience developing custom fixtures and automated test setups.
- Familiarity with structured corrective-action methods such as 8D, fault-tree analysis, or similar methodologies.
- Experience working in a fast-paced product development or early-stage technology environment.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a practical, hands-on reliability engineer who can operate independently while collaborating effectively across multiple engineering disciplines. This individual should be comfortable building testing strategies from the ground up, working through ambiguous technical challenges, and balancing detailed component-level analysis with broader system-level considerations.
Success in this role requires curiosity, sound engineering judgment, strong ownership, and the ability to communicate reliability risks and recommendations clearly to both technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
Why Join
- Help develop next-generation hardware supporting high-performance computing and data center infrastructure.
- Work at the intersection of mechanical engineering, thermal systems, electronics, and product reliability.
- Influence product design and reliability processes during an important stage of company growth.
- Join a collaborative engineering team focused on solving complex infrastructure and sustainability challenges.
- Take ownership of critical validation initiatives with direct visibility across the organization.
Pay: $109,842.30 - $145,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Paid parental leave
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
