Sr. Systems Reliability Engineer

Milwaukee Tool•Brookfield, WI

About The Position

The Sr. Systems Reliability Engineer provides technical leadership in the development, validation, and reliability of complex product systems integrating electrical hardware, embedded firmware, software, communications, and connected technologies. The role applies systems, reliability, and test engineering skills to identify and mitigate reliability risks across platform architectures, with emphasis on electrical design and hardware-firmware-software interfaces. Working cross-functionally with Electrical Engineering, Firmware, Software, Systems Engineering, Test Engineering, Quality, Product, and Service teams, the engineer ensures that system requirements, interfaces, failure modes, and reliability expectations are understood and validated throughout the product development lifecycle. The role leads reliability efforts for platform designs and engineering changes, develops risk-based verification and validation strategies, investigates system failures, and applies field and test data to improve future products. Domestic and international travel of approximately 10% is required.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, such as Electrical, Computer, or Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
At least 5 years of relevant experience in product development, systems engineering, electrical engineering, embedded systems, reliability engineering, or system validation.
Experience applying reliability principles to complex electromechanical and/or embedded systems.
Working knowledge of electrical and electronic system design, including the ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, component datasheets, and system architecture diagrams.
Knowledge of embedded firmware architectures and hardware-firmware interfaces, including sensors, actuators, communication interfaces, memory, timing, power states, and fault handling.
Experience leading technical risk assessments, including DFMEA and other structured reliability or risk-analysis methods.
Experience developing and executing system verification and validation.
Experience with Design of Experiments, life-data analysis, Weibull analysis, and related statistical reliability techniques and tools.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical investigations and drive problems to root cause across multiple engineering disciplines.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical issues to technical and non-technical audiences.
Demonstrated technical knowledge and ability to influence engineering decisions across cross-functional teams.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally approximately 10%.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
Experience with requirements management and systems engineering methods.
Experience with embedded communication interfaces and protocols such as CAN, UART, SPI, I²C, BLE, Wi-Fi, or similar technologies.
ASQ Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) certification or willingness to achieve certification.
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) or Six Sigma experience.

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional reliability efforts for new platform reference designs and engineering changes, translating user requirements, field performance, and warranty insights into reliability requirements and design improvements.
Collaborate with Engineering and Product/Marketing teams to translate user needs into measurable Critical-to-Quality interface and system reliability targets that account for intended use, environmental conditions, system interactions, Service needs, and customer expectations.
Evaluate interfaces between electrical hardware, embedded firmware, software, communications, and external systems to identify integration and system-level reliability risks.
Lead system and design risk assessments, including DFMEA, interface risk analysis, and fault propagation analysis, throughout the product development lifecycle.
Support Advanced Engineering activities focused on high-risk technologies, architectures, interfaces, and CTQs.
Communicate progress, barriers, and business risks or opportunities across the organization.
Lead the development of risk-based system verification and validation strategies across interfaces, products, and systems.
Develop test plans and procedures to demonstrate that products and integrated systems meet reliability targets, Service targets, and end-user needs.
Collaborate with test laboratories and cross-functional engineering teams to execute system-level reliability and validation plans.
Analyze test and field data using statistical methods such as Weibull analysis, life-data analysis, reliability distributions, and Design of Experiments.
Draw technically defensible conclusions from testing and communicate risks and recommendations to engineering and business stakeholders.
Lead system-level root-cause investigations involving complex system interactions.
Lead Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action (FRACA) activities and ensure corrective actions address underlying system failure mechanisms.
Translate Service, Field Quality, and warranty learnings into design requirements, reliability models, test methods, and future product improvements.