Head of Reliability Engineering — Hardware Systems (Hybrid)

Mainspring Energy; Menlo Park (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Stock options

Job summary

Mainspring Energy is seeking a Reliability Engineering Leader in Menlo Park to own the reliability strategy, build a high-performance team, and drive lifecycle testing and design decisions across Engineering, R&D, and Manufacturing. You will shape MTBF targets, CAPA programs, and compliance considerations for UL/NFPA/IEC.

The role combines hands-on engineering depth with leadership as the company scales its high-volume, fuel-flexible power solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
• 10+ years in reliability, test, or quality engineering for mechanical, electrical, or electromechanical systems, including 3+ years in a formal people-management role.
• Demonstrated experience building or significantly scaling a reliability, quality, or test engineering team in a hardware/manufacturing environment.
• Deep, hands-on background in FMEA, HALT, root-cause analysis, and CAPA processes (RCA, 8D).
• Track record of influencing design and engineering decisions at the cross-functional/leadership level.
• Strong communication skills, with experience presenting reliability risk and program status to senior/executive stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment where systems, processes, and team structure are still being built.

Responsibilities

• Directly lead the team who is responsible for reliability testing (mechanical stress tests, shock, vibration, environmental testing).
• Continue to build, lead, and grow a team of reliability engineers, setting hiring plans and career development paths as production scales.
• Own the reliability roadmap and testing strategy across the product lifecycle, balancing rigor with fast cadence.
• Partner with test engineering to define and track reliability testing for linear generators.
• Define and track reliability metrics (MTBF, warranty trends) and report program health to leadership.
• Establish and improve reliability processes (FMEA, HALT, CAPA) as scalable systems.
• Serve as senior reliability partner to Product Engineering, R&D, and Manufacturing leadership.
• Lead cross-functional FMEA efforts for design, process, and maintenance; engage stakeholders.
• Represent reliability in design reviews, gate reviews, and executive updates.
• Guide cross-functional teams on compliance-relevant design decisions (UL, NFPA, IEC).
• Maintain technical depth to review test plans and root-cause investigations.
• Ensure test plans align with system specs and industry protocols.
• Champion investment in test infrastructure, automation, and data analysis.

Skills

Reliability leadership

FMEA

Root-cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Education

B.S. in Electrical Engineering

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Weibull++

JMP

Job description

Mainspring Energy is seeking a Reliability Engineering Leader in Menlo Park to own the reliability strategy, build a high-performance team, and drive lifecycle testing and design decisions across Engineering, R&D, and Manufacturing. You will shape MTBF targets, CAPA programs, and compliance considerations for UL/NFPA/IEC.

The role combines hands-on engineering depth with leadership as the company scales its high-volume, fuel-flexible power solutions.