Sr. Staff Failure Analysis Engineer
About The Position
Bloom Energy is seeking a Senior Staff Failure Analysis Engineer for a fully on-site role in San Jose, California. The position focuses on investigating failures in field-returned fuel cell components, primarily balance-of-plant (BOP) parts, as well as Hot Box and server parts. The engineer will assess operating conditions and actual part condition against technical specifications and use cases, plan systematic teardowns and measurements, determine root causes, and document findings with detailed descriptions, photographs, and measurements. The role works across engineering, quality, service, installation quality, supplier quality, logistics, factory, controls, data analytics, reliability, and fleet analytics teams. It supports corrective and preventive actions, containment and remediation of affected products, improved product diagnostics, early detection of field issues, and incorporation of lessons learned into future products. The engineer will also establish failure-analysis metrics, develop sampling plans for recurring symptoms, and use failure-analysis results to support reliability and quality improvements.
Requirements
- Bachelor's or master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science, or Physics.
- At least 8 years of technical work experience.
- Knowledge of failure-analysis techniques and tools.
- Hands-on approach to getting work done.
- Ability to establish technical credibility with engineering staff.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish effective cross-functional working relationships and participate on multidisciplinary teams.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and databases.
- Practical working knowledge and application of Statistical Process Control (SPC).
- Proficiency in the application of Design of Experiments (DOE) and ANOVA.
- Strong customer focus, both external and internal.
- Flexibility in a rapidly changing, dynamic working environment.
- Self-initiative and sound judgment on technical projects and improvement initiatives.
- Bias for action and ability to multitask.
- Ability to travel 0–20% of the time.
Responsibilities
- Obtain field-returned parts, investigate their field operating conditions, and determine failure causes.
- Plan systematic teardowns and measurements to identify root causes, prioritizing fast-track analysis for critical parts.
- Document failure-analysis results, including written descriptions, photographs, measurements, evidence, and conclusions.
- Coordinate with in-house engineers and quality personnel to use available analysis equipment, and engage third-party laboratories when needed.
- Work cross-functionally to address failures promptly and to mitigate and prevent recurring failures.
- Incorporate lessons learned into next-generation products.
- Create metrics for failed parts and failure-analysis turnaround times.
- Determine sampling plans when repeated symptoms indicate a known problem.
- Work with Engineering to reproduce and suppress failure modes during testing.
- Collaborate with controls and data analytics teams to detect early symptoms of field issues and improve product self-diagnostics and failure alerts.
- Inform the Fleet Analytics leader of potential failure modes and symptoms to support proactive field sweeps.
- Perform first- and second-level failure analysis of fuel cell components, primarily BOP parts, and of BOP, Hot Box, or server parts.
- Evaluate parts against technical specifications and use cases, considering their actual condition.
- Conduct root cause and corrective action (RCCA) work, prescribe corrective and preventive actions, and verify or validate their effectiveness.
- Record failure-analysis results using the FRACAS process or other systems.
- Work with Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE) to document supplier-part return material authorizations for field failures.
- Work with Quality to contain suspect product ranges and arrange proactive repair, inspection, or return of affected field populations.
- Develop and analyze statistical data to establish standards and ensure product quality and reliability expectations.
- Assist the reliability group in predicting or analyzing part annual failure rates (AFRs) based on failure modes.
- Collaborate with Field Service on efficient methods for conducting failure analysis.
- Prepare and present formal reports to internal and external customers.
Benefits
- Standard company benefits are included in total compensation; specific benefits are not listed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
