Principal Reliability Engineer

Enphase Energy, Inc.; Austin (TX); In loco; USD 130.000 - 183.000; Tempo pieno

Vantaggi offerti da questo lavoro

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Descrizione del lavoro

Enphase Energy, Inc. seeks a Principal SST Reliability Lead to own reliability from architecture through production within the SST Product Innovation Team, Office of the CTO. You will build mission profiles, physics‑of‑failure models, and ALT test programs to ensure a 20+ year field life for SiC modules and power systems.

You’ll drive DFMEA/PFMEA, HALT/HASS strategies, and cross‑functional collaboration to deliver robust designs and test specs aligned with real‑world conditions.

Competenze

• Mission profile development is required: translate real‑world conditions into quantitative profiles.
• Physics‑of‑failure modeling using Arrhenius, Coffin–Manson, Norris–Landzberg, inverse power law.
• ALT design experience: Weibull‑based samples and field correlation.
• Thermal and power cycling with modules, joints, and PCBs.
• DFMEA/PFMEA leadership grounded in data from tests.
• Weibull/life data analysis with Weibull++, JMP, Minitab or Python/R.
• Root cause failure analysis using SEM/EDS, X‑ray, and thermal imaging.
• Power electronics focus on SiC/IGBT, capacitors, magnetics, connectors.
• Derating and qualification against mission profile requirements.
• HALT/HASS and production screening profile development.
• DOE methods to identify dominant stress factors and robustness.
• Strong communication of risk and trade‑offs to leadership.
• Self‑driven ownership in a fast‑paced, standards‑evolving environment.

Mansioni

• Define and own mission profiles based on deployment conditions and field data.
• Design workload‑based ALT plans with acceleration factors and criteria.
• Lead thermal and power cycling tests on modules, joints and PCBs.
• Drive DFMEA/PFMEA sessions using test data to close gaps.
• Develop HALT/HASS strategies for design and production.
• Build physics‑of‑failure models for key components and subsystems.
• Write reliability test specs tied to mission profiles and targets.
• Integrate reliability into design reviews from concept to production.
• Champion design‑for‑reliability thinking across disciplines.
• Collaborate with suppliers on qualification of components.

Conoscenze

Mission profile development

Physics-of-failure modeling

ALT design

Thermal and power cycling testing

DFMEA/PFMEA leadership

Weibull and life data analysis

Failure analysis

Power electronics domain knowledge

Component derating and qualification

HALT/HASS

DOE methods

Communication

Self-driven ownership

Formazione

BS in Mechanical Engineering

MS in Mechanical/Electrical/Materials Reliability Engineering

PhD in Reliability Engineering

Strumenti

Weibull++

JMP

Minitab

Python

R

Descrizione del lavoro

Enphase Energy is a global energy technology company and a leading provider of solar, battery, and electric vehicle charging products. Founded in 2006, our innovative microinverter technology revolutionized solar power, making it a safer, more reliable, and scalable energy source. Today, the Enphase Energy System enables users to make, use, save, and sell their own power. Enphase is also one of the most successful and innovative clean energy companies in the world, with more than 80 million products shipped across 160 countries.

Join our dynamic teams designing and developing next-gen energy technologies and help drive a sustainable future!

Principal SST Reliability Lead

About the Role

The SST Product Innovation Team in the Office of the CTO defines, prototypes, and scales Enphase's next-generation power systems. Solid-state transformers operate under extreme stress — MV switching at high frequency, wide ambient swings, thousands of thermal cycles per year, and 20+ year field life. We need a Reliability Lead who can translate real-world workload and environmental stress into quantitative test plans that expose failure modes before they reach the field.

You will own reliability from architecture through production — mission profiles, physics-of-failure models, accelerated life tests, and data-driven design changes. Hands‑on with hardware, embedded in the design team, accountable for product lifetime.

