R&D Hardware Engineer - Root Cause​/Failure Analysis Lead

Overview

Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~15,000 employees create world‑class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.

Our award‑winning culture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry‑first solutions. We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.

This critical position leads failure analysis, defect characterization, and root‑cause investigations for Keysight's next‑generation hardware products. You will diagnose complex system, module, and component‑level failures; structure and drive disciplined RCA activities; and ensure timely, clear communication of findings through a weekly RCA dashboard and executive readouts.

You will be part of Keysight Labs' hardware development organization, partnering with multidisciplinary engineering teams across RF, photonics, digital, packaging, and manufacturing. The team values technical rigor, structured problem‑solving, and clear communication.

• Lead end‑to‑end failure analysis investigations for systemic, intermittent, and NPI‑related hardware failures.
• Develop structured problem‑solving plans (5 Whys, Ishikawa, fault‑tree analysis, DOE‑based isolation, etc.).
• Own the weekly RCA dashboard summarizing investigation status, findings, risks, and next steps for leadership.
• Drive cross‑functional review sessions, ensuring alignment on problem statements, data requirements, and closure criteria.

• Perform electrical, mechanical, thermal, and materials‑level failure diagnostics using appropriate test methods and analytical tools.
• Reproduce, isolate, and characterize failures in collaboration with product designers and test engineering.
• Interpret complex data sets, test results, and statistical patterns to identify failure mechanisms.
• Document clear, data‑driven root‑cause conclusions and recommended corrective actions.

• Partner with design, reliability, manufacturing, and supplier teams to validate findings and ensure robust corrective actions.
• Provide feedback to design teams on systemic trends, design margins, and reliability opportunities.
• Support design verification, environmental stress tests, and reliability qualification review as needed.

• BS, MS, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of electronics fundamentals, hardware system behavior, and failure mechanisms.
• Demonstrated proficiency with troubleshooting tools (oscilloscopes, VNAs, logic analyzers, curve tracers, thermal imaging, etc.).
• Experience with structured problem‑solving methodologies (5 Whys, FMEA, 8D, DOE).
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical content into concise status updates and dashboards.
• Highly organized and effective at managing multiple parallel investigations.
• Strong collaborator who works well in diverse, multidisciplinary teams.

• 5+ years experience in hardware failure analysis, reliability engineering, or root‑cause/problem‑solving roles.
• Experience working with RF, high‑speed digital, photonics, power electronics, or mixed‑signal hardware systems.
• Familiarity with reliability stress testing methods (HALT/HASS, HTOL, thermal cycling, vibration, etc.).
• Experience building dashboards or structured reports for leadership (Power BI, Excel, JMP, etc.).
• Knowledge of manufacturing defect modes and supplier‑related failure mechanisms.

Candidates must be local or willing to relocate to Santa Rosa, CA

This position requires access to certain goods, software, technology, or technical data subject to U.S. export control laws and…