Staff Failure Analysis Engineer

Agility Robotics•Salem, OR

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Agility Robotics is seeking an experienced Field Failure Analysis Engineer to investigate electromechanical, hardware, and system-level failures across deployed Digit fleets. The role bridges field operations, customer deployments, and engineering design teams to contain field escapes, determine physics-of-failure mechanisms, and drive corrective and preventive actions into manufacturing and future system architectures. The engineer leads physical and system-level investigations of returned modules, correlates physical failure modes with fleet telemetry and system logs, and reproduces anomalies in laboratory environments. The role also owns structured root-cause and corrective-action processes, establishes containment and inspection procedures, manages internal and external testing resources, standardizes return-material and depot analysis workflows, and reports fleet-quality metrics to engineering and operations leadership. This is an onsite position at Agility Robotics’ Salem, Oregon facility, with regular presence in testing labs, service centers, and assembly lines. Travel of up to 20% is expected to customer logistics centers, field trial sites, or component suppliers for urgent containment and on-site failure characterization. The anticipated base salary range is $147,000–$191,000 USD. The final offer depends on factors including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience; the range may not apply to other locations and may be modified in the future.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 6 years of hands-on failure analysis, field quality, or reliability engineering experience supporting complex electromechanical systems.
Experience supporting systems in robotics, autonomous vehicles, EV/powertrain, aerospace, or heavy industrial automation.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot cross-domain issues involving mechanical stress or wear, electrical signal degradation, motor-drive failures, and firmware/sensor interactions.
Practical mastery of 8D, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), FMEA, and Ishikawa diagrams, with a record of verified corrective actions that eliminated field failure modes.
Proficiency with bench diagnostic tools such as DMMs, high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, optical microscopy, thermal cameras, and torque test fixtures.
Current authorization to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Linux environments, ROS, CAN/EtherCAT protocol analyzers, and cloud-based time-series data visualization tools such as Grafana, Datadog, or custom fleet dashboards.
Working knowledge of functional-safety considerations, including ISO 13849 and IEC 62061, in industrial automation or mobile robotics.
Experience managing third-party destructive and non-destructive testing laboratories, including SEM, EDX, and X-ray/CT scanning.
ASQ certification (CQE or CRE) or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end failure investigations of field-returned modules, including actuators, gearboxes, cable harnesses, PCBAs, motor controllers, safety sensors, and battery management systems.
Correlate physical failure modes with fleet telemetry, onboard CAN/EtherCAT logs, crash dumps, and time-series sensor data; reproduce field anomalies in laboratory environments.
Lead structured problem-solving and 8D/CAPA execution for critical field excursions, partnering with Design Engineering, Manufacturing Quality, and Supplier Quality on permanent reliability and serviceability improvements.
Define rapid field-containment protocols, triage criteria, and inspection work instructions for field technicians and customer-support teams during safety-critical or fleet-wide failures.
Oversee internal failure-analysis lab equipment and coordinate advanced external analytical testing, including CT scanning, SEM/EDX, cross-sectioning, and metallurgical analysis.
Standardize teardown procedures, failure-code taxonomies, and disposition tracking across repair depots and Salem assembly facilities.
Analyze fleet return rates, Mean Time Between Incidents (MTBI), and component failure modes; deliver Pareto metrics and technical executive summaries to engineering and operations leadership.
Travel to customer logistics centers, field trial sites, or component suppliers for urgent containment and on-site failure characterization.

Benefits

401(k) plan with a 6% company match.
Company stock options.
100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance for employees.
Benefits eligibility beginning on the first day of employment.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Flexible, unlimited PTO and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown, for exempt employees.
For non-exempt employees: 10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown, annually.
Catered lunches four times a week and healthy snacks and refreshments at Salem and Pittsburgh locations.
Paid parental leave programs.
Flexible work arrangements.
Professional development and tuition reimbursement programs.
Relocation assistance for eligible roles.
Annual discretionary bonus for eligible roles.