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Salary: USD 170,000 - 221,000 / annual
Agility Robotics is seeking a Senior Hardware Reliability Engineer to serve as the core technical owner for reliability of integrated humanoid drive systems and robotic actuation sub-assemblies. The company develops commercially deployed humanoid robots that operate in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers, performing physically demanding and repetitive tasks.
In this hybrid role based in Fremont, CA, you will partner directly with mechatronics design, controls, embedded software, and manufacturing teams to drive reliability validation, lead multi-physics failure analyses, and build robust lifetime models for highly dynamic robotic hardware.
Key responsibilities include:
**Mechatronic Reliability Planning & Design for Reliability (DfR) Integration:**
- Implement DfR methodologies (DFMEA, FTA, component derating) across complex mechatronic loops, including drive trains, harmonic gearboxes, BLDC motors, encoder feedback systems, and dynamic wire harnesses
- Establish reliability targets, duty-cycle profiles, and environmental/mechanical stress acceptance criteria for actuators, sensors, power electronics, and end effectors
- Collaborate with control systems and mechatronics design teams to evaluate reliability impact of control algorithms, dynamic braking, overload torque conditions, and thermal throttling regimes
**Advanced Mechatronic Testing & Lifetime Validation:**
- Design, build, and execute multi-axis accelerated stress testing setups, including HALT, HASS, dynamic load cycling, thermal shock, vibration, and ingress protection (IP) validation
- Develop custom dynamic test rigs to simulate real-world humanoid duty cycles (continuous walking, heavy payload lifting, impulse landing impacts, high-frequency oscillatory motion)
- Apply statistical reliability tools (Weibull analysis, ALT/CALT models) and multi-physics degradation models (Coffin-Manson, Arrhenius, bearing/gear fatigue modeling) to predict drive system lifetime under dynamic field loads
**Failure Analysis & Closed-Loop Improvement:**
- Lead cross-functional Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for complex mechatronic failures across mechanical wear (gears, bearings), electrical degradation (FET switching, PCBA thermal fatigue), and signal/sensor degradation (encoder slip, harness flex failure)
- Translate field telemetry, torque/temperature logs, and test bench failure data into actionable design revisions for next-generation humanoid architectures
**Requirements:**
- Minimum 5–8+ years of experience in reliability engineering for complex hardware systems
- Strong preference for candidates with experience in robotics, autonomous vehicles, aerospace, or other high-reliability industries
- Strong understanding of mechatronic systems integrating mechanical structures, electronics, actuators, sensors, and control hardware
- Demonstrated experience with reliability engineering principles including Design for Reliability, DFMEA/FMEA, accelerated-life testing, reliability demonstration, reliability growth, component derating, and physics-of-failure analysis
- Experience developing or executing environmental and durability tests such as vibration, thermal cycling, mechanical fatigue, humidity, HALT, or accelerated endurance testing
- Familiarity with statistical reliability methods including Weibull analysis, success-run testing, confidence bounds, and accelerated-life modeling
- Working knowledge of fatigue and life-prediction methods such as Coffin-Manson, stress-life, strain-life, Miner's rule, or equivalent approaches
- Understanding of common mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical failure mechanisms
- Ability to interpret mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, test data, material specifications, and supplier qualification reports
- Experience using reliability, statistical, simulation, and engineering analysis tools to support reliability assessments and decision-making
- Ability to analyze life data, accelerated-test results, failure distributions, and reliability-growth trends
- Experience applying physics-based simulation or analytical methods to evaluate mechanical, thermal, vibration, fatigue, or electronics reliability risks
- Proficiency with data-analysis and scripting environments used for engineering analysis is preferred
- Strong analytical and structured problem-solving ability
- Ability to connect observed failures and test results to underlying physical failure mechanisms
- Ability to independently develop reliability analyses and validation approaches
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to communicate reliability risk, uncertainty, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Effective collaboration across mechanical, electrical, systems, test, manufacturing, quality, and supplier organizations
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving product-development environment where designs and requirements continue to mature
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Materials Science, Reliability Engineering, or a related technical field
- Master's degree or PhD is a plus
- Current authorization to work in the United States required
