Failure Analysis Engineer

Winixx Inc.; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Performance bonus

Career growth across SaaS platforms

Paid time off and holidays

Professional development support

Job summary

Winixx Inc. in Atlanta, GA, is seeking a Failure Analysis Engineer to determine root causes of hardware failures and drive corrective actions. You will apply SEM/EDS, FTIR, XRF, and FIB techniques to evaluate prototypes, production escapes, and field returns.

You will collaborate with materials, mechanical, manufacturing, and PCB teams; maintain a failure analysis database; and contribute to product design standards in a fast-growing tech environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering discipline, Master's preferred.
• 2+ years of professional failure analysis on electronic hardware.
• Hands-on experience with microscopy, spectroscopy, and deconstruction methods.

Responsibilities

• Investigate hardware failures from prototype testing, production escapes, and field escalations.
• Apply FA techniques: visual inspection, SEM/EDS, XRF, FTIR, FIB cross-sectioning.
• Develop and document failure analysis reports with corrective actions.
• Collaborate with materials, design, manufacturing, and PCB teams.
• Maintain failure analysis database and conduct failure mode trend analysis.
• Support supplier quality with failure analyses of non-conforming parts.
• Develop and maintain the failure analysis lab and standards.

Skills

Failure analysis

SEM/EDS

Microscopy

Statistical analysis

Documentation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in Materials Science & Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

FIB

XRF

FTIR

Job description

Openings › Mechanical Engineering › Failure Analysis Engineer

Mechanical Engineering

Failure Analysis Engineer

Atlanta, US Hybrid Full-time $82,000 – $112,000

About Winixx

Winixx Inc. is a New York-based technology holding company operating a portfolio of over 30 SaaS platforms across freight, fleet management, financial infrastructure, and market intelligence. Founded with a mission to modernize fragmented and underserved industries, Winixx builds technology that removes inefficiencies, creates transparency, and puts more value in the hands of the people doing the actual work. Our flagship products include Winixx Freight, a next-generation load board with embedded instant payment; fleetOS, a comprehensive fleet management and roadside assistance platform; and Baron Meddy Financial, our financial infrastructure arm facilitating capital deployment, escrow, and M&A advisory across verticals. Winixx is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with remote teams operating nationwide.

Role Summary

In hardware development, failures are inevitable — the question is whether you learn from them effectively enough to prevent the next one. The Failure Analysis Engineer at Winixx is the engineer whose job it is to answer the question 'why did this fail?' with the depth, rigor, and evidence required to enable a corrective action that actually prevents the failure from happening again. You will investigate hardware failures from prototype testing, production quality escapes, warranty returns, and field escalations, applying a systematic and scientifically grounded approach to root cause determination that moves beyond superficial symptom identification to the true physical, chemical, or process root cause of each failure.

What You'll Do

• Conduct systematic failure analysis investigations on hardware units received from prototype testing, production quality escapes, field warranty returns, and customer escalations, following a structured FA methodology that produces defensible, evidence-based root cause determinations
• Apply a broad toolkit of failure analysis techniques to each investigation, including visual inspection, stereo and optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), focused ion beam (FIB) cross-sectioning, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and FTIR spectroscopy
• Perform careful, methodical deconstruction of failed hardware units, preserving evidence through each analysis step and documenting the disassembly process with photographs and written notes
• Develop and document failure analysis reports that clearly present the failure description, analysis methodology, evidence gathered, root cause determination, and recommended corrective actions
• Collaborate with the materials engineering, mechanical design, manufacturing engineering, and PCB design teams to develop corrective actions that address the verified root cause of each failure
• Maintain and continuously improve Winixx's failure analysis database, cataloging failure modes, root causes, contributing factors, and corrective actions in a structured format that supports trending analysis and knowledge reuse
• Conduct failure mode trend analysis on the cumulative failure analysis database, identifying systematic failure patterns that indicate design, material, or process issues requiring broad corrective action
• Support supplier quality improvement activities by performing failure analysis on non-conforming components received from suppliers, providing failure analysis reports that enable suppliers to identify and correct process deficiencies
• Develop and maintain the failure analysis laboratory at Winixx's Atlanta facility, managing laboratory equipment calibration, consumable inventory, and sample preparation capability
• Contribute to the development of Winixx's product design standards and materials specifications by providing failure analysis insights that translate failure experience into preventive design guidance

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline; Master's degree is preferred and meaningful for this role
• 2+ years of professional failure analysis experience working on electronic hardware, electromechanical assemblies, or electronic components in a development, production, or reliability engineering environment
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with a range of failure analysis techniques applicable to electronic hardware failures, including optical and electron microscopy, spectroscopic analysis, and mechanical deconstruction methods
• Experience with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) operation and interpretation of SEM/EDS results for material identification, contamination characterization, and fracture surface analysis is strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of common electronic hardware failure mechanisms including solder joint fatigue, PCB delamination, connector fretting corrosion, electrochemical migration, polymer degradation, and metal fatigue
• Proficiency with laboratory sample preparation techniques including cross-sectioning, metallographic polishing, and specimen mounting for microscopy analysis
• Experience maintaining comprehensive, well-organized investigation records and producing clear, evidence-based failure analysis reports that meet the documentation standards required for formal corrective action processes
• Familiarity with statistical methods for failure mode trend analysis, including the ability to identify statistically meaningful patterns in failure occurrence data
• Strong interpersonal skills for working collaboratively with cross-functional engineering teams in a way that accelerates corrective action implementation

Benefits and Compensation

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
• Performance bonus program tied to individual and company milestones
• Hybrid work environment with flexible scheduling
• Career growth opportunities across 30+ SaaS products and multiple verticals
• Front-row seat at a technology company at the beginning of a major national expansion
• Collaborative, mission-driven team environment
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Professional development and continuing education support

Winixx Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applicants on the basis of qualifications, experience, and demonstrated ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The compensation range reflected in this posting represents the minimum and maximum target range for this position. Individual pay within the posted range is determined by a candidate's demonstrated experience, educational background, skill set, and geographic location. Final compensation is established at the time of offer and may fall anywhere within the stated range based on these factors.

Compensation ranges reflect national US market data and are subject to change. Additional forms of compensation may include performance bonuses, equity participation, and other benefits as outlined in your offer documentation.