Staff Reliability Engineer

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Costa Mesa, California or Quincy, Massachusetts, or Quonset, Rhode Island

6-month contract to hire

$140/hr - $190/hr

Job Description

An aerospace and defense client is seeking a dedicated and proactive Site Reliability Engineer. Domains may include Air Dominance & Strike, Counter-UAS, Maritime, Ground Systems, Space, and Mission Autonomy. These are highly collaborative, hands‑on roles spanning the entire product lifecycle - from early concept trade studies and detailed design through manufacturing scale‑up, production, and sustained field performance. You'll be the reliability champion throughout the design and development process, working closely with mechanical, electrical, and software engineering teams to ensure designs are robust. You'll also partner with manufacturing, quality, test operations, and field service teams to transition these products from engineering prototypes to production‑ready systems. Your scope will span performing predictive reliability analysis and FMEAs, developing and executing qualification and production test plans, leading root‑cause failure investigations from both the factory floor and the field, and closing the loop to drive continuous design and process improvements. We are looking for candidates who bring deep technical knowledge of hardware reliability and failure mechanisms, practical experience in both design and production environments, and the ability to drive cross‑functional alignment without direct authority. These roles demand independent, data‑driven engineers who can build reliability infrastructure from the ground up and take ownership of product performance from concept to deployment.

Required Skills & Experience

• Minimum of 5 years experience as a Reliability Engineer, Design/Development Engineer, or Test Engineer
• B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
• Experience with safety‑critical hardware & software systems in the defense or aerospace industry
• Experience or familiarity with MIL-STD-810, MIL-HDBK-217, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-516C, and MIL-STD-1629
• Experience setting up a Reliability Engineering framework for a product or program, including support of production testing, field testing, data acquisition, and data analysis
• Expertise in reliability analysis techniques, including FMEA/FMECA, predictive modeling, Weibull analysis, and Fault Tree Analysis
• Experience with generating qualification testing requirements and executing tests to proactively characterize product behavior and performance
• Failure investigation/analysis experience with proven track record of solving problems and preventing reoccurrence
• Design Review Experience (PDR, CDR, MRR) and confidence in presentation skills across all levels of leadership
• Eligibility to obtain/maintain a U.S. Secret clearance, as required

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

• M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
• Experience with MIL-HDBK-217Plus, MIL-HDBK-472, MIL-STD-1916
• Experience with Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Assessments, Manufacturing Review Board (MRB), Quality Inspection, Tooling, or Calibration
• Experience with risk management, change control/change management reviews, and software/firmware HITL/SITL
• Experience with HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Testing), HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screening), Environmental Testing, and/or Mechanical Testing
• Technical writing experience developing requirements, standards, specifications, user guides, and policies

Exact compensation may vary based on several factors, including skills, experience, and education. Benefit packages for this role will start on the 31st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.