Hardware Reliability Engineer

About the role

As our Hardware Reliability Engineer, you will be the person who makes sure our products don't just work in the lab -- they work on real humans, in real conditions, for a long time. You will own the reliability testing program for the MO/GO and future Skip products, from defining test plans and failure modes through execution, analysis, and closure. On a small team building first-of-kind hardware, reliability isn't a gate at the end of the process -- it's woven into every build. This is an IC role on a flat team of 22 exceptional engineers where everyone contributes directly. You'll work closely with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and manufacturing to understand failure modes before they find users.

Responsibilities

• Own the reliability testing program for Skip's wearable devices -- design test plans, define pass/fail criteria, execute testing across EVT/DVT/PVT builds, and track results through to closure
• Develop and maintain FMEA (DFMEA/PFMEA) for mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical subsystems, translating failure mode analysis into actionable test coverage
• Design and run accelerated life testing (ALT), HALT, HASS, and environmental stress screening to uncover failure modes before they reach users
• Build and maintain test fixtures, rigs, and custom tooling for cyclic, fatigue, wear, and environmental testing of device subsystems
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for reliability failures and field returns -- dig into the physics of failure and drive corrective actions through to verification
• Define and track reliability metrics and KPIs across the product lifecycle; own the reliability sections of design review documentation
• Partner with the NPI and manufacturing teams to ensure production processes don't introduce new failure modes, and that incoming components meet reliability requirements
• Wear prototypes several hours a week to participate in on-body testing and provide firsthand feedback from the user perspective
• Bring joy to the team, participate in embarrassing team events, and tolerate KZ's terrible music choices

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in hardware reliability, durability testing, or product validation in a professional setting
• Hands-on experience designing and executing reliability test programs for electromechanical products -- consumer electronics, medical devices, robotics, or powered consumer products
• Strong command of reliability engineering fundamentals: FMEA, HALT/HASS, accelerated life testing, Weibull analysis, failure mode physics
• Experience building or operating test fixtures and environmental test equipment (thermal chambers, vibration tables, cyclic rigs)
• Solid root cause analysis skills -- comfortable using 8D, 5-Why, fishbone, and failure analysis tools to get to physics-of-failure explanations
• Able to deliver results independently in a fast-paced, early-stage environment where the reliability playbook is still being written
• Ability to relocate to or already based in the Bay Area
• Sense of humour; tolerant of Aussie & Canadian spelling
• Experience with wearable devices, powered exoskeletons, orthotics, or body-worn electromechanical products
• Familiarity with medical device reliability frameworks (IEC 62368, ISO 13485, IEC 60601) -- the rigor translates even if we're not FDA-regulated yet
• Experience with on-body or biomechanical testing, including human subject data collection
• Background in fatigue analysis or materials failure for soft goods, textiles, or flexible structures
• Personal motivation to improve human movement and make the world more accessible
• Any and all offers of employment extended by Skip are conditional on candidates' ability to provide satisfactory proof of eligibility to maintain full-time employment in the United States.

Benefits

Additional Information

Skip is on a mission to make life joyful through powered movement. Movement is a powerful way to build physical, mental and social health. Yet it is elusive for 2 billion people due to age, injury, or disability. We are building products that will restore mobility for millions and enable a new frontier of joyful movement experiences. We want to build a future where a grandparent can easily outrun their grandkids and no one is left behind at the trailhead. Skip is a 22-person early-stage start-up that spun out of Google X in 2023. With deep cross-disciplinary expertise and key partnerships (e.g. with Arc'teryx) we are uniquely positioned to launch the first commercially successful wearable robotic device, the MO/GO, develop a platform to launch future Movewear products and transform millions of lives in the coming years.

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