Engineer, Materials and Failure Analysis
EOS•Thorn Hill, TN
•Hybrid
About The Position
The Materials and Failure Analysis Engineer is responsible for the incoming materials quality program and will lead root-cause investigations into battery failures. This role sits at the intersection of materials, electrochemistry, mechanical/electrical engineering, and manufacturing quality — translating field returns, production test failures, and reliability data into actionable engineering fixes. You'll work cross-functionally with supply chain, R&D, manufacturing, quality, and field service teams to protect product performance, safety, and customer trust.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in materials science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a related field
- 5+ years of experience in failure analysis, reliability engineering, or quality engineering, ideally in batteries, electronics, or electromechanical systems
- Hands-on experience with failure analysis techniques such as electrical/electrochemical testing, microscopy (SEM/optical), thermal analysis, or X-ray/CT imaging
- Strong understanding of root-cause analysis methodologies (5-Why, Fishbone/Ishikawa, FMEA, 8D)
- Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, and test data
- Experience with incoming quality inspection, including reading GD&T/mechanical drawings, using inspection equipment (calipers, micrometers, CMM, etc.), and applying AQL/sampling plans
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting technical findings to varied audiences
- Strong hands-on lab and hardware troubleshooting skills
- Experience with battery systems
- Familiarity with statistical analysis tools (Minitab, JMP, or similar) for reliability and trend analysis
- Experience in a manufacturing environment, including working with production and quality teams to implement corrective actions
- Knowledge of relevant safety and industry standards (UL 9540A, IEC 62619, or similar energy storage standards)
- Experience with data analysis/scripting (Python, MATLAB, or SQL) for large field-data or production-data sets
Responsibilities
- Lead root-cause failure analysis (RCFA) on battery modules and systems, from initial triage through corrective action
- Design and execute teardown, inspection, and testing protocols for failed units returned from the field or flagged during production
- Apply analytical techniques (electrical characterization, electrochemical testing, microscopy, spectroscopy, thermal imaging, etc.) to identify failure modes and mechanisms
- Partner with R&D, suppliers, and manufacturing engineering to close the loop between failure findings and design or process improvements
- Develop and maintain FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) documentation for cell, module, and system components
- Track failure trends across production and fielded fleets; build dashboards and reports to communicate findings to engineering and leadership
- Support supplier quality investigations for component-level failures
- Own incoming parts quality and inspection processes, including incoming material inspection plans, sampling strategies, and acceptance criteria for raw materials and purchased components
- Investigate incoming inspection rejects and non-conformances, working with suppliers and sourcing teams to drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)
- Contribute to safety investigations, ensuring findings are documented to meet internal and regulatory requirements
- Author clear, well-documented failure analysis reports and present findings to cross-functional stakeholders
- Help build out failure analysis lab capabilities, tooling, and standard operating procedures as the team scales
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
