What does a senior reliability engineer do?
Senior reliability engineers are responsible for identifying and managing asset reliability risks that can cause a stoppage and delay of plant or business operations. They are responsible for monitoring production losses and high-maintenance cost assets and finding ways to reduce them. Other duties typically include working closely with project engineers to ensure the reliability of new and existing installations, participating in the final inspection of new installations, and providing input to plans aimed at mitigating and managing risks.
Senior reliability engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior reliability engineer resumes:
- Utilize IR, laser, and probing techniques that lead to the identification of new failure mechanisms.
- Used RCM analysis on equipment to develop effective maintenance strategies to manage risk and improve reliability of assets.
- Cloud Virtualization environment, manage with Rightscale.
- Lead the ISO preparation team for the reliability department support by familiar ISO9000 philosophies yielding operationally profitable results.
- Produce LTRS system-and subsystem-level failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) reports.
- Perform FMEA on new and existing product to identify failure modes and their severity on the system performance.
- Compile and analyze equipment repair and failure data to improve system reliability and maintainability.
- Facilitate FMECA, HAZOP, HAZID and LOPA sessions for numerous oil and gas clients.
- Review and disposition material submit to MRB.
- Participate in MRB action for defective product and materials.
- Complete a RCA on fail power supply modules for a medium voltage VFD.
- Conduct detail RCA and prepares logic tree report in accordance with establish best practices.
- Lead product team compliance with customer requirements in an ISO-9000, AS9100 defense/aerospace environment.
- Operate SEM, samples preparation, FTIR, and work with outside vendors for testing.
- Complete a FEMCA on the coal dryer and develop a RCM program to improve the reliability.
Senior reliability engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Senior Reliability Engineers are proficient in Jenkins, Azure, and Ruby. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Writing skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Senior Reliability Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Jenkins, 10%
Configured automation systems and Ci systems using Jenkins.
- Azure, 9%
Conduct daily scrum and SE sprint planning aligned with Azure Engineering's cadence in TFS.
- Ruby, 9%
Create Nagios check using Ruby.
- Microservices, 4%
Migrated microservices to run on Kubernetes on AWS using Terraform and Ansible.
- Product Development, 4%
Provide reliability input into product development and product improvement teams.
- Continuous Improvement, 4%
Identify opportunities for continuous improvement regarding operational costs, including energy usage and act upon findings to implement effective solutions.
Most senior reliability engineers use their skills in "jenkins," "azure," and "ruby" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior reliability engineer responsibilities here:
Speaking skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior reliability engineer to have is speaking skills. You can see how this relates to what senior reliability engineers do because "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." Additionally, a senior reliability engineer resume shows how senior reliability engineers use speaking skills: "supervised two reliability test technicians and presented reliability mtbf test results to management and customers. "
Writing skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior 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 senior reliability engineer resume, here's how senior reliability engineers can utilize writing skills in their job responsibilities: "experience in writing preventative maintenance (pm) procedures based on failure history and design to operational deficiencies based on ragageps. "
Creativity. senior reliability engineers are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to senior reliability engineer responsibilities, because "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." A senior reliability engineer resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "implemented the cmms system maximo at all locations utilizing works orders, preventive maintenance, and mro inventory management. "
Listening skills. senior reliability engineer responsibilities often require "listening skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." This resume example shows what senior reliability engineers do with listening skills on a typical day: "performed statistical data analysis and failure analysis on tested parts and communicated results to multiple audiences to drive design improvements. "
Math skills. A commonly-found skill in senior reliability engineer job descriptions, "math skills" is essential to what senior reliability engineers do. Senior reliability engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." You can also see how senior reliability engineer duties rely on math skills in this resume example: "performed the examiner 3dx eds reliability analysis in accordance with dod di-l-012 reliability block diagrams and mathematical report. "
Problem-solving skills. Lastly, "problem-solving skills" is an important element of what a senior reliability engineer does. Senior reliability engineer responsibilities require this skill because "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." This resume example highlights how senior reliability engineer duties rely on this skill: "supported the clca (close loop corrective action) team throughout the seven steps problem solving and resolution process. "
The three companies that hire the most senior reliability engineers are:
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Compare different senior reliability engineers
Senior 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior reliability engineer are more likely to require skills like "jenkins," "azure," "ruby," and "microservices." On the other hand, a job as a manufacturing engineering internship requires skills like "cad," "solidworks," "process improvement," and "assembly line." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Manufacturing engineering interns really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $49,245. Comparatively, senior reliability engineers tend to make the most money in the internet industry with an average salary of $139,182.The education levels that manufacturing engineering interns earn slightly differ from senior reliability engineers. In particular, manufacturing engineering interns are 6.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior reliability engineer. Additionally, they're 3.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior 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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior reliability engineer resumes. While senior reliability engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "jenkins," "azure," "ruby," and "microservices," process engineer interns use skills like "process engineering," "process improvement," "powerpoint," and "data collection."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Process engineer interns tend to reach similar levels of education than senior reliability engineers. In fact, they're 4.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior reliability engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Galen Duree
Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Senior reliability engineer vs. Packaging engineer
A Packaging Engineer plans and implements packaging designs to ensure product integrity and appeal. Their primary duties include supervising and managing the complete packaging development process, analyzing engineering drawings, and conducting periodic vendor reviews.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior reliability engineer is likely to be skilled in "jenkins," "azure," "ruby," and "microservices," while a typical packaging engineer is skilled in "cad," "project management," "solidworks," and "astm."
Packaging engineers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $100,934. Comparatively, senior reliability engineers have the highest earning potential in the internet industry, with an average salary of $139,182.packaging engineers typically earn lower educational levels compared to senior reliability engineers. Specifically, they're 7.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior reliability engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Types of senior reliability engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
