Amphenol FCi · 1 month ago
Principal Engineer
United States
Full-time
Remote
Lead/Staff
8+ years expAmphenol FCi is a leader in connector technology, and they are seeking a Principal Engineer to provide expert-level reliability and compliance support. This role focuses on developing reliability test programs and managing compliance strategies to ensure product safety and durability throughout the development lifecycle.
Consumer Electronics
Responsibilities
Consume DFMEA outputs and risk evaluation results to identify the highest-priority failure modes requiring reliability test coverage
Define targeted test plans specifying methods, stress levels, sample sizes, acceptance criteria, and pass/fail thresholds — grounded in physics-of-failure principles
Map identified failure modes (contact wear, corrosion, thermal cycling, mechanical fatigue, environmental degradation) to appropriate methods drawn from IEC 60512, USCAR-2, AEC-Q200, MIL-STD, and Amphenol internal standards
Develop and maintain standardized reliability test frameworks, sequence-of-test matrices, and test plan templates across Power BU programs and global sites
Review test results against acceptance criteria; interpret failures in the context of the original risk profile and advise on required design or process responses
Align reliability testing, qualification testing, and certification testing to minimize duplication, reduce cost, and accelerate time to approval
Develop MTBF predictions using MIL-HDBK-217F, Telcordia SR-332, IEC TR 62380, and FIDES methodologies
Build physics-of-failure models to evaluate long-term connector reliability under thermal, mechanical, and electrical stress conditions
Develop mating cycle life models relating contact geometry, plating system, normal force, and mechanics to degradation of contact resistance and electrical performance over time
Define and validate accelerated life testing (ALT) and HALT plans; develop reliability growth models and reliability demonstration test (RDT) matrices for new programs
Analyze field return data to validate predicted failure models and continuously improve prediction accuracy; provide reliability data for customer proposals and qualification packages
Review and provide expert commentary on product designs, drawings, specifications, and test protocols from a reliability and risk perspective
Advise on connector contact system design choices (material, plating, geometry) as they relate to wear life, contact reliability, and mating cycle durability
Support selection of test methods and qualification criteria aligned to IEC, UL, USCAR, AEC-Q200, and customer-specific reliability requirements
Provide guidance on reliability-impacting manufacturing processes — plating thickness, assembly torque, housing material selection — and collaborate with quality and manufacturing teams to ensure process controls support reliability targets
Integrate compliance requirements directly into DFMEA reviews, risk assessments, and reliability test planning — ensuring safety-critical and regulatory-driven failure modes receive appropriate validation coverage
Assess compliance and certification impact of design changes, material substitutions, supplier changes, and manufacturing transfers; manage ongoing certification maintenance requirements
Act as the customer-facing SME representing site engineering on product safety, certification, and regulatory compliance — supporting RFQs, audits, and technical reviews with authoritative, clear responses on certification paths, timelines, and limitations
Lead and support failure analysis investigations (8D, fishbone, fault tree, FTA, SEM/cross-section) for in-process, field, and customer-returned connector products
Identify systemic failure trends across product lines; initiate CAPA in collaboration with design and quality teams
Maintain and grow a reliability knowledge base — capturing lessons learned from failures, test programs, and qualification activities across all programs
Drive continuous improvement in reliability processes and tools; introduce updated methodologies and industry best practices as standards evolve
Correlate field issues and failure analysis results to both reliability models and compliance assumptions, driving continuous improvement across both disciplines
Define and deploy standardized compliance and qualification processes across all Power BU sites — eliminating site-to-site variability and reactive, ad-hoc approaches
Maintain deep knowledge of IEC 60512, UL 1977, USCAR-2, AEC-Q200, and relevant automotive, industrial, and power application standards
Author and maintain reliability engineering procedures, test plan frameworks, MTBF templates, and qualification standards for use across Power BU sites
Prepare and present reliability assessments, risk summaries and MTBF reports for engineering leadership, program teams, and customers
Collaborate with global Engineering Excellence SMEs, quality engineers, and operations teams to align reliability and compliance standards and propagate best practices
Provide training and guidance to engineering teams on compliance fundamentals, certification pitfalls, and integration with reliability best practices
Qualification
Required
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field strongly preferred; Master's degree considered with commensurate experience
8+ years of engineering experience in the connector, electronic components, or related electro-mechanical industry
5+ years of dedicated reliability engineering experience with demonstrated focus on risk-based test planning and lifetime prediction
Proven ability to consume DFMEA outputs and translate high-RPN failure modes into targeted, executable reliability test plans
Experience designing and executing ALT, HALT, and HAST programs, and reliability demonstration tests
Working knowledge of connector design, manufacturing processes (stamping, molding, plating, assembly), and their reliability implications
Experience with statistical tools and reliability software: Weibull++, ReliaSoft, Minitab, or equivalent
Knowledge of Six Sigma and DFSS methodologies is a plus
Risk-based reliability test plan definition
MTBF / reliability prediction modeling
Accelerated life test design and execution
Failure analysis (FTA, 8D, SEM, cross-section)
Statistical reliability analysis (Weibull, etc.)
Connector physics-of-failure knowledge
IEC / USCAR / AEC-Q200 standards knowledge
Technical report writing and presentation
Preferred
Strong analytical and critical thinking
Independent and self-directed work style
Cross-functional influencer — no authority required
Clear communicator of complex technical topics
High attention to detail and process discipline
Proactive — identifies risk early and drives resolution
Collaborative and globally oriented mindset
Committed to continuous improvement and learning
Company
Amphenol FCi
Connectez-vous à l’avenir ! Présent à Besançon depuis 1981 et rattaché à l’un des leaders mondiaux de son domaine depuis 2016, Amphenol FCi conçoit et fabrique des connecteurs de haute qualité.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageCompany data provided by crunchbase