Senior Reliability Technician
Description
Mini-Circuits designs, manufactures and distributes integrated circuits, modules, and sub-systems for high-performance radio frequency (RF) and microwave applications. With design, sales and manufacturing locations in over 30 countries, Mini-Circuits’ products are used in a range of wired and wireless communications applications. Our products are also used in detection, measurement and imaging applications, including military communication, guidance and electronic countermeasure systems, commercial, scientific, military land, sea and aircraft; automotive systems, medical systems, and industrial test equipment.
Mini-Circuits’ sells its products to over 20,000 customers globally through our direct sales force, applications engineering staff, sales representatives, as well as through our extensive website.
Position Summary:
The Senior Reliability Technician provides advanced hands-on support to the Reliability Engineering team in the execution of product qualifications, environmental and reliability stress testing, sample preparation, inspection, data collection, and failure analysis activities for RF and microwave electronic components.
This position is responsible for coordinating and executing routine laboratory activities, preparing and monitoring reliability tests, performing visual and electrical inspections, troubleshooting test setups and equipment, maintaining accurate records, and supporting investigations related to product performance and qualification results.
The Senior Reliability Technician also helps coordinate laboratory priorities, improves laboratory practices, and provides technical guidance to less-experienced technicians. This role requires strong troubleshooting skills, careful attention to detail, sound technical judgment, and effective communication with Engineering, Quality, Production, external laboratories, and third-party reliability partners.
Salary Range: $35.00 - $42.00 per hour
Job Function:
- Execute and coordinate reliability qualifications for new products, product or process changes, vendor qualifications, and customer-specific requirements.
- Review approved test plans, procedures, sample requirements, and work instructions before testing.
- Prepare samples through labeling, serialization, inspection, handling, and loading into fixtures, test boards, ovens, or environmental chambers.
- Set up, verify, monitor, and complete temperature cycling, high-temperature storage, humidity, HTOL, THB, HAST, MSL preconditioning, vibration, and mechanical-shock testing.
- Verify test conditions, chamber profiles, bias conditions, monitoring channels, fixture connections, and data-acquisition settings.
- Perform and document pre-test, interim, and post-test visual and electrical inspections.
- Troubleshoot equipment, fixtures, test boards, cabling, contact issues, and basic electrical abnormalities.
- Identify and report abnormal samples, equipment problems, unexpected conditions, test interruptions, and potential reliability concerns.
- Maintain complete records of sample status, serial numbers, test conditions, inspection results, failures, photographs, and observations.
- Review test records for accuracy, completeness, consistency, and traceability.
- Organize test data and prepare summaries and status updates for engineering review.
- Support failure analysis by preparing and tracking samples and coordinating CSAM, X-ray, cross-sectioning, decapsulation, microscopy, SEM, and other analysis methods.
- Coordinate with third-party laboratories regarding requirements, sample information, schedules, progress, and results.
- Operate and support environmental chambers, ovens, microscopes, power supplies, multimeters, data loggers, and related laboratory equipment.
- Support equipment calibration, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, and service activities.
- Assist with laboratory scheduling, priorities, equipment availability, and communication of schedule risks.
- Develop and improve work instructions, checklists, test records, and data-collection templates with engineering approval.
- Recommend improvements to fixtures, procedures, sample handling, test execution, and documentation.
- Train and provide technical guidance to junior technicians.
- Maintain an organized, safe, and ESD-compliant laboratory environment.
The duties and responsibilities described above are not comprehensive. Additional tasks may be assigned within the scope of the position.
Qualifications
- High school diploma, GED, or international equivalent required.
- 5-7 years of experience required.
- Technical degree, certification, or equivalent hands-on experience in electronics, engineering, manufacturing, reliability, quality, or a related field.
- More than five years of relevant experience in a technical, manufacturing, quality, reliability, semiconductor, electronics, or laboratory environment.
- Hands-on experience troubleshooting test setups, fixtures, equipment, electronic components, or electrical connections.
- Experience working with electronic components, test boards, fixtures, and laboratory equipment.
- Ability to interpret and follow test plans, procedures, work instructions, equipment manuals, and engineering direction.
- Working knowledge of electronic components, assemblies, soldered boards, electrical measurements, and ESD practices.
- Ability to document test results, observations, sample status, and inspection findings clearly and accurately.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and electronic recordkeeping.
- Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and commitment to quality workmanship.
- Ability to manage multiple activities and changing priorities in a fast-paced engineering environment.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with Engineering, Quality, Production, technicians, and external laboratories.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience using microscopes, multimeters, power supplies, environmental chambers, data loggers, and other laboratory equipment.
- Familiarity with temperature cycling, high-temperature storage, humidity testing, HTOL, THB, HAST, MSL, vibration, and mechanical shock.
- Experience with chamber profiling, test-condition verification, biased reliability testing, or multichannel data acquisition.
- Familiarity with JEDEC, MIL-STD, AEC-Q, or similar reliability standards.
- Experience supporting equipment calibration, preventive maintenance, and service activities.
- Experience with CSAM, X-ray, cross-sectioning, decapsulation, optical microscopy, SEM, or related failure-analysis methods.
- Experience with RF and microwave components, GaAs or GaN devices, semiconductor devices, IC and QFN packages, or hybrid microelectronic assemblies.
- Basic soldering, wiring, fixture assembly, or board-level troubleshooting skills.
- Experience coordinating with external qualification, environmental-testing, or failure-analysis laboratories.
- Experience training or providing technical guidance to junior technicians.
Physical Demand
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit and use hands to operate a computer keyboard. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Cultural Focus
- Displays enthusiasm and Passion for their work
- Works to the standard of Uncompromising Quality by meeting or exceeding stated objectives and embracing continuous improvement
- Exercises sound Business Judgement, ensuring that efforts are on track with the Company’s goals
- Operates with the mindset of Customer Obsession – by meeting or exceeding expectations to both internal and external customers
- Takes Accountability by taking ownership and accepting responsibility for their conduct and contributions
- Demonstrates a strong sense of urgency and accomplishes tasks with Speed and attention to detail
- Cooperates, collaborates and contributes to shared goals with a strong sense of Teamwork
- Conducts themselves with Honesty & Integrity and treats all members with Trust & Respect
Additional Requirements/Skills
- Comply, understand, and support corporate safety initiatives to ensure a safe work environment
- Ability and willingness to abide by Company’s Code of Conduct
Disclaimer: The listed qualifications and requirements for each position are intended as guidelines. Mini-Circuits reserves the right to hire outside of these guidelines at Management’s discretion.
Mini-Circuits is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, familial status, gender identity, gender dysphoria, pregnancy-related condition, and domestic violence victim status or protected class characteristic, or any other protected characteristic as established by federal or state law.