Lead Failure Analysis Engineer
Halter
Lead Failure Analysis Engineer
Halter
Data-driven pasture management for dairy farms
At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations. Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional practices. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break? No quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle walking at their own pace. People say it looks like magic. Our customers are revolutionizing grazing with Halter. It's changing lives and transforming an industry. People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us you’ll be solving challenging problems within a talented team and a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, out-work and out-care. We’re committed to delivering real change in the world - this isn’t easy, and in truth, we love that it’s hard.
We’re backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including Founders Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, BOND, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.
To find out more, visit our LinkedIn & Instagram.
As Failure Analysis Lead, you will be the person who answers the critical question: why did this fail? When a collar dies in our ongoing reliability stress screening, or a batch shows unexpected yield loss on the production line, you will be the person who opens it up, gathers the data, and finds the truth. You will work hands-on with a small team of dedicated technicians, systematically investigating failure modes, forming and testing hypotheses, and translating findings into concrete recommendations that flow back to our production and hardware design teams.
Every failure contains information, and your job is to extract that information rigorously and turn it into action: changes to processes, components, test coverage, or design. The right person for this role will be deeply curious, methodical, and comfortable working in ambiguity.
You will be embedded at our contract manufacturer in Thailand, whilst working closely with the Halter Production team and connected directly to hardware design engineers in New Zealand. You will be a critical link in the feedback loop that keeps our product reliable and improving.
This role is based on-site at our manufacturing facility in Thailand. Candidates must be able to work in Thailand on a full-time basis. Thai nationals are strongly encouraged to apply. Regular interaction with our engineering team in New Zealand will be required, with occasional travel.
Failure Investigation
Own the end-to-end analysis of all hardware failures from reliability testing, production line yield losses, and any other source in the factory.
Conduct structured, first-principles investigations: physical teardown, electrical measurement, data analysis, and hypothesis testing.
Work to distinguish between random defects, systematic process issues, design weaknesses, and component quality problems.
Own the failure analysis backlog: ensure every failure that requires investigation is triaged, tracked, and resolved to a conclusion.
Root Cause Analysis & Documentation
Develop clear failure hypotheses and design experiments to validate or disprove them.
Document findings with precision in Notion and create structured debug processes to scale up the team of technicians.
Maintain a structured failure database that builds institutional knowledge over time.
Feedback to Production & Design
Translate failure analysis findings into evidenced recommendations provided to Production Engineering, Design Engineering, Supplier Quality, or the Contract Manufacturer.
Raise issues early when failure trends suggest systemic risk, and support the escalation process where needed.
Managing the Technician Team
Direct and coordinate a small team of technicians embedded at Calcomp, assigning debug tasks, maintaining quality of data collection, and developing their technical capability.
Set clear standards for how failures are handled, measured, and recorded, and maintain those standards consistently.
Build a well-organised, well-equipped failure analysis workflow at the factory.
Reliability Monitoring
Monitor HASS testing and results to identify trends, outliers, and emerging failure modes.
Contribute to ongoing reliability improvement by connecting data from HASS, production yield, and field returns into a coherent picture of product health.
Must-haves
A degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Mechatronics, or a related field, with hands-on experience in hardware failure analysis or reliability engineering.
Strong practical skills in electronics debugging and experience in investigating hardware failures systematically.
High proficiency in written and spoken English.
Strong documentation discipline.
Comfortable working independently and driving your own workload without close supervision.
Strong advantage
Experience in high-volume electronics manufacturing and/or working alongside a contract manufacturer.
Familiarity with reliability testing methodologies: HASS, HALT, thermal cycling, or accelerated life testing.
Background in fields where product reliability is non-negotiable.
Experience working with international engineering teams across time zones.
Ability to read and interpret test data analytically: you know the difference between a statistically meaningful trend and noise.
Failure analysis is one of the most valuable functions in hardware. The insights you generate directly determine whether we ship a reliable product or not, and they feed directly into design and process decisions that affect all collars we make from that point forward.
You will be connected to a world-class hardware engineering team that wants to know what you find, and who will act on it. We care deeply about understanding our product and this role is a critical part of the feedback loop that enables us to build better and better hardware.
Halter is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace — a place where we can each be ourselves and do the best work of our lives. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and under-represented groups of candidates tend to only apply when they meet every requirement. If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily tick every requirement on this job description, please still get in touch and apply to Halter. We’d love to chat to see if you’ll be an epic fit!
If this opportunity sounds like you, please apply below by sending through your cover letter explaining why you’re excited about this role and working at Halter, along with your CV, and we’ll be in touch!
Please also feel free to check out the careers page for more information on working at Halter and don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram.
Work that genuinely matters. Every now and again a company comes along that transforms an entire industry and leaves the world in a better place. Our team gets to be part of something truly meaningful, helping farmers improve their livelihoods, spend more time with their families, and build more sustainable operations.
Spectacular people solving hard problems. Our culture is designed for talented people to do work that changes lives. The team is filled with diverse, kind, and driven people who push each other to do their best work. You'll be thrown into the deep end, tackling complex challenges and building something tangible that solves real problems.
You'll grow here. Autonomy, mastery, and learning define how we work. You'll have the freedom to work on interesting problems, master new skills, and continuously develop yourself, both through your role and our personal growth fund.
This isn't easy, and we love that it's hard. Working at Halter will be the most rewarding and the most challenging work of your life. We move fast, take bold bets, and work hard to reshape an entire industry. As one team member put it: "Joining Halter is a bit like strapping yourself to a rocket ship, but it's an epic journey to be a part of!"
Halter provides data-driven pasture management for dairy farms. It delivers daily updates on pasture covers, growth rates, and leaf emergence by combining satellite imagery, local weather, biophysical models, grazing data, and seasonal trends. Farmers use the information to decide where and when to graze, optimize fencing and shifting of livestock, and allocate pasture efficiently to boost animal performance. The platform also hosts a community where farmers share experiences and best practices. Halter’s subscription-based service gives farmers ongoing access to the data and tools they need to run their operation more productively and profitably. Goals include helping farmers maximize pasture use and animal productivity, improve resilience to environmental changes, and build a collaborative farming community.
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