Sr NPI Reliability Engineer

Palo Alto Networks•Austin, TX

47d•$108,200 - $174,900•Onsite

About The Position

Palo Alto Networks is seeking an experienced NPI Hardware Reliability Engineer to join the Technical Operations Hardware Quality Engineering organization. This role will be responsible for establishing and driving hardware reliability and quality processes throughout the New Product Introduction (NPI) lifecycle for next-generation network security and firewall platforms. The NPI Hardware Reliability Engineer will work at the intersection of Product Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, Test Engineering, and Operations to ensure new hardware products are designed, validated, manufactured, and launched with a high level of quality and reliability. The ideal candidate has strong experience in hardware reliability, product qualification, failure analysis, NPI, and manufacturing processes, with the ability to translate reliability requirements into practical validation and production controls.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Reliability Engineering, or a related technical field.
5+ years of experience in hardware reliability, product quality, NPI, manufacturing engineering, or a related discipline.
Experience with reliability qualification and validation of complex electronic hardware.
Strong understanding of hardware failure mechanisms and reliability engineering principles.
Experience working with contract manufacturers and external suppliers.
Experience with NPI processes and production ramp of complex electronic products.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Experience with structured root-cause and failure-analysis methodologies.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, schematics, BOMs, specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Reliability Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
Experience with networking, server, datacenter, storage, telecommunications, or cybersecurity hardware.
Experience qualifying high-complexity systems containing PCBs, processors, memory, power supplies, thermal systems, fans, chassis, connectors, and high-speed interfaces.
Experience with HALT, HASS, accelerated life testing, Weibull analysis, reliability prediction, and statistical analysis.
Experience with FMEA, Fault Tree Analysis, DOE, and reliability modeling.
Experience with hardware quality systems and ISO 9001-based processes.
Experience using data analytics and visualization tools to monitor reliability and quality performance.
Experience with RMA / field-return analysis and incorporating field lessons into NPI.
Experience leading cross-functional technical projects without direct authority.

Responsibilities

Own and execute the NPI hardware reliability strategy, milestones, and phase-gate qualification plans from early development through production ramp.
Partner with Hardware Engineering to assess architecture, design changes, and BOMs to identify electrical, mechanical, thermal, and environmental risks early in the product lifecycle.
Define and execute accelerated life, stress, and environmental test plans (including thermal cycling, drop/vibe, and HALT/ALT), setting sample sizes, conditions, and pass/fail criteria.
Analyze test data and trends to validate product readiness against defined reliability targets prior to commercial release.
Lead root-cause failure investigations across NPI testing, pilot builds, and early production using structured methods (8D, FMEA, FTA, DOE, Weibull).
Collaborate with Design, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, and CMs to implement, validate, and track closed-loop corrective actions.
Feed field and post-mortem learnings back into early NPI cycles to prevent recurring failure modes.
Assess supplier and manufacturing reliability risks during EVT, DVT, and PVT builds, auditing critical processes, materials, and component qualifications.
Establish quality controls, test coverage, and containment protocols for critical hardware components and sub-assemblies.
Define NPI reliability metrics, statistical models, and dashboards to communicate risks and launch readiness to executive leadership.
Act as the Technical Operations SME for hardware reliability, partnering closely with cross-functional engineering, program management, and external CM partners.
Build, standardize, and scale the company’s NPI Hardware Reliability framework, including templates, phase-gate criteria, and lessons-learned mechanisms across multi-hardware platforms.