Staff Hardware Reliability Engineer

RemoteRemoteFull TimeStaff$210,000–$259,000 /yrPosted 2 months agoVisa sponsorship available

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Required skills

LiDAR
electromechanical systems
DFMEA
FTA
test and failure analysis
cross-functional optimizations
CMs
ODMs
Tier-1s
reliability roadmaps

Nice to have

manager
directing the reliability program
electronic components
sub-systems
mentorship skills

Role summary

Waymo is seeking a Staff Hardware Reliability Engineer to lead reliability programs for hardware product areas across their full lifecycle. This role involves defining and improving reliability processes, including risk analyses (DFMEA, FTA), design verification, test and failure analysis, and cross-functional optimizations. The engineer will collaborate with CMs, ODMs, and Tier-1s to develop validation programs, define long-term roadmaps, and provide technical recommendations. Responsibilities include managing program-level risks and mitigating them. A Master's degree in a relevant engineering or science field and 10 years of experience in end-to-end reliability program management for complex electromechanical systems are required. Preferred qualifications include a PhD, 15 years of experience managing reliability programs at vendors, and experience in automotive or autonomous vehicle domains.

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

This role will report to a Manager of Hardware Reliability Engineering.

You will:

Lead the reliability program for a Waymo hardware product area (e.g. LiDAR) across its full lifecycle from early development and prototyping, through EVT - DVT - PVT - production ramp and field deployment

Define and improve reliability processes, including risk analyses (DFMEA, FTA), design verification, test and failure analysis, and cross-functional optimizations

Work closely with US-based and international CMs, ODMs and Tier-1s to develop reliability test and validation programs that meet Waymo’s standards of reliability

Develop, communicate, and maintain long-term reliability roadmaps and strategies for your product area. Work collaboratively with TPMs to build reliability schedules and take responsibility for all deliverables while updating senior engineering leadership

Provide technical evaluations and strategic recommendations on designs, processes, materials and vendor selection to teams within the Waymo Engineering, and navigate complex vendor relationships

Manage program-level risks related to complex, multi-dimensional reliability issues and play a key role in mitigate those risks

You have:

Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Material Science, or Physics

10 years of experience in end to end management of reliability programs for complex electromechanical systems

Experience in delivering on the reliability of 1-2 generations of products, from concept & prototyping, to production ramp and field deployment.

Experience in managing the DFMEA or other risk analysis process across a product line.

Extensive experience developing comprehensive reliability test plans, resolving complex failure analyses, and leading root-cause resolution across functions.

Strong technical background in the mechanics of materials and physics of failure for electronics and sensors.

We prefer:

PhD Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Material Science, or Physics

15 years of experience, as a manager, directing the reliability program at CMs, ODMs or international vendors and suppliers for electronic components and sub-systems

Experience in OEM automotive, Tier-1 suppliers, autonomous vehicle or sensor domain reliability

Experience in managing a reliability test lab with thermal, vibration and environmental test equipment

Product development and launch experience across multiple independent, high-volume hardware product categories.

Strong mentorship skills with a track record of driving technical leadership within a team

The expected base salary range for this full-time position across US locations is listed below. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors, including exact work location, experience, relevant training and education, and skill level. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the role location or, if the role can be performed remote, the specific salary range for your preferred location, during the hiring process.

Waymo employees are also eligible to participate in Waymo’s discretionary annual bonus program, equity incentive plan, and generous Company benefits program, subject to eligibility requirements.

Salary Range$210,000—$259,000 USD

Sample Waymo interview questions

1
Design a data ingestion system
system designmedium
2
Design a simulation-based regression detection system for code changes
system designhard

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