Hardware Reliability Engineer Technical Lead

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy.

Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.;
San Diego;
Ft. Walton Beach, Florida;
Ann Arbor, Michigan;
London;
Stuttgart;
Munich;
Stockholm;
Bangalore;
Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

We are seeking a Hardware Reliability Engineer Technical Lead to build and scale our hardware reliability function from the ground up (a true 0 to 1 opportunity ). In this high-impact role, you will define product reliability requirements, establish rigorous test strategies, and drive end-to-end execution across high-reliability industries—including automotive, trucking, defense, construction, mining, and agriculture.

As the technical authority for hardware reliability, you will lead cross-functional alignment, manage third-party testing partners, and work directly with external enterprise customers to guarantee our hardware operates flawlessly in the world’s toughest environments. As our product portfolio and team scale, this role offers a direct trajectory into broader engineering leadership.

• Build from 0 to 1:
  Architect, establish, and mature the company-wide Hardware Reliability Engineering function, including processes, frameworks, standards, and lab/supplier capabilities.
• Define Test Strategies & Standards:
  Establish hardware reliability requirements, HALT/ALT protocols, environmental stress testing (thermal, vibration, ingress, shock, ESD), and failure criteria tailored to harsh heavy-duty and defense environments.
• Lead Technical & Supplier Execution:
  Manage and direct 3rd-party test labs and manufacturing partners to execute test plans accurately, on schedule, and to exact specifications.
• Cross-Functional & Customer Integration:
  Serve as the reliability voice across hardware design, quality, and systems engineering teams. Engage directly with external enterprise customers to translate field requirements into technical testing standards and present test results.
• Failure Analysis & Quality Elevation:
  Lead root-cause analysis (FA) on hardware defects or field failures using physics-of-failure approaches, driving corrective actions back into product design.
• Hands-on Technical Contribution:
  Utilize script/automation capabilities (Python, C/C++, or MATLAB) to streamline testing workflows, data collection, and test execution analysis.

• 10+ years of hands-on Hardware Reliability Engineering experience.
• Product Background:
  Direct experience shipping products in consumer electronics combined with at least one heavy-duty/regulated industry ( automotive, trucking, defense, construction, mining, or…