Reliability Engineer

Description

Mini-Circuits designs, manufactures and distributes integrated circuits, modules, and sub-systems for high-performance radio frequency (RF) and microwave applications. With design, sales and manufacturing locations in over 30 countries, Mini-Circuits' products are used in a range of wired and wireless communications applications. Our products are also used in detection, measurement and imaging applications, including military communication, guidance and electronic countermeasure systems, commercial, scientific, military land, sea and aircraft; automotive systems, medical systems, and industrial test equipment.
 
Mini-Circuits' sells its products to over 20,000 customers globally through our direct sales force, applications engineering staff, sales representatives, as well as through our extensive website.   

Position Summary:  The Reliability Engineer is responsible for conducting reliability studies of existing products and coordinating new product qualification prior to market release. The candidate will work in collaboration with various teams including Reliability, Design Engineering, Product Engineering, Failure Analysis and Project Management teams.   Salary Range: $99,000 - $117,000 per year   Job Function:

• Participate in the product development meetings and guide the team to develop reliable products that meet internal specifications and customer requirements.
• Develop qualification plans for new products, primarily MMICs but also support other product lines including but not limited to Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics, PCBA products, RF accessories and Core & Wire Products.
• Analyze new products for similarity with existing released products in terms of package, die process and design to determine Qualification by Similarity, thus streamlining qualification testing.
• Design and execute both device level and package level qualification tests including but not limited to MSL pre-conditioning, Thermal cycling, UHAST, HTSL, ESD and Life Tests.
• Define ESD Human Body Model (HBM) and Charged Device Model (CDM) tests as per JEDEC standards.
• Collaborate with Engineering Test Teams to execute Accelerate Life Tests, High Temperature Operating Life Test.
• Execute Mechanical stresses such as Vibration, Mechanical Shock, Constant Acceleration & Bend Testing.
• Co-ordinate with external labs for outsourced tests.
• Review RF Test data before and after stresses to analyze changes is performance.
• Collaborate with Failure Analysis teams to understand the root cause of failures.
• Identify and record any non-conformities. Monitor solution implementations to verify effectiveness of corrective actions.
• Ensure On Time Completion of Qualification activities and escalate any potential delays.
• Present Qualification results with all relevant stakeholders to help Design teams initiate changes to improve reliability performance.
• Prepare written reports summarizing the results of product performance and failure analysis for both internal purposes as well as customer review.
• Interface with customers and suppliers on product reliability as required.
• Interface with supplier to purchase lab equipment.
• Support reliability assessments originating from production of released products or customer returns.
• Makes decisions within area of specialty, manages medium to large projects.
• Promotes ISO9001/AS9100 Quality.

The duties, responsibilities and expectations described above are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the member, within the scope of the position.

Qualifications:

• BS in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials, Reliability, Industrial Engineering or Physics. Advanced degree preferred.
• 3-5 years' experience as a Reliability Engineer in Semiconductor or equivalent industry.
• Familiarity with common industry standards including JEDEC, MIL-STD-883, MIL-STD-202 and AEC-Q.
• Experience with Reliability Qualification by Similarity.
• Experience with Environmental, Mechanical and ESD stresses.
• Experience with problem solving methodologies and leading root cause analysis.
• Experience with customer returns failure analysis support.
• Must have familiarity with failure analysis techniques including Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SEM), Radiographic Inspection (X-Ray), Cross-Section methods.
• Familiarity with MTTF, MTBF Calculations.
• Experience with Reliability prediction modeling and tools like Weibull++ (or equivalent reliability software)
• Experience with Data analysis tools including Advanced Excel, JMP, Minitab.
• Ability to analyze component performance data in reliability tests, including large variety of test parts and multiple design variations.
• Experience with Design of Experiments, FMEA, product design reviews and DFM.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Physical Demands:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit and use hands to operate a computer keyboard. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Additional Requirements/Skills:  

• Comply, understand, and support corporate safety initiatives to ensure a safe work environment.
• Ability and willingness to abide by Company's Code of Conduct.
• Occasional travel, some overnight, as required (up to 10%).

Disclaimer: The listed qualifications and requirements for each position are intended as guidelines.  Mini-Circuits reserves the right to hire outside of these guidelines at Management's discretion.

Mini-Circuits is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, familial status, gender identity, gender dysphoria, pregnancy-related condition, and domestic violence victim status or protected class characteristic, or any other protected characteristic as established by federal or state law.

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