What does a reliability engineer do?
A reliability engineer is in charge of determining and managing the asset reliability risks of businesses. Reliability engineers are professionals who solve problems related to engineering. They are equipped with a better understanding of the principles of performance evaluation and prediction for product safety. The job requires knowledge of the field of engineering, strong communication, interpersonal skills, management skills, attention to detail, and reliability. They are also expected to become experts in engineering systems.
Reliability engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real reliability engineer resumes:
- Lead a team of over 20 engineers responsible for implementing NASA human-rating requirements to achieve human-rating safety certification.
- Manage GMP compliance, FDA audits, and the writing of [] procedures.
- Achieve completion of the resistors and capacitor sections of the AVL.
- Lead the implementation of utilizing SPC data for software and test set improvement initiatives.
- Delegate tasks to appropriate CE specialist and manage``burn rate"to prevent cost overrun.
- Design, build, and manage the entire QMS system from the ground up including re-writing all existing technical documentation.
- Verse in PPAP, APQP, SPC, PFMEA, DFMEA, Minitab & DataMyte.
- Evaluate and solve end of life (EOL) component issues.
- Design experiments and analyze data using modeling and statistical tools (such as JMP and Minitab).
- Perform BOM review to screen out EOL, obsolete, non-standard / mix components before preliminary BOM release to manufacturing.
- Conduct experiments and data analysis to support next generation product design and troubleshoot performance issues with current production.
- Add a trap logic's in PLC for root cause for line stops.
- Gain operational understanding of JAVA - GC's, heap, JIT, .jar links, etc.
- Install and configure java applications.
- Design, construct and evaluate RF filter assemblies.
Reliability engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Reliability Engineers are proficient in Java, Troubleshoot, and Ruby. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Writing skills, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Reliability Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Java, 22%
Created programs that utilized programming languages such as Java, Python, C, C++, MATLAB, Swift
- Troubleshoot, 10%
Conducted experiments and data analysis to support next generation product design and troubleshoot performance issues with current production.
- Ruby, 7%
Create Nagios check using Ruby.
- Jenkins, 5%
Implemented Workflows Orchestration using Bamboo also with Jenkins for diff projects.
- Azure, 4%
Learned and worked on new system, such as Azuki, TFS, Jira Bug console, Cassandra, Azure.
- Debugging, 4%
Assisted debugging driver installation error by acquiring error logs for log analysis.
Most reliability engineers use their skills in "java," "troubleshoot," and "ruby" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential reliability engineer responsibilities here:
Speaking skills. The most essential soft skill for a reliability engineer to carry out their responsibilities is speaking skills. This skill is important for the role because "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." Additionally, a reliability engineer resume shows how their duties depend on speaking skills: "presented this model at the 1992 annual reliability and maintainability symposium (rams) in las vegas. "
Writing skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling reliability engineer duties is writing skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." According to a reliability engineer resume, here's how reliability engineers can utilize writing skills in their job responsibilities: "route base data collection -emergency callout inspections -writing detailed reports -thermography inspections both mechanical and electrical -fan balancing -ultrasound inspections"
Listening skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of reliability engineers is listening skills. This skill is critical to many everyday reliability engineer duties, as "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "work with warranty claims and service groups to make sure all failure analysis results are communicated to appropriate parties. "
Math skills. reliability engineer responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This resume example shows what reliability engineers do with math skills on a typical day: "worked with ngc corporate vp in developing innovative mathematical methods of reliability analysis. "
Creativity. Another crucial skill for a reliability engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "creativity." A big part of what reliability engineers relies on this skill, since "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." How this skill relates to reliability engineer duties can be seen in an example from a reliability engineer resume snippet: "evaluated and inventoried all assets to ensure proper documentation in the computerized maintenance management software (cmms) program. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on reliability engineer job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in reliability engineer duties, since "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day reliability engineer responsibilities: "employed statistical analysis and root cause failure analysis techniques to identify machinery problems and recommended solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most reliability engineers are:
- Oracle819 reliability engineers jobs
- General Dynamics212 reliability engineers jobs
- West Fraser186 reliability engineers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable reliability engineer resume templates
Build a professional reliability engineer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your reliability engineer resume.
Compare different reliability engineers
Reliability engineer vs. Manufacturing engineering internship
A manufacturing engineering intern is responsible for assisting the manufacturing engineers on the plant's daily operations, analyzing the manufacturing process and procedures, and recommending strategic solutions to maximize productivity and minimize costs. Manufacturing engineering interns shadow the production staff, inspect the tools and equipment of the manufacturing, analyze the quality control documentation, and perform related administrative tasks to familiarize themselves with the plant structure. A manufacturing engineering intern must have excellent communication and organization skills, as well as the ability to adapt quickly to a fast-paced environment.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between reliability engineers and manufacturing engineering internship. For instance, reliability engineer responsibilities require skills such as "java," "troubleshoot," "ruby," and "tcp ip." Whereas a manufacturing engineering internship is skilled in "cad," "solidworks," "process improvement," and "assembly line." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Manufacturing engineering interns tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $49,245. In contrast, reliability engineers make the biggest average salary, $139,857, in the start-up industry.manufacturing engineering interns tend to reach similar levels of education than reliability engineers. In fact, manufacturing engineering interns are 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Reliability engineer vs. Process engineer internship
A process engineering intern performs various tasks for an organization. These include collaborating with the technical team on cost savings, process efficiency improvements, and technology advancement, attending meetings with leadership teams, and participating in customer trials. Additionally, they may assist with the leadership or management teams in creating standard operating procedures. They are responsible for coordinating with engineers and work on projects assigned by the leadership. Ideal candidates for this role must have a degree in mechanical or industrial engineering, excellent communication skills, and knowledge and experience in process observation.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, reliability engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "java," "troubleshoot," "ruby," and "tcp ip." Meanwhile, a process engineer internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "process engineering," "process improvement," "powerpoint," and "cad." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Process engineer interns tend to reach similar levels of education than reliability engineers. In fact, they're 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Reliability engineer vs. Industrial engineering internship
An industrial engineer intern is a student working in a company to do industrial engineering tasks. Industrial engineering interns assist industrial engineers. They perform process improvement tasks such as the increase in production efficiency and lean manufacturing analysis. They design and implement improved facility layout to optimize product flow and provide improvement times. More so, they conduct self-study for the calculation of efficient performance time, create assembly line drawing, and determine ergonomic issues.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, reliability engineers are more likely to have skills like "java," "troubleshoot," "ruby," and "tcp ip." But a industrial engineering internship is more likely to have skills like "process improvement," "logistics," "sql," and "process flow."
When it comes to education, industrial engineering interns tend to earn similar degree levels compared to reliability engineers. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Reliability engineer vs. Product support engineer
A product support engineer is responsible for resolving technical issues of end-users regarding the products and services offered by the company. Product support engineers conduct troubleshooting operations for system failures and write resolution reports for reference. They also support the product analysts in improving the product's features and processes to prevent the reoccurrence of defects and maintain optimal performance. A product support engineer designs automation procedures and runs multiple diagnostic tests to ensure high-quality outputs and avoid operational delays.
Types of reliability engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
