Process Engineer Automotive Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Req ID: JR102420 ENGINEER, DEMQRA AUTOMOTIVE PQRE

As a Product Quality and Reliability Assurance (PQRA) Qualification Engineer focused on Aerospace & Defense (A&D) at Micron Technology, Inc., you will lead and support qualification and ongoing monitoring of DRAM/NAND/memory products intended for high‑reliability and mission‑critical applications. You will develop reliability methodologies, respond to product deviations, establish and enforce requirements such as specifications, DPM per million, FIT, lifetime/mission profile expectations, and ensure compliance with customer and industry standards, including NASA/GSFC PEM‑INST‑001 and relevant military standards for semiconductor components. You will coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, and external test partners to ensure qualification, lot‑level upscreening, screening, and acceptance practices are in place, executed correctly, and auditable. You will perform risk assessments, support manufacturing teams with reliability issues, and continually build product, process, and standards knowledge.

• Conduct New Product Qualification (including A&D qualification and lot‑level upscreening)
  • Define qualification and acceptance requirements (specifications) for commercial, automotive‑baseline, and A&D variants, including screening/qualification steps aligned to PEM‑INST‑001 and applicable military standards.
  • Understand DRAM/NAND failure mechanisms and failure rates within the scope of qualification, including A&D environmental stressors (temperature extremes, vibration/shock sensitivity, handling/ESD/EOS risk) and packaging integrity concerns.
  • Perform risk assessment at all decision points within the qualification cycle, with explicit evaluation of standards gaps, customer mission profile, and lot/date‑code definition and traceability needs for A&D shipments.
  • Review qualification and upscreening data (internal and external test house) and sign off that requirements have been met, including review of test conditions, sample plans, and objective evidence needed for audits.
  • Issue internal product release notifications and lot acceptance dispositions for A&D material, ensuring documentation completeness, configuration control, and alignment to defined release/acceptance criteria.
• Develop Product Reliability Methodology, Monitors, Metrics, and Specifications (with A&D applicability)
  • Coordinate with R&D, test, package reliability, and product engineering teams to define A&D qualification strategy, data needs, and timing.
  • Understand new DRAM/NAND processes/technologies and packaging changes for potential reliability issues relevant to A&D use (including handling sensitivity, moisture robustness, and long‑life wear‑out mechanisms).
  • Develop and maintain reliability tests and monitor strategies to assess emerging failure mechanisms; when applicable, ensure equivalency/mapping to PEM‑INST‑001 expectations (e.g., preconditioning/reflow simulation, temperature cycling, burn‑in/HTOL, and package integrity checks).
  • Coordinate/drive necessary specification definition and updates for existing products, including addenda for A&D flows (screening, lot/date‑code controls, and acceptance criteria) and alignment to internal governance processes.
• Establish and Enforce Quality Requirements (A&D, Military, and Space grade)
  • Establish, review, and communicate reliability metrics (FIT, lifetime, mission profile assumptions) and ensure they are appropriate for A&D applications.
  • Establish, review, and communicate quality metrics (DPM/PPM, excursion escape risk, screening yield/percent defective limits where applicable) for A&D programs.
  • Assess deviations for DRAM/NAND product quality and reliability risk, including impact to A&D lots/date codes and any required notifications or customer commitments.
  • Define evaluations and containment needed to mitigate risk (e.g., additional screening, hold/release criteria, expanded analysis, or external lab confirmation) in alignment with standards and contractual requirements.
  • Review excursion analysis and ensure root cause, corrective actions, and objective evidence meet A&D rigor (traceability, configuration control, and audit readiness).
  • Review conversion/change analysis (fab/assembly/test flow/site/material changes) and ensure required requalification, customer notification, and standards compliance are addressed.
  • Communicate violations to defined release/acceptance criteria, including any PEM‑INST‑001 / military‑standard driven requirements applicable to the program.
  • Analyze risk to any violations and drive timely disposition decisions (ship/hold/scrap/rework) with documented rationale.
  • Communicate issues and corrective actions across Micron product lines and stakeholders (quality, engineering, operations, field/customer teams) and ensure lessons learned are captured.
• Provide Internal Technical Support for Customer Support Teams (A&D focus)
  • Assist DRAM/NAND RMA and customer support teams with analysis of returned material, including A&D returns that may require enhanced documentation, chain of custody, and traceability.
  • Provide input on manufacturing history, lot/date‑code genealogy, and known issues relative to customer failure signatures and mission profiles.
  • Perform additional data collection per customer request, including preparation of qualification summaries, lot acceptance evidence packages, and responses to audits/technical inquiries.
  • Develop and maintain Reliability Process Monitor (RPM) plans and ensure monitors remain effective for A&D risk profiles.
  • Assist with necessary corrective actions at manufacturing and supplier/test house level, including oversight of external screening/qualification execution and closure of gaps to defined standards.
  • Understand field failure rates relative to internal failure rates and screening effectiveness; identify deltas and drive actions to reduce risk for A&D customers.
• Provide Expertise and Consultation (standards, audits, and mission assurance)
  • Support internal qualification and A&D program reviews; provide clear, data‑based recommendations and risk assessments.
  • Provide part qualification and lot acceptance data for internal and external customers, including evidence packages supporting compliance to PEM‑INST‑001 and military standards as required.
  • Interface with engineering groups and external test partners on quality and reliability issues; drive alignment on requirements, execution, and documentation.
  • Obtain and maintain product, process, and standards knowledge (e.g., PEM‑INST‑001, AS6294, MIL‑STD‑883/750, MIL‑PRF‑38535) to enable high‑confidence technical decisions.

• B.S or Equivalent in EE or related field of study

• 3+ years of experience in semiconductor quality, reliability, product engineering, or qualification (DRAM/NAND preferred); experience supporting Aerospace & Defense and/or high‑reliability programs strongly preferred.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications
• Familiarity with data analysis and scripting/automation tools (e.g., Python, Perl, C++, Java) (Preferred)
• Knowledge of DRAM, NAND, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), semiconductor physics, and semiconductor manufacturing (wafer fab, assembly, and test)
• Working knowledge of aerospace/military microelectronics standards and flows, including NASA/GSFC PEM‑INST‑001 and SAE AS6294 (Preferred)
• Familiarity with military test/qualification frameworks for semiconductor components (e.g., MIL‑STD‑883, MIL‑STD‑750, MIL‑PRF‑38535, MIL‑PRF‑19500) and configuration control/traceability expectations (Preferred)
• Awareness of radiation reliability concepts relevant to A&D (e.g., Total Ionizing Dose (TID) and Single Event Effects (SEE)) and the implications to lot‑level qualification strategies (Preferred)
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional qualification activities and drive decisions using data, risk assessment, and clear technical documentation
• Experience interfacing with customers and auditors (internal/external), developing evidence packages, and supporting corrective action closure in a regulated/high‑reliability environment

Required: Yes. Frequency: 1-3 times per year possible. Duration: 3-10 days. Type: Domestic and International.

Micron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.