PDS Tech is seeking a highly organized and passionate individual to lead and manage our clients Design for Reliability (DfR) team located in San Carlos, CA.
Direct Opportunity!Summary:
The DfR Lead reports within the Testing organization and will focus on driving the Reliability team to assess and help improve the reliability of aircraft and airborne hardware.This role will involve working with teams including, but not limited to, Design, System Safety, Maintenance Engineering, and Testing. The DfR Lead is expected to create strategies and provide technical direction to:

• Ensure product reliability is well understood for safe operation of S4 aircraft.
• Grow product reliability to enable entry into service.
• Effective communication and enabling alignment will be a key attribute sought for this role.

Responsibilities:

• Lead reliability program by creating strategy and developing plans for:
  • Assessment of aircraft reliability & availability.
  • Enabling reliability growth of aircraft and its hardware.
• Manage a team of Design for Reliability Engineers and provide technical direction/guidance, including leading the implementation of DfR tasks such as Design Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (DFMEAs), Reliability Assessment through Analysis, Reliability Assessment through Test, and Failure Analysis and Corrective Actions.
• Develop team and company processes where needed, to ensure the ability to execute DfR and supporting activities in a controlled and repeatable manner.
• Execute and be involved in DfR technical activities for critical systems including Propulsion System and Energy Storage System.
• Interface with Maintenance Engineering and System Safety organizations to implement strategies for the certification of Joby S4 aircraft, involving:
  • Supporting Maintenance Engineering with MSG-3 activities, Maintenance Cost estimation, etc.
  • Supporting Systems Safety with Fault Tree Assessments (FTAs), Functional Hazard Assessments (FHAs), failure probability calculations, etc.Educate others at Joby on DfR (especially Physics of Failure methods) as needed to ensure buy-in and success for reliability analysis/test execution.
• Provide periodic updates to Leadership on the aircraft reliability and program status.

Required:

• B. S. in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or relevant discipline with 10+ years of work experience in relevant industry performing DfR activities.
• Experience building and managing a team of high performing engineers.
• Strong communication and collaborative skills. Imparting influence with people- and technical-skills will be a key trait for success in this role.
• Experience with known methods and standards for reliability and durability testing
• Background in reliability statistics for establishing confidence in reliability estimates
• Hands-on experience with Reliability Software tools (Examples: ReliaSoft, Quanterion, Ansys Sherlock, etc.).
• Hands-on attitude with DfR activities and serve as role model to reporting DfR Engineers.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with strong analytical background.
• High attention to detail.

Desired:

• M.S. / PhD with 8+ years of experience.
• Ansys Sherlock super-user.
• Prior experience with taking a product from concept through deployment in the field.
• Experience testing hardware to DO-160, MIL-810 type (or similar standards) environmental tests.
• Experience with failure analysis (non-destructive) of electronics hardware and high voltage equipment.
• Experience with National Instruments LabView for Data Acquisition and automation (invoking desired equipment functions at different conditions).

PDS Tech Commercial, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or other legally protected status.