Operations Manufacturing Test Lead

Role Overview:We are looking for a Manufacturing Test Engineer to design, build, and scale robust test systems that ensure product quality from early hardware development through high-volume manufacturing and fleet deployment.

This role sits at the intersection of hardware engineering, manufacturing, and quality-owning test strategy, infrastructure, and execution to catch design, process, workmanship, and component-level issues before products reach the field.

You will develop automated, data-driven test frameworks and diagnostic systems that enable fast bring-up, high coverage, and scalable production operations.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Test Strategy & Framework Development

• Define end-to-end manufacturing test strategy across EVT, DVT, PVT, and production
• Develop scalable hardware test frameworks covering functional, system-level, and end-of-line testing
• Architect modular test systems that can evolve from prototype builds to high-volume manufacturing
• Establish test coverage goals to ensure detection of:
  
  • Design defects
  • Component quality issues
  • Manufacturing process variation
  • Workmanship defects

2. Test Development & Automation

• Design and implement functional test systems (electrical, mechanical, system-level validation)
• Develop automated test scripts and sequences using Python or similar languages
• Integrate test equipment (DAQs, sensors, vision systems, robotics interfaces, etc.)
• Build diagnostic tools to quickly isolate failures and reduce debug time
• Enable data logging, traceability, and test result analytics

3. Work Order & Manufacturing Execution Integration

• Configure and manage work orders and test flows within MES or manufacturing systems
• Define test steps, pass/fail criteria, and routing logic across stations
• Ensure traceability of test results to serial numbers, components, and build configurations
• Partner with manufacturing teams to optimize throughput and minimize test time

4. Product & Manufacturing Line Bring-Up

• Lead test bring-up for new products during EVT/DVT/PVT builds
• Support factory ramp by deploying and validating test stations on production lines
• Debug early build issues and rapidly iterate on test coverage and methods
• Train operators and technicians on test processes and troubleshooting

5. Diagnostics & Failure Analysis

• Develop structured diagnostic workflows to identify root causes of failures
• Partner with hardware, firmware, and quality teams on root cause analysis (RCA)
• Differentiate between design issues, supplier defects, and manufacturing errors
• Implement containment actions and feed improvements back into test and design

6. Reliability & Sustaining Test

• Design and execute ongoing reliability and stress testing (burn-in, environmental, lifecycle)
• Monitor failure trends and adjust test strategies to catch emerging issues
• Ensure alignment between validation testing and production test coverage

7. Test Coverage & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track test coverage metrics and escape rates
• Continuously improve test effectiveness to reduce field failures and returns
• Optimize test time, cost, and efficiency without compromising quality
• Drive improvements in first pass yield (FPY) through better detection and diagnostics

8. Data, Automation & Scaling

• Build systems for automated data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Leverage scripting and software tools to streamline test development and execution
• Implement scalable solutions that support multi-line, multi-site manufacturing
• Utilize advanced tools (including AI Agents/ML where applicable) for:
  
  • Anomaly detection
  • Failure classification
  • Predictive insights on test and field data

Key Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing test, hardware validation, or production engineering
• Experience supporting NPI builds (EVT/DVT/PVT) and scaling production ramp

• Strong experience with automated test development and scripting (Python preferred)
• Hands-on experience with test equipment (oscilloscopes, DAQs, power supplies, sensors, etc.)
• Familiarity with MES systems, work order configuration, and manufacturing workflows
• Experience with hardware-software integration and embedded systems testing
• Knowledge of diagnostics, failure analysis, and reliability testing methodologies
• Experience with data analysis tools (Python, SQL, or similar)
• Willing to travel domestically and internationally up to 30%

Preferred Experience:

• Robotics, autonomous systems, or complex electromechanical products
• High-volume manufacturing and contract manufacturer environments
• Vision systems, calibration processes, or system-level testing
• HIL/SIL testing frameworks

• Problem-Solving Mindset: Ability to manage and resolve complex challenges with little to no established playbooks, using creative and proven strategic thinking to drive solutions.
• Risk Management: Proven track record of identifying, managing, and mitigating risks in large, complex programs.
• Adaptability: Comfortable with ambiguity and able to thrive in a fast-moving, constantly evolving environment.

