Senior Reliability Test Engineer

Astranis Space Technologies Corp.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health benefits

On-site meals

401(k)

Job summary

Astranis Space Technologies Corp. is seeking a Senior Reliability Test Engineer to own reliability from concept through high-rate production and on-orbit operations.

You will design, execute, and automate tests across electromechanical systems and RF hardware, and lead investigations when failures occur. The role requires hands-on testing, objective reliability targets, and collaboration with multiple engineering teams to prevent failures and improve design.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical, Electrical, Physics, or Materials Science or equivalent.
• 5+ years in reliability/test/design engineering on high-reliability hardware (3+ years with an M.S.).
• Hands-on testing with mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical systems and DAQ devices.
• Experience standing up reliability engineering frameworks for a product or program.
• Expertise in FMEA/FMECA, FTA, predictive modeling, and Weibull analysis.
• Design review experience (PDR/CDR/MRR) and ability to present to leadership.
• Strong technical writing for test plans, reports, and specifications.
• Proficiency in Python or C++.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute qualification and validation test plans (environmental, life, shock, vibration, thermal cycling, HALT, HASS).
• Design and automate test equipment and instrumentation to maximize throughput.
• Set reliability targets across PCBAs, power, avionics, actuators, batteries, RF systems; define mission profiles.
• Review diagrams and schematics to guide design-for-reliability before lock.
• Lead DFMEA and FTA; translate outputs into verification plans and design changes.
• Maintain living reliability models and perform Weibull analyses on data.
• Triage reliability risks and lead containment and root-cause investigations.
• Coordinate failure analysis using advanced characterization techniques (X-ray, SEM-EDS, etc.).

Skills

Python

C++

Reliability engineering

Education

B.S. in Mechanical, Electrical, Physics, or Materials Science

M.S. in Reliability Engineering (preferred)

Tools

Weibull++

ReliaSoft

JMP

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity's reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe- large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Senior Reliability Test Engineer

As a Senior Reliability Test Engineer you work at the intersection of every engineering discipline to ensure our hardware meets the highest bar for quality and reliability. You own reliability for complex electromechanical and electronic hardware from concept through high-rate production and on-orbit operations. You set the targets, build the analyses and test frameworks that prove them, own the labs and tooling that generate the evidence, and lead the investigations when hardware fails. The ideal candidate is self-driven and has designed reliability test campaigns from the ground up.

• Develop and execute qualification and validation test plans: environmental, accelerated life, shock, vibration, thermal cycling, HALT, and HASS.
• Design, build, and automate test equipment, fixturing, and instrumentation end to end in Python, maximizing throughput against rapid design cycles.
• Establish reliability targets across PCBAs, power electronics, avionics, actuators, batteries, high-speed digital and RF systems, and develop the unit-level mission profiles that every prediction and test profile derives from.
• Review block diagrams, interface control documents, and schematics and guide teams on design for reliability before designs lock.
• Lead DFMEA and Fault Tree Analysis with cross-functional teams, and convert the output into design verification plans and implemented design changes.
• Build and maintain reliability models as living artifacts. Create physics-of-failure predictions, mission risk quantification, and Weibull analysis on qualification, production, and field data.
• Serve as the escalation point for reliability risks: triage severity, then lead containment and root-cause investigation of high-impact failures from validation, production, and on-orbit anomalies.
• Coordinate failure analysis and destructive physics analysis using: electrical characterization, microscopy, thermal imaging, X-ray, CT, cross-sectioning, and SEM-EDS.
• Perform analyses on field telemetry, identify performance and degradation trends, update mission profiles, and influence upstream teams to prioritize work that prevents reliability failures.
• Define entry and exit criteria for program gates and mentor engineers to raise reliability capability across the company.

Requirements

• B.S. in Mechanical, Electrical, Physics, Materials Science, or an equivalent technical discipline.
• 5+ years in reliability, test, or design engineering on high-reliability hardware or 3+ years with an M.S.
• Hands-on testing experience with mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical systems, and with a wide range of sensors, actuators, instrumentation, and DAQ devices.
• Experience standing up reliability engineering frameworks for a product or program, covering detailed reliability analysis, development testing, production testing, and field data analysis,
• Experience generating qualification test requirements and executing tests that proactively characterize product behavior and iteratively improve designs and reliability estimates.
• Domain depth in one or more of: EEE piece parts, avionics, PCBA reliability, battery systems, EV powertrain or HV devices, thermal systems, actuators, or solar cells.
• Experience owning reliability infrastructure: test labs and chambers, failure analysis equipment, metrology and instrumentation, automatic testing equipment and fixtures.
• Proven track record of driving systemic improvements and shaping engineering strategy.
• Expertise in reliability analysis: FMEA/FMECA, FTA, predictive modeling, and Weibull analysis.
• Failure investigation experience with a proven record of solving problems and preventing recurrence.
• Design review experience (PDR, CDR, MRR) and confidence presenting to every level of leadership.
• Strong technical writing: test plans, reports, requirements, standards, and specifications.
• Working proficiency in Python, C++, or your coding language of choice.

Bonus

• M.S. in an engineering discipline, or a degree specifically in Reliability Engineering.
• Familiarity with ASTM, JEDEC, IEEE, ISO, and MIL test standards.
• Weibull++, ReliaSoft, or equivalent
• HV testing experience
• JMP, Python, or R for data analysis
• Familiarity with Linux, shell scripting, software/firmware HITL/SITL, and Python/SQL for data analysis.

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis's total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary

$145,000 — $235,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.