Hardware Failure Analysis Engineer

Programming.com; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Programming.com in San Jose, CA is seeking an experienced Hardware Failure Analysis Engineer to join our hardware engineering team focused on high-performance networking products.

The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience in hardware troubleshooting, PCB/board-level debugging, high-speed SerDes interfaces, and root cause analysis. This role involves leading analyses, debugging, and coordinating with cross-functional teams to improve reliability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering or related field.
• 6+ years in hardware board design, system troubleshooting, or failure analysis.
• Hands-on with high-speed SerDes technologies.
• Strong knowledge of electrical diagnostics and hardware debugging.
• Experience with oscilloscopes, DMMs, and logic analyzers.
• Experience with network traffic generators such as Ixia or Spirent.

Responsibilities

• Lead hardware failure analysis investigations for switches, routers, and networking hardware.
• Perform board-level and system-level troubleshooting, fault reproduction, and root cause analysis.
• Identify contributing factors and recommend corrective actions to improve product reliability.
• Troubleshoot high-speed SerDes interfaces and complex hardware systems.
• Perform electrical diagnostics using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, and logic analyzers.
• Track hardware defects through investigation and resolution.
• Prepare technical failure analysis reports and communicate findings to engineering teams and stakeholders.

Skills

SerDes interfaces

PCB debugging

Root-cause analysis

Electrical diagnostics

Hardware troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Digital multimeters

Logic analyzers

Network traffic generators (Ixia/Spirent)

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Hardware Failure Analysis Engineer to join a hardware engineering team focused on high-performance networking products.

The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience in hardware troubleshooting, PCB/board-level debugging, high-speed SerDes interfaces, and root cause analysis.

Key Responsibilities

We are looking for an experienced Hardware Failure Analysis Engineer to join a hardware engineering team focused on high-performance networking products.

The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience in hardware troubleshooting, PCB/board-level debugging, high-speed SerDes interfaces, and root cause analysis.

• Lead hardware failure analysis investigations for switches, routers, and networking hardware.
• Perform board-level and system-level troubleshooting, fault reproduction, and root cause analysis.
• Identify contributing factors and recommend corrective actions to improve product reliability.
• Troubleshoot high-speed SerDes interfaces and complex hardware systems.
• Perform electrical diagnostics using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, logic analyzers, and network traffic generators.
• Track hardware defects through investigation and resolution.
• Prepare technical failure analysis reports and communicate findings to engineering teams and stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 6+ years of experience in hardware board/circuit design, system troubleshooting, or failure analysis.
• Hands-on experience with high-speed SerDes or serial transmission technologies.
• Strong knowledge of electrical diagnostics and hardware debugging.
• Experience using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, and logic analyzers.
• Experience with network traffic generators such as Ixia or Spirent.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CPUs, embedded processors, FPGAs, or PLDs.
• Understanding of PCIe, MDIO, SPI, and I2C interfaces.
• Familiarity with Python, Perl, or similar scripting languages.
• Strong technical documentation, analytical, and communication skills.