Senior Failure Analysis Engineer

Senior Failure Analysis Engineer
Location: Hayward, CA (on-site)

About 1X
We’re an AI and robotics company based in Palo Alto, California, on a mission to build a truly abundant society through general-purpose robots capable of performing any kind of work autonomously.

We believe that to truly understand the world and grow in intelligence, humanoid robots must live and learn alongside us. That’s why we’re focused on developing friendly home robots designed to integrate seamlessly into everyday life.

We’re looking for curious, driven, and passionate people who want to help shape the future of robotics and AI. If this mission excites you, we’d be thrilled to hear from you and explore how you might contribute to our journey.

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Failure Analysis Engineer to lead hardware failure investigations across our robotic systems. In this role, you will establish and execute world-class failure analysis capabilities, drive root cause determination at the component and system level, and partner closely with internal teams and external vendors to close reliability gaps. This role requires deep hands-on technical expertise, strong failure mechanism knowledge, and the ability to translate complex findings into clear corrective actions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform mechanical cross sectioning for hardware failure analysis.

• Conduct optical inspection and microscopy (Keyence experience preferred).

• Perform and interpret CT X-ray and 2D X-ray analysis (VGStudio experience preferred).

• Perform FTIR analysis and interpret results.

• Perform Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and interpret results.

• Disassemble Devices Under Test (DUTs) and perform systematic fault isolation.

• Set up and scale a hardware failure analysis laboratory, including equipment selection and workflows.

• Triage failures and develop clear Failure Analysis (FA) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

• Work cross-functionally with design, reliability, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams to identify root causes of hardware failures.

• Drive component-level hardware failure analysis at supplier and vendor sites.

• Onboard and manage relationships with external failure analysis labs.

• Coordinate external FA requests and critically review and interpret third-party analysis results.

• Communicate findings, root causes, and recommendations through written reports and technical reviews.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in hardware failure analysis within automotive, consumer electronics, aerospace, robotics, or similar industries.

• Strong hands-on understanding of mechanical cross sectioning techniques.

• Working knowledge of optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, CT X-ray, FTIR, and Confocal Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (CSAM).

• Advanced understanding of failure concepts and mechanisms, including fatigue, ductile vs. brittle fracture, adhesive vs. cohesive failure, contamination, intermetallic compounds, and corrosion.

• Demonstrated ability to independently drive complex failure investigations.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills to clearly present technical findings.

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus):

• Experience with chemical and metallographic etching techniques.

• Experience with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).

• Experience with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA).

• Experience with Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC).

• Experience with mechanical testing equipment such as Instron and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA).

• Experience building or scaling a hardware failure analysis laboratory from the ground up.

Benefits & Compensation

• Salary Range: $175,800, – $203,800

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) with company match

• Paid time off and holidays