Staff Engineer – Reliability & Test Methods, Drive Unit

Staff Engineer – Reliability & Test Methods, Drive Unit

Newark, CA

At Lucid, we are creating exceptional mobility experiences through innovation to drive the world forward. Built on Lucid's proprietary technology and software-defined vehicle architecture, our award-winning vehicles bring our "Compromise Nothing™" approach to the global automotive market. That means refusing to choose between performance and sustainability, design and engineering, ambition and integrity. In Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity, we have designed and built vehicles that have redefined their segments, combining exceptional range, performance, design, and expansive space in a single experience.

We achieve this through deep vertical integration, with design, engineering, and production happening in-house across our global offices and manufacturing facilities. Our teams come from industries around the world, united by a shared commitment to excellence. By refusing to settle, you can help redefine what's possible and shape the future of mobility.

Lucid Motors is seeking a Staff Engineer – Reliability & Test Methods to provide technical leadership and system-level ownership for reliability engineering of motor gearboxes, inverters and drive units. This role is critical to ensuring durability, functional safety, and field reliability across current production and future vehicle programs.

At the Staff level, this position goes beyond execution and is responsible for defining reliability strategy, governing test methodologies, influencing design decisions, and driving alignment across engineering, quality, manufacturing, suppliers, and program leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and define the reliability strategy for drive unit systems across development, validation, production, and field.
• Establish and govern test methods, mission profiles, damage models, and reliability metrics aligned with real-world duty cycles.
• Serve as a technical authority for Drive Unit reliability, failure mechanisms, and durability performance.

• Develop, standardize, and continuously improve test methodologies for mechanical, thermal, environmental, and endurance validation.
• Ensure test coverage is sufficient to demonstrate reliability targets for DV/PV, SOP, and sustained production.
• Guide accelerated life testing, power cycling, and system-level durability assessments.

• Lead analysis of test, field, and warranty data to identify trends, failure modes, and systemic risks.
• Drive root cause investigations for critical field issues and QUALs, including support for Product Working Safety Group and functional safety reviews.
• Apply advanced reliability techniques such as FMEA, Weibull/statistical analysis, and physics-of-failure methods.

• Partner closely with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Program Management, and Suppliers to influence robust design and validation decisions.
• Provide reliability guidance during DFMEA, DRs, and change control processes.
• Engage suppliers and external test labs to align on assumptions, inputs, and validation approaches.

• Represent reliability in Reliability Council, drive unit governance forums, and technical reviews.
• Mentor senior and junior engineers; elevate reliability capability across the organization.
• Drive continuous improvement of reliability processes, test efficiency, and knowledge reuse.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in reliability engineering, test methods, or durability validation for electromechanical systems.
• Deep understanding of Drive Unit sub systems, Motors, Inverter, Power Electronics and Gearboxes
• Proven experience defining and executing reliability test strategies at the system level.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in FMEA, Weibull analysis, ALT, and field data correlation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional technical initiatives and influence without authority.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical topics to varied audiences.

Preferred

• Experience in electric vehicle powertrains, drive units, or high-performance automotive systems.
• Familiarity with…