Design Reliability Engineer

Job Function

R&D Product Development

R&D Mechanical Engineering

Scientific/Technology

Santa Clara, California, United States of America

The Robotics and Digital solutions (RAD) group, part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, is recruiting for a Design for Reliability (DfR) Engineer for the Robotics and Digital R&D Team. This position is located in Santa Clara, CA.

At Johnson & Johnson Med Tech, we are building the future of robotic surgery and healthcare through innovation and technical excellence. Our goal is to develop advanced robotic platforms that are precise, reliable, and accessible. Our team focuses on creating solutions that empower surgeons and improve patient outcomes worldwide.

Within RAD R&D we are a team of clinical, electrical, firmware, mechanical, mechatronics, robotic controls, systems and software engineers who are passionate about improving patient care. The team includes a wide range of experience levels from junior engineers to industry experts. We follow an iterative, collaborative approach to product development, working across clinical, instrument, accessories, and system teams. We prioritize autonomy, foster a culture of learning, and value diversity of thought and background.

Our environment is inclusive, supportive, and driven by a shared commitment to innovation and excellence in healthcare.

As a key member in our DfR team, you will join us in our journey to deliver some of the most advanced medical robotic systems in the world. You will embed reliability thinking into product design teams and develop specifications for our surgical robotic system. This role will drive reliability analysis, fatigue and durability assessment, and test specification development to ensure products meet lifetime requirements.

The DfR Engineer will partner closely with Field Reliability Engineering, Failure Analysis, Reliability Testing, Design and Clinical engineering teams to follow through between lab testing, field performance, and product requirements.

• Translate product requirements into reliability targets, risk assessments, and verification plans for robotic hardware subsystems including actuators, motors, encoders, sensors and cabling/connectors.
• Lead DFMEA reviews and recommend failure detections and mitigations for electro‑mechanical assemblies.
• Drive reliability‑focused design reviews (component selection, materials, architectures).
• Participate in issue/change reviews to evaluate impacts on reliability and testing.
• Develop and maintain reliability related specifications and lifecycle requirements for robotic subsystems.
• Identify operational loads/stresses and convert them into test inputs and load spectra.
• Perform fatigue/durability analysis, build damage models, and correlate with test and field data.
• Partner with test engineering to define and validate ALT and custom fatigue/durability tests.
• Capture lessons learned; update FMEAs, design standards, and test methods.
• Collaborate with Field Reliability and Clinical Engineering to integrate field/clinical feedback.
• Define reliability metrics and dashboards (life curves, damage accumulation, margin).

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, Biomedical, equivalent work experience, or similar engineering field.
• 2+ years of hands‑on experience in reliability engineering, DfR, structural fatigue, durability, or a closely related role.
• Experience developing and reviewing dFMEAs and translating failure modes into design/test requirements.
• Strong mechanical fatigue/durability fundamentals.
• Familiarity with engineering analysis tools (e.g., FEA tools for stress analysis, or equivalent), and data‑analysis tools (Excel, MATLAB, Python, or similar).
• Familiarity with reliability/statistical methods (basic Weibull, life data analysis, confidence intervals, regression).
• Good understanding of materials behavior, component selection trade‑offs, and environmental stressors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to convey technical findings to designers,…