The Senior Test Engineer defines and drives the validation strategy for complex programs, ensuring product requirements are translated into comprehensive, effective test plans. This role acts as a hands-on technical leader—working alongside the team in the lab while establishing the methods, frameworks, and rigor that guide validation across the organization. The Senior Test Engineer ensures disciplined, data-driven problem solving by challenging assumptions, validating hypotheses, and driving a deep understanding of product performance and failure modes. This role requires a strong engineering mindset, with emphasis on designing validation approaches, anticipating failure modes, and leading data-driven decision making—not solely executing predefined test procedures.

** Travel includes routine trips between Plainville, CT (main office) and Boxborough, MA (10%) and regional visits to third-party certification labs (5%), for a total travel expectation below 15%.

Essential Functions:

• Own the development and structure of Design Verification Plans & Reports (DVP&R) across complex programs, including defining requirements translation methods, test strategies, and validation frameworks.
• Lead cross-functional alignment of validation activities across mechanical, electrical, firmware, and quality teams.
• Define and develop test methodologies, approaches, and frameworks, while actively applying them through hands-on testing and validation activities.
• Establish validation strategies that align product requirements, DFMEA risk assessment, and comprehensive test coverage.
• Drive effective DFMEA participation by challenging assumptions, ensuring robust failure mode identification, and linking risks to validation plans.
• Lead cross-functional root cause investigations by defining problem-solving approaches, ensuring clear hypotheses are formed, and validating conclusions through data.
• Proactively influence product design by anticipating failure modes, challenging assumptions, and ensuring robustness prior to validation.
• Perform hands-on testing and validation alongside the team, particularly on complex or high-risk programs, to guide execution and ensure technical rigor.
• Apply and develop test methods across both electrical and mechanical domains, including environmental and reliability methods such as thermal cycling, vibration, shock, pressure, and durability/life testing.
• Serve as technical lead for external validation activities by defining test approaches, ensuring readiness, and supporting execution in coordination with quality and compliance teams.
• Continuously improve test capability by developing tools, methods, and best practices that enhance efficiency, repeatability, and overall validation rigor.

Critical Success Factors:

• Validation Strategy & System-Level Ownership - Defines and drives validation strategies that align requirements, risk, and test coverage, ensuring rigorous upfront validation that reduces late-stage rework and accelerates product development.
• Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving Leadership - Establishes disciplined, hypothesis-driven problem solving, ensuring conclusions are based on data, assumptions are challenged, and root causes are fully understood before action.

Education & Experience Required:   

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Engineering – Electrical, Mechanical, or Mechatronics. (Equivalent hands-on experience commensurate with a degree is also acceptable).

• 7+ years of experience in testing and validation of electro-mechanical or electronics-based products across multiple programs, including ownership of DVP&R and development of validation strategies from requirements through execution.

• Demonstrated experience defining test methodologies and improving validation processes, with strong hands-on application of environmental and reliability testing (e.g., thermal cycling, vibration, shock, pressure, durability/life) to uncover failure modes and validate product robustness.

• Proven ability to lead structured, cross-functional root cause investigations using tools such as FMEA, DOE, RCCA, FTA, or similar structured methods with a strong emphasis on hypothesis-driven, data-based decision making.

• Advanced experience with lab instrumentation and validation systems, including electronic test equipment and environmental test setups (thermal chambers, vibration systems, durability/life rigs).

• Experience with test automation, data acquisition, or analysis tools (LabVIEW, Python, or similar) preferred.

• Experience supporting validation in regulated environments (e.g., UL, CE, CSA, NSF) and working in coordination with quality and compliance teams is preferred.

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