Principal Production Test Engineer

Skills at this level

Test Software Programming

— Writes and maintains manufacturing test software in C# and C++ to control test stations, sequence measurements, and capture pass/fail data for electronic hardware products.

NI LabVIEW / TestStand

— Builds and configures automated production test sequences and instrument control using NI LabVIEW and NI TestStand to execute functional and system-level tests on the manufacturing line.

Functional Circuit Test (FCT)

— Designs and operates functional circuit test setups that power up and exercise assembled boards to verify they behave to specification before downstream assembly.

Burn-in and System-Level Test (SLT)

— Configures and runs burn-in and system-level test regimes that stress finished modules, servers, and racks under load to screen out early-life failures.

Test Fixture Development

— Designs, builds, and debugs mechanical and electrical test fixtures that interface production units to test equipment repeatably across high volume.

PFMEA

— Conducts Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis on new-product test processes to anticipate failure modes and prioritize controls before production ramp.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

— Applies SPC methods to monitor test parameters and yield trends on the production line, detecting drift and triggering corrective action before escapes occur.

MES Integration

— Integrates test stations with Manufacturing Execution Systems to route units, enforce test flow, and capture per-unit test results for traceability and analysis.

Test Coverage Analysis

— Quantifies and improves the fraction of a product's functions and faults exercised by the test suite, closing gaps that let defects escape to the field.

Root Cause Analysis of Test Anomalies

— Investigates test escapes and unexplained failures across programs to isolate the true cause and drive systemic corrective actions on the factory floor.

Design for Test (DFT)

— Influences product design teams to build in testability features early in the development lifecycle, reducing downstream test complexity, fixture cost, and cycle time.

Advanced Statistical Risk Analysis

— Uses advanced statistical and analytical methods to identify, quantify, and control test-related risk in complex, high-volume manufacturing environments.

Lean / Continuous Improvement

— Leads lean manufacturing and continuous-improvement initiatives targeting test cycle time, first-pass yield, and reduction of manual intervention on the test floor.

Test Strategy Architecture

— Defines end-to-end test strategies spanning module, server, rack, and cluster assembly levels and sets the roadmap and readiness frameworks the organization executes against.