Senior Electrical Engineer, Field Failure Analysis

ALTEN Technology USA; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ALTEN Technology USA is seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to investigate field-returned automotive Zonal ECU units, troubleshoot hardware failures, and identify root causes at the component and board level. The role involves bench-level debugging, failure reproduction, and CAPA recommendations.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in automotive electronics, strong debugging skills, and experience with CAN/CAN-FD, LIN, or Automotive Ethernet.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in automotive electronics / ECU hardware.
• Strong schematic and PCB layout reading, component-level debug.
• Hands‑on with oscilloscope, power supplies, multimeter, CAN tools.
• Experience in failure analysis, FTA, 8D, RCA.
• Knowledge of CAN/CAN-FD, LIN or Automotive Ethernet.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Triage and classify returned units and field failures
• Debug ECU boards at bench level: power, communication, I/O
• Build Fault Tree Analyses (FTA) and failure hypotheses
• Reproduce failures in the lab
• Write root cause reports and CAPA recommendations (8D)

Skills

Automotive electronics

ECU hardware

Oscilloscope operation

CAN tools

FTA/RCA

English proficiency

Tools

Oscilloscope

Power supplies

Multimeter

CAN tools

Job description

Senior Electrical Engineer, Field Failure Analysis

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

We are seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to investigate field-returned automotive Zonal ECU units, troubleshoot hardware failures, and identify root causes at the component and board level. The role involves bench-level debugging, failure reproduction, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and developing detailed root cause reports and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Triage and classify returned units and field failures


• Debug ECU boards at bench level: power, communication, I/O


• Build Fault Tree Analyses (FTA) and failure hypotheses


• Reproduce failures in the lab


• Write root cause reports and CAPA recommendations (8D)

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years in automotive electronics / ECU hardware


• Strong schematic and PCB layout reading, component-level debug


• Hands‑on with oscilloscope, power supplies, multimeter, CAN tools


• Experience in failure analysis, FTA, 8D, RCA


• Knowledge of CAN/CAN-FD, LIN or Automotive Ethernet


• Fluent English, written and spoken

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with power electronics and automotive power management systems.


• Knowledge of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing, troubleshooting, and failure analysis.


• Familiarity with IATF 16949 quality management standards and AIAG automotive quality methodologies.


• Hands‑on experience with X‑ray inspection, component-level failure analysis, or PCB cross‑sectioning techniques.

Salary Range

• $140,000 - 160,000


• The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate’s combination of job‑related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Please beware of job seeker scams and see this important notice on our careers page for more information about our recruiting process.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug‑free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre‑employment drug screening as a condition of hire.

As set forth in ALTEN Technology USA’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.