Reliability & Components Engineer

Black Diamond Networks; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Diamond Networks in San Diego, CA, is seeking a Reliability & Components Engineer III to lead detailed reliability analyses on aerospace and avionics systems.

You will evaluate electronic components, perform FMEAs, PSA, and WCA, ensuring compliance with MIL-STD standards while collaborating with design and manufacturing teams to identify failure scenarios and mitigation strategies. A Bachelor's in engineering and 5+ years in related roles are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years in reliability or components engineering in aerospace/defense/avionics environments.
• Strong understanding of electronic components, semiconductor physics, and PCB/PCA design considerations.
• Experience with card- and system-level FMEA/FMECA, PSA, and WCA analyses.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-1629A, MIL-STD-975M, Telcordia SR-332; DFMEA/PFMEA experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform unit and box-level FMEA/FMECA analyses, including multi-card systems treated as black-box interconnects.
• Conduct card-level analyses such as WCA, PSA, and FMEA.
• Extract and interpret parameters from COTS and radiation-tolerant datasheets for reliability assessments.
• Evaluate thermal and mechanical limits of electronic components within PCB/PCA designs.
• Apply IC behavior knowledge to assess performance and failure mechanisms.
• Collaborate with systems, design, and manufacturing teams to identify failure scenarios and impacts.
• Support DFMEA and PFMEA activities to improve product and process reliability.
• Create reusable reliability and components templates for future analyses.

Skills

FMEA/FMECA

WCA

Reliability engineering

DFMEA/PFMEA

COTS components

Radiation-tolerant components

PCB/PCA design

MIL-STD-1629A

MIL-STD-975M

Telcordia SR-332

Education

Bachelors in Electrical Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

FMEA tools

Job description

The Reliability & Components Engineer III is responsible for performing detailed reliability and component-level analyses to support the design and development of aerospace and avionics systems. This role focuses on evaluating electronic components, identifying potential failure modes, and ensuring system robustness from the component level through full unit/box integration. The engineer collaborates cross-functionally to assess risks, improve design reliability, and ensure compliance with industry standards.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Perform unit and box-level Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analyses (FMEA/FMECA), including multi-card systems treated as black-box interconnects.
• Conduct card-level analyses including Worst Case Analysis (WCA), Part Stress Analysis (PSA), and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
• Extract and interpret key parameters from COTS and radiation-tolerant component datasheets to support reliability assessments.
• Evaluate thermal and mechanical limitations of electronic components and their interactions within PCB/PCA designs.
• Apply knowledge of IC behavior and semiconductor physics to assess component performance and failure mechanisms.
• Utilize industry standards (MIL-STD-1629A, MIL-STD-975M, Telcordia SR-332) to guide reliability predictions and analyses.
• Collaborate with systems, design, and manufacturing teams to identify failure scenarios, recovery modes, and system-level impacts.
• Solicit and interpret SW, FPGA, and Mechanical constraints and design structures as they apply to the WCA, PSA, FMEA/FMECA, DFMEA, and PFMEA to incorporate into assessments.
• Support DFMEA and PFMEA activities to improve product and process reliability across the lifecycle.
• Create reliability and components templates that are easy to understand and transferable for future product analyses (possibly by another engineer).
• Perform other duties as tasked.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 5 or more years of experience in reliability engineering, components engineering, or related role within aerospace, defense, or avionics environments.
• Strong understanding of electronic components, semiconductor physics, and PCB/PCA-level design considerations.
• Experience performing WCA, PSA, and FMEA/FMECA analyses at the card and system level.
• Experience developing test scenarios in support of reliability analyses.
• Familiarity with reliability standards such as MIL-STD-1629A, MIL-STD-975M, and Telcordia SR-332.
• Experience with DFMEA and PFMEA preferred.
• Basic understanding of software failure and recovery modes preferred
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.