Reliability Engineer

Job Title: Reliability Engineer

Job Description

The Maintenance Engineer develops, implements, and manages predictive maintenance and reliability strategies to maximize equipment availability at optimal cost. This role focuses on analyzing equipment performance and downtime, leading failure analysis activities, and driving continuous improvement in asset reliability using data, customer feedback, and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and manage a predictive maintenance program to ensure high equipment availability.

• Lead and perform Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and detailed downtime analysis to identify and address root causes of failures.

• Create, implement, and manage equipment life cycle strategies that balance performance, reliability, and cost.

• Build and enhance reliability capability for yourself and the broader team through training and knowledge sharing to foster a strong reliability culture.

• Investigate, evaluate, and implement new or existing technologies to improve asset performance and reliability.

• Use data analysis and customer feedback to identify potential equipment and process issues and develop countermeasures that reduce impact on Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale, and Environmental performance.

• Support and facilitate cross-functional team analysis activities to identify asset criticality, failure modes, and root causes, and to implement sustainable improvements.

• Review and validate equipment downtime reporting data to ensure completeness, accuracy, and usefulness for decision-making.

• Collaborate and communicate effectively with internal and external departments regarding equipment activities, change points, and best practices to improve equipment reliability.

• Confirm the accuracy, availability, and adequacy of spare parts to achieve Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) targets.

• Support the development of equipment specifications, design reviews, and acceptance criteria to enhance MTTR and MTBF characteristics for new and modified equipment.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 3 years of applicable reliability or maintenance engineering experience.

• Engineering degree or equivalent experience.

• Proven experience in reliability engineering and maintenance practices within a manufacturing or industrial environment.

• Strong capability in FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis).

• Hands-on experience with downtime analysis and failure analysis.

• Solid understanding of mechanical engineering principles as they relate to equipment reliability and maintenance.

• Ability to interpret and use reliability metrics such as MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures).

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities.

• Effective communication and collaboration skills to work with cross-functional teams and external partners.

• Customer-focused mindset with a strong customer service attitude.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working in an automotive OEM or similar high-volume manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrated ability to lead or facilitate cross-functional reliability or continuous improvement initiatives.

• Experience implementing predictive maintenance technologies and tools.

• Familiarity with life cycle cost analysis and asset management strategies.

• Ability to train and mentor others in reliability concepts, tools, and best practices.

Work Environment

This role operates within an automotive OEM-style manufacturing environment, working closely with production, maintenance, and engineering teams around complex mechanical equipment and automated systems. The position requires a strong customer service attitude when supporting internal stakeholders and responding to equipment issues. You must be able to work weekends, holidays, and plant shutdown periods as needed to support maintenance activities, equipment commissioning, and critical reliability projects. The environment is fast-paced and performance-driven, with a strong focus on safety, quality, delivery, and continuous improvement.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Birmingham, AL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $35.00 - $50.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Birmingham,AL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 10, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.