Principal Reliability Engineer
onsemi · San Jose, CA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Reliability
- Base pay
- $131k–$223k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 8+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 2 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior reliability role at onsemi (industrial) in San Jose, CA. To build in reliability & quality into NPD products, the reliability engineer gets involved in technology development & package development, design of experiments (DOE), material and process characterization & validation & reliability evaluation & process.
- They ask for
- 8+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, DOE, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)
- Base pay
- $131k–$223k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Reliability Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $115k–$175k. This one lists $131k–$223k.
Median of the low and high ends of 69 live postings that list pay, out of 154 reliability engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 153 other live reliability postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 24% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (8+ vs 5+)
Typical $115k–$169k, from 67 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 71%
- New product launch 45%
- FMEA 36%
- Automation 29%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 24%
- SPC 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Reliability team at onsemi
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: onsemi in San Jose
1 other open role at this site.
- Senior Director, AI NPD Platforms & Engineering Intelligence · Manufacturing · Director+
Full description from onsemiAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Job Summary
We are now looking for a Principal Reliability Engineer. The position is an individual contributor role, working on NPD Reliability Engineering & qualifications, and MP change
qualifications
as needed.
Job Description &
Responsibilities
- ◆For NPD projects, the engineer is to work with Design, Marketing, Technology, PI, PE, TE, and PKG to develop and execute the DfR, reliability strategy and qualification execution. Participate weekly NPD meetings with cross functional teams.
- ◆For new product development, the reliability engineer is coordinating with Design team for integrating lessons learn into Design-for-Reliability BKMs
- ◆To build in reliability & quality into NPD products, the reliability engineer gets involved in technology development & package development, design of experiments (DOE), material and process characterization & validation & reliability evaluation & process and product qualifications. Results from these DOEs & process characterization & reliability evaluation will be employed to improve the quality and reliability of products.
- ◆The engineer works closely with PE and TE to review the NPD test program development to ensure Test Quality in NPD process with various defect screen strategies
- ◆Participate in Product Validation Process and provide engineering inputs to improve NPD Quality & Reliability
- ◆Provide engineering inputs and reliability risk assessment to NPD cross functional teams to ensure reliable and robust products are designed and developed through NPD flow.
- ◆Lead the NPD cross-functional teams for the Qualification Readiness Checks
- ◆In case of failures happening during Qual stress tests, the engineer needs to perform 1st level reject disposition teamwork with Product Engineers for FA and root cause analysis and request corrective or preventive actions if applicable.
- ◆Be responsible for working with PE on drift analysis of the Qualification tests, and electrical data analysis of the qualification rejects
- ◆The job requires the engineer to participate in assessment of Qual Material Readiness and Test program readiness required to release qualification materials into qualification process. The engineer should write clear and complete Qual readiness reports and risk assessments, and reliability qualification reports.
Qualifications
- ✓A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in an Engineering discipline; M.S. degree or Ph.D. in electrical engineering is preferred.
- ✓Minimum 8 years of Semiconductor IC Reliability, Rel Engineering or Product Engineering experience required
- ✓Experienced in reliability stress methodologies, reliability acceleration models, reliability hardware design, and Product Qualification flow/tests; Familiar with industrial standards (AEC Q100, JEDEC, IPC) for Qualification & PCN process.
- ✓Knowledgeable and experienced with CMOS devices physics, Device & Circuit Reliability, Design for Reliability, and familiar with reliability statistics & models.
- ✓Knowledgeable and experienced with CMOS package, assembly process, semiconductor package failure modes;
- ✓Provide engineering inputs to NPD cross functional teams to ensure reliable and robust products.
- ✓Responsible for the successful completion of reliability deliverables in the company’s Product Development Process
- ✓Experience with Product or Test Engineering, familiar with drift analysis of Qualification samples
- ✓Effective engineering analytical and problem-solving skills; familiar with FA & RCCA flows
- ✓Effective oral and written communication skills; Effective meeting and presentation skills.
- ✓Effective analytical and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated ability to commit to assigned tasks.
- ✓For NPD projects, the engineer is to work with Design, Marketing, Technology, PI, PE, TE, and PKG to develop and execute the DfR, reliability strategy and qualification execution. Participate weekly NPD meetings with cross functional teams.
- ✓For new product development, the reliability engineer is coordinating with Design team for integrating lessons learn into Design-for-Reliability BKMs
- ✓To build in reliability & quality into NPD products, the reliability engineer gets involved in technology development & package development, design of experiments (DOE), material and process characterization & validation & reliability evaluation & process and product qualifications. Results from these DOEs & process characterization & reliability evaluation will be employed to improve the quality and reliability of products.
- ✓The engineer works closely with PE and TE to review the NPD test program development to ensure Test Quality in NPD process with various defect screen strategies
- ✓Participate in Product Validation Process and provide engineering inputs to improve NPD Quality & Reliability
- ✓Provide engineering inputs and reliability risk assessment to NPD cross functional teams to ensure reliable and robust products are designed and developed through NPD flow.
- ✓Lead the NPD cross-functional teams for the Qualification Readiness Checks
- ✓In case of failures happening during Qual stress tests, the engineer needs to perform 1st level reject disposition teamwork with Product Engineers for FA and root cause analysis and request corrective or preventive actions if applicable.
- ✓Be responsible for working with PE on drift analysis of the Qualification tests, and electrical data analysis of the qualification rejects
- ✓The job requires the engineer to participate in assessment of Qual Material Readiness and Test program readiness required to release qualification materials into qualification process. The engineer should write clear and complete Qual readiness reports and risk assessments, and reliability qualification reports.
Requirements
- ✓A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in an Engineering discipline; M.S. degree or Ph.D. in electrical engineering is preferred.
- ✓Minimum 8 years of Semiconductor IC Reliability, Rel Engineering or Product Engineering experience re
