Power Electronics Reliability Engineer

Pentangle Tech Services | P5 Group; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Pentangle Tech Services | P5 Group is seeking a Power Electronics Reliability Engineer with hands-on DFMEA and MTBF analysis experience. This role emphasizes reliability over traditional validation or test engineering.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years in power electronics, can review schematics and datasheets, and identify failure modes, stress, and derating conditions before product release.

Experience with power conversion products and standards-based reliability methods is a plus.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or performing DFMEA on power electronics products.
• Experience developing MTBF/MTTF reliability calculations and models.
• Ability to review power electronics designs and identify potential failure modes and downstream impacts.
• Strong understanding of power electronic components including: IGBTs, capacitors, resistors.
• Ability to analyze what happens when components fail (shorts, opens, over‑current, over‑voltage, thermal events, noise susceptibility).
• Comfortable reviewing schematics, component datasheets, and stress/derating conditions to identify reliability risks before product release.

Responsibilities

• Determining what happens if a SiC MOSFET or IGBT shorts and understanding the impact on downstream components.
• Identifying scenarios where excessive current through a resistor could create a thermal or fire risk.
• Evaluating capacitor voltage stress, electrical noise susceptibility, and other reliability concerns.
• Using DFMEA findings to drive design improvements and validation testing.

Skills

DFMEA

MTBF/MTTF

Power electronics

Schematics & datasheets review

Job description

The Client is looking for a Power Electronics Reliability Engineer with hands‑on experience performing DFMEA and MTBF analysis on power electronics products. This is much more of a reliability‑focused role than a traditional validation or test engineering position. 5+ years of experience. Needs demonstrated power electronics experience not HIL or software test.

Key Requirements:

• Experience leading or performing DFMEA (Design Failure Mode & Effects Analysis) on power electronics products.
• Experience developing MTBF/MTTF reliability calculations and models.
• Ability to review power electronics designs and identify potential failure modes and downstream impacts.
• Strong understanding of power electronic components including:
  • IGBTs
  • Capacitors
  • Resistors
• Ability to analyze what happens when components fail (shorts, opens, over‑current, over‑voltage, thermal events, noise susceptibility, etc.).
• Comfortable reviewing schematics, component datasheets, and stress/derating conditions to identify reliability risks before product release.

Examples of the Type of Experience Needed:

• Determining what happens if a SiC MOSFET or IGBT shorts and understanding the impact on downstream components.
• Identifying scenarios where excessive current through a resistor could create a thermal or fire risk.
• Evaluating capacitor voltage stress, electrical noise susceptibility, and other reliability concerns.
• Using DFMEA findings to drive design improvements and validation testing.

Additional Experience Desired:

• Power conversion products such as drives, inverters, DC/DC converters, motor controls, or similar power electronics systems.
• Reliability testing, validation, root cause analysis, and field failure investigations.
• Experience with standards‑based reliability methods (MIL-HDBK-217, Telcordia, Physics-of-Failure, etc.).

Target Candidate:

Someone who has spent years performing DFMEA and MTBF analysis on power electronics hardware and can quickly identify failure mechanisms, component stress issues, and reliability risks within a design.