Sr. Design for Reliability Engineer, Electrical Systems

Rivian Rivian · Auto · Palo Alto, CA · Quality

This role is for a Sr. Design for Reliability Engineer focusing on electrical systems for electric vehicles. The engineer will drive the DfR strategy from concept to production, collaborate with design and validation teams, and act as the primary reliability expert for critical electrical systems. Responsibilities include setting reliability requirements, facilitating FMEA sessions, developing reliability design guidelines, devising accelerated test methods, specifying validation plans, and conducting failure analysis. The role requires a strong understanding of electrical fundamentals, Physics of Failure (PoF), and degradation modeling, with preferred experience in Python and statistical software for reliability analysis.

What you'd actually do

  1. Drive the Design-for-Reliability (DfR) strategy for the vehicle's electrical systems and supporting components, ensuring reliability is integrated from the initial concept phase through to mass production.
  2. Collaborate with world-class design and validation teams to develop creative, non-traditional solutions for the most challenging reliability and performance problems.
  3. Act as the primary reliability development expert for critical electrical systems of the vehicle.
  4. Set and communicate Reliability requirements and targets for components, subsystems, and assemblies.
  5. Analyze usage and environmental conditions to improve requirement setting and testing methods.

Skills

Required

  • Electrical Engineering fundamentals
  • Physics of Failure (PoF)
  • Degradation Modeling
  • Python
  • JMP or ReliaSoft
  • Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (FMEAs)
  • Statistical software for reliability analysis
  • Weibull Analysis
  • accelerated-life-test development methods
  • failure analysis techniques

Nice to have

  • Highly Accelerated Testing methods and governing equations for different types of failure mechanisms
  • optical microscopy
  • SEM
  • CT
  • X-Ray
  • EDS

What the JD emphasized

  • reliability is integrated from the initial concept phase through to mass production
  • creative, non-traditional solutions for the most challenging reliability and performance problems
  • primary reliability development expert
  • Set and communicate Reliability requirements and targets
  • Analyze usage and environmental conditions
  • Facilitate Design FMEA sessions
  • Develop reliability design guidelines
  • Devise accelerated test methods
  • Specify reliability validation plans
  • Provide guidance on sample size requirements and duration for reliability testing
  • Facilitate failure analysis
  • Assess and clearly communicate risk
  • Research failure mechanisms of new technologies and applications
  • Create designed experiments (DOE)
  • Influence supplier selection for higher reliability
  • Develop Ongoing Reliability Testing strategies
  • Be the gatekeeper of reliability risk
  • Partner with Field Reliability and Failure Analysis
  • Electrical Fundamentals
  • Physics of Failure (PoF)
  • Degradation Modeling
  • Highly Accelerated Testing methods
  • reliability statistics including Weibull Analysis
  • accelerated-life-test development methods
  • failure analysis techniques