What Success Looks Like:

• High test coverage with minimal field escapes
• Efficient, scalable test systems that support rapid production ramp
• Fast and accurate failure detection and diagnosis
• Improved yield and reduced rework through better test and diagnostics
• Strong alignment between design validation and manufacturing test

Operating Style:

• Hands-on, detail-oriented, and highly analytical
• Strong problem solver with a bias toward root cause and data-driven decisions
• Comfortable working on the factory floor and in the lab
• Thrives in fast-paced environments with evolving products and processes

If you thrive in dynamic environments, love solving complex challenges, and want to make an impact with cutting-edge technology, we'd love to hear from you!

Day in the life - Manufacturing Test Engineer

Morning: Data Review & Production Pulse Check

You start by checking what happened overnight or on the previous shift:

• First Pass Yield (FPY) by station
• Top failure modes and pareto trends
• Test station uptime and bottlenecks
• Any line stops or escalations

If a failure spikes-say a communication test or sensor calibration-you flag it immediately.

Then you join a quick stand-up with manufacturing, quality, and engineering:

• What's breaking on the line right now?
• Are failures real (product) or false (test issues)?
• What needs immediate containment vs. deeper investigation?

You leave with a clear priority: keep the line running, but don't let bad units escape.

Mid-Morning: On-the-Line Debugging

You're on the manufacturing floor (or remote into stations), working side-by-side with technicians.

Typical scenarios:

• A unit is failing functional test intermittently 14 you hook into logs, probe signals, and check if it's hardware, firmware, or test script timing
• A station is slowing throughput 14 you optimize sequence timing or parallelize steps
• A new build variant isn't flowing correctly 14 you adjust work order/test routing in MES

You're constantly asking:

• Is this a real defect or a test artifact?
• If it's real, is it design, component, or process-related?
• How do we contain it now and detect it earlier next time?

Midday: Test Development & Iteration

Back at your desk or lab bench, you shift into build mode.

You might be:

• Writing Python scripts to automate a new functional test
• Adding diagnostics to isolate failures faster (better logging, error codes, signal capture)
• Integrating new hardware into the test system (DAQs, sensors, fixtures)
• Expanding test coverage to catch a recently discovered issue

This is where you improve the system so the same issue doesn't keep showing up on the line.

Early Afternoon: Bring-Up & New Product Support

If you're in EVT/DVT/PVT or launching a new product, this block is intense.

You're:

• Bringing up new test stations for a prototype or pilot build
• Debugging early design issues exposed during testing
• Defining pass/fail limits where none existed before
• Rapidly iterating test sequences as the product evolves

Expect ambiguity-things aren't fully defined yet, and you're helping shape both the test strategy and the product quality bar.

Mid-Afternoon: Failure Analysis & Cross-Functional Work

You sit down with hardware, firmware, and quality engineers to go deeper on key issues:

• Reviewing failure logs and waveform captures
• Reproducing issues in the lab
• Running experiments to isolate root cause

You help answer:

• Did test catch this early enough?
• Should this be moved upstream (design validation vs. production test)?
• What additional coverage is needed to prevent escapes?

This is where you connect test 12 design 12 manufacturing 12 field performance.

Late Afternoon: Systems, Scaling & Optimization

Now you zoom out and improve the broader system:

• Updating MES flows (test steps, routing, traceability)
• Refining test limits to reduce false failures without letting defects pass
• Improving test time to increase throughput
• Building dashboards for test data visibility

You may also work on:

• Reliability testing setups (burn-in, stress tests)
• Automation to reduce manual intervention
• Smarter failure classification (rule-based or AI-assisted)

End of Day: Wrap-Up & Prioritization

Before signing off, you:

• Check if critical line issues are contained
• Ensure test changes are deployed and documented
• Align with the next shift or offshore teams
• Set priorities for the next day (new tests, top failures, line risks)

What Makes the Role Unique

• You are the gatekeeper between manufacturing and the field
• You constantly balance coverage vs. speed vs. cost
• You touch everything: hardware, software, fixtures, data systems, and operations
• Your work directly impacts yield, reliability, and customer experience

In One Sentence

You spend your day building and refining the systems that catch problems early, diagnose them quickly, and keep production moving without compromising quality.