Senior NPI Reliability Engineer (Glasgow)

A leading provider of innovative laser systems to help people in various global markets, including but not limited to renewables, microelectronics, research, life science, automotive, and medicine.

We seek an experienced Senior NPI Reliability Engineer to work as part of the design and development team on the cutting-edge laser products. As an NPI / Reliability Engineer, you will work alongside the mechanical and optical development team to ensure design for manufacturing and reliability remains a key focus during the development cycle of our laser systems.

With a focus on reliability, you will develop test plans for laser systems and sub-systems to determine and validate reliability in line with product lifecycle expectations. You will work with the systems development team to identify critical components of the laser systems and provide inputs to increase lifetime performance through testing and analysis.

Additionally, you will support the optical development team in diagnosing production and field issues through the extraction and analysis of data, working with the quality group to better understand system use.

Through Prototype and Pilot production, you will provide DFX feedback, aid the design team in resolving issues and supply documentation, tooling and training to allow the product to be built in a clean manufacturing environment. You will ensure product compliance with specification and test products through HALT/HASS to identify weaknesses and drive changes.

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES.

• A hands-on approach to work is key to conducting testing on systems and sub-components, setting up and gathering data from a variety of sources (such as accelerometers, thermocouples, and oscilloscopes).
• Lab-based work to test and define processes and optimise designs, such as full system environmental testing, component improvement, and material selection and testing (e.g. adhesives, desiccant etc.) to identify weaknesses and drive improvements.
• Influencing designs and design engineers to ensure Lean / Six-Sigma principles are considered.
• Influencing design to ensure design for manufacturing and reliability is incorporated.
• Leading design FMEA of modules to ensure right first-time designs.
• Interfacing with subcontractors, suppliers and external test facilities.
• Liaising with field service to gather customer validation data.
• Supporting to maintain the lab and standards of the lab space.
• Creating reliability block models for systems.
• Statistical analysis and presentation of test, manufacturing, and supplier data.
• Creating test profiles and programming equipment to carry these out.
• Building prototype and pilot laser systems.
• Defining, testing and implementing production tooling.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Experience in a manufacturing environment, ideally including the transfer from design engineering into manufacturing in a high-tech environment.
• Experience in reliability or system testing, ideally in a high-tech environment, and knowledge of failure lifecycles.
• Degree in science, technology or engineering, or equivalent industrial experience.
• Understanding of vibration profiles affecting systems.
• Reasonable grasp of statistics, particularly those of reliability and failure.
• A passion for solving problems and continuous improvement with an enthusiasm to drive positive change.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to learn quickly – it is expected you will be a hands-on person and will be expected to learn quickly the fundamentals of lasers and how to build and operate them.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Knowledge of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process and elements of project planning.
• Experience of using PLM software (e.g., Agile or similar).
• Cleanroom experience.
• Knowledge of humidity, pressure and thermal expansion and how it affects sealed systems.
• Knowledge of lasers, optics, electronics and opto-mechanics.
• Experience of optical fibre handling.
• Experience of Python, C#, LabVIEW or other object-oriented programming language.
• An understanding of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.