The Reliability Engineer (Electrical Engineering) will lead electrical reliability, signal-integrity validation, and product qualification for cable backplane assemblies used in AI and hyperscale data centers. The role will develop scalable test strategies and automated systems, characterize high-speed channels and electrical interfaces, and identify failure mechanisms under electrical and environmental stress. In partnership with design, manufacturing, quality, and external laboratories, the engineer will drive root-cause resolution and design and process improvements. This position is based in Etters, PA or Raleigh, NC. Approximately 20% travel is expected.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop electrical reliability and validation strategies, test plans, acceptance criteria, and coverage across the product life cycle.
- Architect and validate automated electrical test systems, fixtures, breakout boards, and loopback setups for laboratory and manufacturing use.
- Characterize signal and electrical performance using TDR, VNA, BERT, oscilloscopes, source-measure units, and related equipment.
- Evaluate channel, power, ground, shielding, continuity, resistance, and dielectric performance before, during, and after environmental and accelerated-life testing.
- Apply DOE, MSA, reliability statistics, and data analysis to ensure test capability and identify degradation trends and failure thresholds.
- Lead electrical failure analysis and document results, risks, and recommendations for design, qualification, manufacturing, and customer decisions.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical, electronics, or reliability engineering with an electrical focus; advanced degree preferred.
- 5+ years in electrical reliability, product validation, signal-integrity testing, or automated test-system development; interconnect experience preferred.
- Strong knowledge of circuit fundamentals, transmission lines, differential signaling, impedance, grounding, shielding, power integrity, and electrical failure mechanisms.
- Hands-on experience developing automated test systems, interpreting schematics and interconnect drawings, and troubleshooting intermittent or mixed-mode failures.
- Working knowledge of reliability statistics, DOE, MSA, sampling methods, data analysis, and cross-functional project execution.
- Ability to travel approximately 20% to manufacturing sites, laboratories, suppliers, and customer locations.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with high-speed serial channels, cable and connector validation, S-parameters, calibration, de-embedding, and simulation-to-measurement correlation.
- Automation experience using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, PLCs, or comparable control and data-acquisition tools.
- Experience with HALT, HASS, ALT, ORT, ESS, thermal cycling, vibration, and shock testing with in-situ electrical monitoring.
- Experience designing and validating electrical test boards, including schematics, component selection, layout review, and bring-up.
- Knowledge of AI data-center interconnects and applicable IPC, IEC, IEEE, Telcordia, or MIL-STD requirements; reliability certification is a plus.