The Role

Mach Industries is seeking a Reliability Engineer who will own the end-to-end reliability lifecycle for our UAS platforms, subsystems, and processes. In this role you will ensure that our systems meet reliability, maintainability, and operational life-expectancy targets in the context of mission-critical defense applications. You will manage data-driven strategies to predict and prevent failures, extend system life, and ensure safe, dependable operation in demanding environments.

You will operate in a fast-paced startup environment, and thus must be comfortable with ambiguity, rapid iteration, cross-functional collaboration, and building out reliability frameworks from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, deploy and maintain a reliability program plan for our UAS platforms and key subsystems (hardware, firmware, software) following best-practices (e.g., failure-mode and effects analysis (FMEA)).
• Define reliability and maintainability requirements and metrics (e.g., MTBF, MTBR, availability, mission readiness, failure rate targets) early in the design lifecycle, and track performance through production and field operation.
• Using data (lab testing, manufacturing, field returns, in-service logs) perform analytics to identify trends, root causes of failures (RCFA), latent defects, and reliability risks-then drive corrective and preventive actions.
• Define and oversee reliability test plans, accelerated life testing, environmental stress screening, field-data analysis, degradation modelling and life-cycle modelling in collaboration with test & validation teams.
• Monitor key reliability indicators (e.g., failure-rate trending, early-life failures, wear-out characteristics, maintenance cost per unit time/mission, parts-life forecasting) and provide actionable insights to leadership.
• Communicate reliability status, risk posture, and improvement plans to senior leadership and stakeholders, including interfacing with defense-customer reliability/quality requirements and audits if applicable.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering or related discipline.
• 5+ years of reliability engineering (or similar) experience in complex hardware-centric systems; preferably in aerospace/defense/unmanned systems or high-reliability industrial/automotive environments.
• Demonstrated experience applying reliability methods such as FMEA, FMECA, and RCFA.
• Strong data-analysis skills: ability to ingest large data sets (field returns, operational logs), perform statistical/trend analysis, build dashboards, derive actionable insights.
• Experience with reliability testing: accelerated life tests, environmental stress screening, vibration/thermal/thermal-cycle/shock/humidity, life-cycle modelling.
• Knowledge of safety-critical system standards and regulatory requirements (e.g., MIL-STD, DO-178, DO-254).

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in UAS/unmanned aerial systems, defense/mission-critical systems, or high-availability aerospace systems.
• Hands-on experience in collaborating with design/production/field teams and influencing change in systems/products based on reliability findings.
• Familiarity with manufacturing and supplier reliability practices, and reliability in high-volume production environments - including supplier reliability and high-volume manufacturing.
• Experience working with growth-stage companies, building reliability infrastructure from the ground up.

Disclosures

This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Please note that any offer for employment may be conditioned on authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations without sponsorship for an export license.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offers may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and training, critical skills, and business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in most offers and are considered part of Mach's total compensation package. Mach offers benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and opportunities for professional development.

If you'd like to defend the American way of life, please reach out!