Hardware Failure Analysis Technician (Oakland, CA)

Our Customer is an American financial services and digital payments company based in San Francisco, California. They’re working to help their diverse audiences — sellers, individuals, artists, fans, developers, and all the people in between — overcome barriers to access the economy.

We are seeking a highly motivated Hardware Failure Analysis Technician on a contract basis to help support our Customer's business needs. This role is on-site in Oakland, CA.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience diagnosing why products fail and is eager to apply those skills to failure analysis investigations, hardware disassembly, and cross-functional collaboration. You will set up and execute failure analysis plans, monitor field returns for emerging issues, and support quality investigations requiring technical problem-solving. Reporting to the FA Lead, you will work closely with mechanical and electrical design engineers, quality engineering, product management, data analysis, operations, logistics, and engineering program managers to understand field performance and prioritize issues.

Responsibilities:

• Perform hands-on triage and root cause analysis on returned hardware units
• Reproduce reported issues and document steps, conditions, and results in detail
• Execute failure analysis plans and identify opportunities for improvement
• Collaborate with engineering teams to support deeper failure analysis investigations
• Participate in issue reviews and contribute to identifying risks and next steps
• Identify recurring failure patterns across units and escalate findings
• Maintain organized tracking of all units, including active and deprioritized items
• Ensure accurate and thorough documentation of all analysis and findings

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience
• 1-3 years of experience in failure analysis, triage, or root cause investigation for consumer electronics
• Hands-on experience with hardware such as smartphones, tablets, or similar devices
• Knowledge of electrical engineering fundamentals, including voltage, current, and resistance
• Experience using lab equipment such as multimeters, microscopes, data loggers, and thermocouples
• Experience performing device teardowns and disassembly
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage complex and ambiguous issues
• High attention to detail and strong documentation skills
• Ability to identify patterns and trends across multiple failure cases
• Ability to work independently and manage workload without close supervision

Preferred Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of experience triaging and root-causing consumer electronics failures
• Experience with tools such as Snowflake, Jira, or Looker
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics

We offer a competitive salary range for this position. Most candidates who join our team are hired at the median of this range, ensuring fair and equitable compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Contractor benefits are available through our 3rd Party Employer of Record (Available upon completion of waiting period for eligible engagements)

Benefits: Medical, Dental, and 401k (no match)

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.