Senior Staff Reliability Test Engineer

Apptronik; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik, a leader in humanoid robotics, seeks a Senior Staff Test Engineer - Reliability in Austin, TX. You will own how we define, test, and prove reliability of complex electromechanical systems, setting MTBF targets and deriving subsystem/component requirements.

You will lead a team, guide risk-based test investments, and integrate results with design, manufacturing, and quality teams. In this technical leadership role, you will conduct root-cause investigations, manage FRACAS, and

Qualifications

• Experience leading reliability programs for complex electromechanical products, including allocating top-level MTBF to subsystem and component targets and planning the sample size, test duration, and confidence level needed to demonstrate it.
• Hands-on experience designing and running reliability testing (life, accelerated, HALT/HASS, thermal, environmental) and interpreting results with statistical methods such as Weibull analysis and reliability growth models.
• Demonstrated ability to lead root‑cause investigations across mechanical, electrical, and firmware domains and drive corrective actions to closure, including running a failure reporting system (FRACAS).
• Experience technically leading and mentoring other engineers, including directing their test plans and advising on method and rigor, and communicating reliability risks and tradeoffs to leadership.

Responsibilities

• Reliability Strategy & Allocation: Define reliability targets and roadmap for the product, break top-level MTBF down into subsystem and component targets, and influence design through design reviews, derating guidance, and component and supplier qualification.
• Test Planning & Leadership: Lead a team of engineers on reliability testing, advising on method and rigor, and determine the sample size, test duration, and confidence level needed to demonstrate top-level MTBF, targeting testing at the highest-risk components and subsystems (life, stress, HALT/HASS, thermal, environmental).
• Failure Analysis & Root Cause: Lead root-cause investigations of failures from test, manufacturing, and the field, coach engineers through the analysis, and run a closed-loop failure reporting system (FRACAS) that feeds field and returns data back into design.
• Reliability Modeling & Data: Guide the team in building life and failure-rate models (Weibull, FMEA inputs, fault trees, reliability block diagrams), roll component test results up to system-level MTBF estimates with confidence bounds, and track reliability growth over time against the MTBF target.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor and grow engineers, partner with design, manufacturing, and quality teams, and present reliability risks, test investment tradeoffs, and progress toward MTBF targets to leadership.

Skills

Reliability program leadership

Reliability testing (life/accelerated)

Statistical methods (Weibull)

FRACAS & root-cause investigations

Education

BS in Engineering + 15 years

MS + 13 years

PhD + 12 years

Tools

Weibull analysis

FMEA

Fault tree / reliability block diagrams

Job description

Apptronik, a leader in humanoid robotics, seeks a Senior Staff Test Engineer - Reliability in Austin, TX. You will own how we define, test, and prove reliability of complex electromechanical systems, setting MTBF targets and deriving subsystem/component requirements.

You will lead a team, guide risk-based test investments, and integrate results with design, manufacturing, and quality teams. In this technical leadership role, you will conduct root-cause investigations, manage FRACAS, and