What You Will Do

• Define and own the SST mission profile: Translate deployment conditions (load profiles, duty cycles, ambient temperatures, humidity, on/off cycling, grid transients) into a quantitative mission profile that drives all reliability testing. Update as field data becomes available.
• Design workload‑based accelerated life tests (ALT): Build test plans using physics-of‑failure models (Arrhenius, Coffin–Manson, Norris–Landzberg, inverse power law). Define acceleration factors, sample sizes, durations, and pass/fail criteria per failure mode.
• Lead thermal and power cycling testing: Execute thermal cycling (-40°C to +85°C+), power cycling, and active thermal cycling on power modules, solder joints, wire bonds, and DBC substrates. Correlate to field lifetime via mission‑profile acceleration.
• Drive DFMEA/PFMEA: Lead cross‑functional FMEA sessions tied to real test data. Track RPNs and drive corrective actions to closure.
• Own HALT/HASS strategy: Run HALT during design to find margins and failure modes. Develop HASS profiles for production screening.
• Build physics‑of‑failure models: Develop reliability models for SiC modules (bond wire, solder, die‑attach), capacitors, magnetics, gate driver isolation, and connectors.
• Write reliability test specs: Specs tied to mission profile, not generic IEC/UL conditions. Define stress conditions, load profiles, sample sizes (Weibull‑based), readout intervals, and failure criteria.
• Integrate reliability into design: Participate in design reviews from concept through production. Flag high‑risk areas early and drive design changes before they get expensive.
• Champion DfR: Train engineers on mission‑profile thinking, derating, thermal margins, and power electronics failure mechanisms.
• Collaborate across disciplines: Work with PE, thermal, mechanical, FW, and manufacturing teams. Partner with suppliers on component qualification.

Who You Are and What You Bring

• BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Reliability Engineering, or closely related field
• Principal Engineer: BS + 15 yrs | MS + 12 yrs | PhD + 8 yrs
• Candidates with greater experience are strongly encouraged to apply
• Mission profile development — required: Experience translating real‑world use conditions (load profiles, duty cycles, environmental exposure, on/off cycling, grid transients) into quantitative mission profiles. Must understand calendar vs. operational aging and how workload severity affects lifetime.
• Physics‑of‑failure modeling — required: Ability to build models using Arrhenius, Coffin–Manson, Norris–Landzberg, and inverse power law. Must derive acceleration factors from first principles.
• ALT design — required: Hands‑on experience designing workload‑based accelerated life tests. Defining acceleration factors, Weibull‑based sample sizes, test‑to‑field correlation, and pass/fail criteria tied to B10 or MTTF targets.
• Thermal and power cycling testing — required: Direct experience with thermal shock, thermal cycling, and power cycling on power modules, solder joints, and PCBs. Understanding of ΔTj effects and dwell time sensitivity.
• DFMEA/PFMEA leadership — required: Leading cross‑functional FMEA sessions with severity/occurrence/detection ratings grounded in real data.
• Weibull and life data analysis — required: Proficiency with Weibull++, JMP, Minitab, or Python/R. Fitting Weibull, lognormal, and competing‑risk models to censored data. Bayesian updating and degradation modeling.
• Failure analysis: Root cause using cross‑sectioning, SEM/EDS, X‑ray, acoustic microscopy, dye‑and‑pry, curve tracing, and thermal imaging.
• Power electronics domain knowledge: SiC/IGBT module failure mechanisms (bond wire, solder, die‑attach, gate oxide), capacitor wear‑out, magnetic aging, connector reliability.
• Component derating and qualification: Defining derating guidelines and critically reviewing vendor data (HTOL, TC, HTRB, H3TRB, IOL) against actual mission profile.
• HALT/HASS: Running HALT to find design limits, developing HASS profiles for production screening.
• DOE — required: Applying DOE methods (factorial, fractional factorial, response surface, Taguchi) to identify dominant stress factors and optimize product robustness.
• Communication: Presenting reliability assessments and risk trade‑offs to leadership. Defending positions in design reviews.
• Self‑driven ownership in a fast‑paced environment where products are new and standards are evolving.

Why This Role?

At Enphase, reliability is not a gate you pass — it is a discipline you practice every day. The SST pushes the limits of power density, switching frequency, and voltage class with a 20+ year field life target. You will work on problems that matter, with hardware in your hands, alongside engineers who care deeply about getting it right.

Work Location

Austin, TX | Office of the CTO — SST Product Innovation Team

The base pay range for this position is $130,000 to $183,000 per year. This salary range may be modified in the future. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job‑related skills, experience, education or training, work location, and market conditions. This position is also eligible for bonus, equity, and benefits.

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