Fellow · 8 hours ago
Failure Analysis Technician
San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$90K/yr - $110K/yr
3+ years expFellow is dedicated to helping people brew exceptional coffee at home and is seeking a Hardware Failure Analysis Technician to manage their failure analysis lab. This role involves investigating product failures, replicating customer-reported issues, and collaborating with engineers to enhance product quality, particularly for their new espresso machine.
CoffeeConsumer GoodsLifestyle
Hiring Manager
Tanvi Soans
Responsibilities
Serve as a subject-matter expert for electromechanical & pump-driven brewing systems, independently performing diagnostics related to temperature control, steam generation, liquid-flow behavior, sensors, sealing, and mechanical/electrical failure modes
Work across Fellow’s full product portfolio — including kettles, grinders, coffee machines, and drinkware accessories
Primary focus on espresso machines (our newest product line!)
Receive and review failure units to understand reported issues
Replicate product failures and document observed behaviors
Perform systematic diagnostics to identify potential root causes
Collaborate closely with electrical, mechanical, and firmware engineers to design and execute additional validation tests
Validate hypotheses and document findings with clear supporting data and photos
Receive, label, and track all incoming failure units; ensure proper chain-of-custody and status updates
Manage and optimize a live inventory of active issues, test status, and resolution progress
Prioritize testing schedules based on issue severity, business impact, and available resources
Manage shipments of units to and from factory partners in China
Keep the testing lab clean and well-organized
Prepare concise test reports summarizing findings, data, and conclusions
Present weekly updates to the engineering and quality teams
Manage and optimize documentation in shared drives or issue-tracking systems (e.g., Linear, JIRA)
Coordinate report sharing with overseas factory teams and track follow-up actions
Qualification
Required
3+ years of hands-on experience as a technician, ideally in failure analysis, product testing, or QA
Strong technical troubleshooting skills across mechanical and electrical systems
High attention to detail and methodical documentation habits
Proficiency in Excel / Google Sheets for organizing test plans and analyzing data
Experience with issue-tracking systems (e.g., Linear, JIRA, Zendesk, or similar)
Strong organizational and time-management skills to handle multiple projects simultaneously
Clear written communication, with the ability to summarize technical findings for non-technical audiences
Preferred
Degree, certification, or vocational training in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field
Experience servicing coffee equipment, especially espresso machines, and a love for coffee!
Experience working with consumer electronics or electromechanical devices
Familiarity with common test equipment (e.g., multimeters, oscilloscopes, power analyzers, torque gauges, environmental chambers)
Basic understanding of statistical analysis, DOE, or root cause analysis methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone Diagram)
Experience collaborating with offshore manufacturing teams (especially in Asia)
Company
Fellow
Fellow specializes in product design and brings ideas from sketchbook to a kitchen table.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Fellow has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (3)
2023 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$40.31MKey Investors
NextWorld Evergreen
2022-06-15Series B· $30M
2021-08-01Series A· $10M
2015-04-24Seed· $0.31M
Leadership Team
Jake Miller
Founder
Recent News
2026-01-19
2025-10-27
Company data provided by crunchbase