Hardware Reliability Engineer

Company Overview Amperesand is reinventing how the world powers its most critical systems. We are facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity for infrastructure disruption. Electricity demand is skyrocketing, driven by AI factories, electric vehicles, and modern industrial growth. Energy supply is shifting to incorporate a more diverse mix of resources – including solar, gas, and batteries – at a massive scale. And yet the power infrastructure behind our latest mega-projects hasn’t meaningfully changed in nearly 100 years. Supply chains for today’s infrastructure equipment can’t match the pace and sophistication of critical energy projects. Amperesand is building hardware and software that rewrites this broken power infrastructure playbook to support a new era of energy abundance. We’ve built a new class of intelligent, software-defined power infrastructure products leveraging a decade of advanced medium voltage Solid State Transformer research that’s now ready for commercial deployment. Our products and solutions go far beyond the capabilities of traditional electrical equipment. We make power systems that are faster to deploy, dramatically smaller and more efficient, and capable of supporting modern, dynamic energy needs for tomorrow’s most demanding energy consumers. Scalable in-house advanced manufacturing capability is our foundation for meeting timeline and quality expectation to serve infrastructure customers around the world. Amperesand is led by breakthrough energy hardware development veterans and funded by top tier investors who share our vision of building a category-defining energy technology company. With hubs in San Francisco, Reno, and Singapore, our global team is laser focused on building foundational technology to solve the most pressing problems in power infrastructure at scale. Join us in building the power foundation of the future! Role Summary In this role, you will drive end-to-end reliability for our Solid-State Transformer (SST) platform, from concept to field deployment. You will lead cross-functional teams to mitigate program risks via Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)/Fault Tree analysis (FTA) and set clear reliability benchmarks for supplier selection. By developing advanced Physics-of-failure (PoF) modeling and performing expert-level RCA, you will ensure our hardware meets the demanding lifetime required for modern energy infrastructure. Responsibilities: • Assist in the setup and execution of reliability test plans for SST’s (solid state transformer), including thermal mapping and accelerated life testing. • Utilize statistical methods to analyze test data, identifying trends in component or system-level failures. • Participate in DFMEA sessions, helping to document risks and track mitigation actions. • Perform initial root-cause analysis on failed components using lab equipment (microscopes, X-ray, etc.) and coordinate with senior engineers on complex investigations. • Assist in building reliability block diagrams and basic PoF models to predict product lifetime. • Work closely with the Design and Manufacturing teams to communicate test results and ensure reliability targets are met. • Maintain detailed records of test procedures, lab results, and reliability reports for key milestones. • Ability to travel occasionally to different facilities to support hardware deployment and testing. Qualifications: • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Reliability Engineering. • Strong understanding of hardware reliability or circuit analysis. • Basic familiarity with reliability statistics (Weibull distribution, MTBF) and a desire to master advanced Bayesian and Monte Carlo methods. • Comfortable working in a high-voltage lab environment; experience with basic diagnostic tools (Oscilloscopes, Multimeters). • Interest in learning reliability tools such as ReliaSoft (Weibull++, ALTA) or simulation software like Ansys Sherlock. • Nice to have proficiency in Python, MATLAB, or R for data processing and automation. • Excellent written and verbal skills; ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable updates for the team. • A "first principles" thinker who is eager to learn and thrives in a fast-paced hardware startup environment. Please note: This role requires working on-site 5 days a week. We do not offer hybrid or remote options. SF Pay Range $130,000—$170,000 USD Reno Pay Range $106,000—$130,000 USD Candidate Confidentiality & Information Protection As part of our commitment to protecting confidential and proprietary information, candidates should not disclose or provide Amperesand with any confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information belonging to a current or former employer or any other third party during the application or interview process. Please do not submit or present employer-owned source code, schematics, designs, technical documentation, internal presentations, customer information, prototypes, or other confidential materials. Candidates should discuss their experience and accomplishments at an appropriate level and use only information and materials they are authorized to share. Pay Disclosure & Benefits Compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law. The benefits outlined below apply exclusively to employees located in the United States. • Competitive Salary + Incentive Stock Options • Medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees and their dependents, effective from the start of hire • Company paid Basic Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance • 401k retirement savings plan through Empower • Employees receive paid time off (PTO), paid sick days, and paid company holidays • Commuter Benefits • 100% paid maternal leave (12 weeks) and paternal leave (6 weeks) Singapore-based employees receive benefits in accordance with local government provisions. Equal Employment Opportunity Amperesand is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. Amperesand is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.