Electronics Lab & Field Technician – Failure Analysis
& Debug
The Opportunity
Radél is an established global innovator in the heavy-duty vehicle and power electronics industry. Following our investment in a state-of-the-art facility in Winston-Salem, we are looking for an Electronics Lab & Field Technician to bridge the gap between our lab diagnostics and our customers’ real-world operations. This is a dynamic, high-impact role. You won't just be sitting at a bench; you will be the lead investigator for field returns and the face of Radél at customer sites during critical installations. For a technician who loves variety and technical detective work, this is a "CV-defining" experience: the chance to master failure analysis on cutting-edge 48V power modules and directly influence the reliability of a global product line.
The Mission
The Electronics Lab Technician is the primary "Technical Investigator" responsible for conducting in-depth failure analysis and electronic debugging of failed units—both internal production rejects and field returns. This role is critical to our "Zero-Defect" mission; you will replicate complex faults in the lab, diagnose root causes on-site at customer facilities, and provide the data-driven evidence needed for permanent engineering fixes.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Failure Analysis & Debugging: Perform detailed root cause analysis on failed 6-phase inverters and prototypes using 8D or 5-Why methodologies. You will own the unit from the moment it fails until the failure mode is fully identified.
- On-Site Customer Support: Travel to customer sites to support product installations and conduct on-site investigations of field failures. You will capture real-world operating conditions (thermal, vibration, electrical noise) that contribute to product issues.
- Test Setup & Simulation: Design and build custom test rigs to replicate intermittent or complex field failures in a controlled lab environment. Stress-test products to define the boundaries of operational reliability.
- Signal & Thermal Profiling: Apply expert-level best practices in signal tracing, power analysis, and thermal imaging to identify circuit-level diagnostics and component-level shortcomings.
- Reporting & Evidence Gathering: Prepare "pedantic" failure reports backed by data, oscilloscope captures, and visual evidence. Present findings to engineering and quality teams to drive design improvements.
- Lab Management: Maintain a world-class electronics lab, ensuring all diagnostic tools (DMMs, Oscilloscopes, Spectrum Analyzers) are calibrated and ready for investigative work.
- Continuous Improvement: Feed field insights back into the manufacturing and NPI (New Product Introduction) processes to prevent recurring failure modes in high-volume production.
Required Expertise:
- Experience: 5+ years in electronics troubleshooting, failure analysis, or field service engineering. Experience with high-power electronics or automotive systems is highly preferred.
- Diagnostic Mastery: Expert at reading complex schematics and using high-end lab instruments to trace faults to the component level on PCBAs.
- Field Readiness: Willingness to travel to customer sites and act as a professional technical representative of Radél. Strong communication skills are essential for translating technical issues to customers.
- Problem-Solving: Proven ability to use structured problem-solving (8D, 5-Why) to move past symptoms to true root causes.
- Hand-On Skills: Excellent soldering/rework skills (IPC standards) and the ability to build basic mechanical fixtures or wiring harnesses for testing.
Pay: $27.00 - $37.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
