Senior Manufacturing Test Engineer – Inverter

The Senior Manufacturing Test Engineer – Inverter will play a lead role in developing, launching, and sustaining automated test systems for the company's electric traction inverter manufacturing lines. This role is critical to EV power electronics production and focuses on in‑process and end‑of‑line (EOL) testing of high‑voltage inverters to ensure functional performance, safety, efficiency, and long‑term reliability. The engineer will work closely with Design Engineering, Controls, Quality, Production, and external equipment suppliers to deliver robust, scalable, and data‑driven inverter test solutions.

Responsibilities

• Review and approve inverter test specifications and change requests from design engineering, acting as the manufacturing test authority for traction inverter validation.
• Analyze and provide feedback on test sequences, limits, cycle time, process flow, and failure‑mode handling for inverter EOL and sub‑assembly test stations.
• Design and own test system hardware for inverter testing, including system layout, cabinet and rack design, HV/LV routing, connectorization, shielding, grounding, and thermal considerations for high‑power switching electronics.
• Develop modular and scalable test applications with clear operator interfaces for inverter testing, including parameter management, test sequencing, fault messaging, and data logging.
• Implement databases to manage inverter test parameters, serial‑level results, traceability, and correlation to manufacturing and quality systems.
• Define DUT handling, fixturing, and electrical/mechanical interfaces for inverter test stations, including automated HV connections and safety interlocks.
• Collaborate with controls engineers to integrate test applications with station PLCs, dynos or load systems, cooling systems, and material handling equipment, including responses to electrical, thermal, and safety‑critical failure modes.
• Lead sourcing, RFQs, supplier selection, build tracking, and technical oversight for externally supplied inverter test equipment.
• Develop and execute commissioning and validation plans for inverter test systems, including GR&R, red‑rabbit units, fault injection, and simulation of electrical, thermal, and communication failures.
• Launch inverter test systems into production and provide on‑floor support during ramp, including limit tuning, yield improvement, and false‑fail reduction.
• Train maintenance and operations teams on inverter test station operation, error recovery, and safe troubleshooting of high‑voltage power electronics.
• Partner with factory data and analytics teams to enable inverter test data visualization, yield tracking, efficiency trends, and long‑term quality monitoring.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Controls Systems Engineering, Electrical and Controls Engineering, or Automation and Control Engineering and at least 5 years of professional experience.
• 5-8 years of experience developing and launching automated test equipment in high‑volume manufacturing environments.
• Direct experience testing EV traction inverters or high‑power power electronics in a manufacturing or production setting.
• Strong understanding of inverter architectures, power stages, gate drivers, DC‑link capacitors, current sensing, and thermal management.
• Hands‑on experience with inverter EOL and in‑process testing such as functional power testing, PWM validation, phase current measurement, switching performance, efficiency testing, isolation resistance, and hipot testing.
• Detailed knowledge of high‑voltage and high‑current electrical components, connectors, cables, shielding, and grounding best practices.
• Ability to design electrical schematics using AutoCAD, EPLAN, or equivalent tools.
• Experience developing test hardware using National Instruments platforms such as PXI, cDAQ, or cRIO.

Skills

• Strong software development experience with NI LabVIEW, NI TestStand, Python, MATLAB, or similar tools used in manufacturing test environments.
• Working knowledge of automotive communication protocols including CAN, CAN‑FD, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet, including inverter diagnostics and calibration interfaces.
• Proficiency using electrical test equipment such as power supplies, electronic loads, oscilloscopes, DMMs, power analyzers, and inverter or power electronics diagnostic tools.
• Experience interfacing test systems with PLCs and industrial networks such as Ethernet/IP or OPC‑UA is a plus.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple inverter test stations, suppliers, and launch timelines in parallel.
• Clear and professional communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across engineering, production, quality, and external suppliers.