Director, Hardware Reliability
Posted on January 22, 2026 (about 3 hours ago)
About Oura
Our mission at Oura is to empower every person to own their inner potential. Oura’s products help users understand readiness, activity, and sleep quality through the Oura Ring and companion app. The company emphasizes values-driven culture and supporting employee well-being.
Role summary
We are seeking a hands-on Director of Hardware Reliability to define and execute hardware reliability and validation strategy for Oura products. The role leads reliability initiatives from concept through mass production, mentors a team of reliability engineers, and works closely with design, firmware, quality, and manufacturing teams to ensure product durability and performance in real-world use.
Key Responsibilities
Responsibilities include technical leadership, organizational alignment, manufacturing integration, hands-on issue resolution, and reliability process management.
- Define and own hardware reliability strategy aligned to product roadmap and business objectives.
- Drive evolution of reliability and validation methodologies across mechanical, electrical, and environmental domains.
- Establish reliability metrics and KPIs to measure and improve product robustness and test coverage.
- Lead and mentor a team of hardware reliability engineers and build a culture of technical excellence.
- Partner cross-functionally with product design, mechanical, electrical, firmware, test, and operations teams.
- Integrate reliability strategy with contract manufacturers; establish qualification plans and test protocols for CMs.
- Manage relationships with external labs and partners to augment in-house capabilities and validate regulatory compliance.
- Lead hands-on failure investigations, root cause analysis, validation, and corrective actions across mechanical, electrical, and materials domains.
- Champion data-driven decision making using statistical methods, reliability modeling, and accelerated life testing.
- Drive development and deployment of automated test systems, custom fixtures, and instrumentation; participate in teardowns and field-return analyses.
- Define and implement reliability processes, tools, documentation, and risk management frameworks; forecast resourcing and capacity needs.
Qualifications
Required experience, skills, and knowledge for the role.
- 10+ years in hardware reliability & validation in high-volume consumer electronics or wearables, including 5+ years in leadership.
- Proven track record of defining and executing reliability strategies that improved product quality and reduced field failures.
- Experience collaborating with contract manufacturers from NPI through mass production.
- Deep knowledge of reliability engineering principles, hardware testing, mechanical and electrical durability, failure analysis, data management, and component qualification.
- Familiarity with regulatory and safety compliance, test automation platforms, lab instrumentation, and statistical analysis tools.
- Strong project management, interpersonal, and communication skills; ability to represent the reliability function cross-functionally.
Work environment & travel
Position is based in San Diego or San Francisco, CA. On-site is preferred with hybrid options depending on program phase. Travel to contract manufacturer sites, Finland, or labs may be required to support builds and validation. Collaboration across global hardware, firmware, test engineering, and manufacturing teams is expected.
Benefits
Oura offers competitive salary and equity packages, health/dental/vision coverage, mental health resources, an Oura Ring for employees, employee discounts, paid time off, paid holidays, flexible wellness time off, paid sick and parental leave, and a collaborative culture.
Salary ranges (market-based, vary by location): Region 1: $250,750 - $295,000. Region 2: $190,000 - $237,000. Actual offer depends on skills, experience, location, and market conditions.
Equal opportunity & notices
Oura is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive environment. Reasonable accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities. Beware of recruitment scams: official offers are sent through DocuSign after a verbal offer; Oura will not ask for upfront payment or personal documents. Oura does not accept agency resumes and is not responsible for fees from unsolicited submissions.
How to apply
Apply using the Apply button on this job page (Greenhouse application). Complete the online form and attach a resume/CV. A cover letter may be attached or entered manually. Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf.
Application details
The application form includes required fields (name, email, phone, city/state, legal name, eligibility questions). You may use the "Autofill with MyGreenhouse" option if available. Note: Oura does not accept agency resumes. Be cautious of scams—official communications and offers follow the process described on the job page.