Staff Product Launch Test Engineer
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies · Palo Alto, California ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- Staff
- Employment
- Contract
- Category
- QA
- Experience
- 3+ years
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies · Palo Alto, California ·
Rivian Automotive, Inc. · Vancouver, Canada
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.
The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.
This is a hands-on manufacturing test engineering role on the production floor. As a Staff Manufacturing Test Engineer you own production test for RVTech electronic control units (ECUs) at our contract manufacturers: in-circuit test (ICT), end-of-line (EOL) functional test, and production flashing. You will be at the line through EVT, DVT, PVT, SOP and ramp-up; specifying and commissioning testers and fixtures, formally accepting test hardware and sequences before they reach production, chasing failures to root cause with design, firmware and process engineering, and holding the test gates at every program milestone. The problems you solve are in front of you on a bench or on a moving line, on real hardware. Your contributions will directly impact the performance and quality of RVTech's cutting-edge electronic modules, ensuring successful transitions from Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) to high-volume manufacturing at contract manufacturer locations.
Who This Role Is For
Engineers who have owned real test equipment in a factory — an ICT set, an EOL station, a flashing cell — and been the person called when it stopped producing good parts.
Engineers who can look at a failure and decide whether it is the fixture, the sequence, the process, the operator, the firmware, or the design — and then prove it.
Engineers who are comfortable travelling to a contract manufacturer and standing on the floor until the problem is closed.
Engineers who want to work across electronics and software rather than specialize in only one.
This is not a software QA, SDET, or application test automation role. It is not a product validation role (DV/PV, HIL, environmental, or vehicle-level testing). You will not be the primary author of the test sequences — you will review, challenge, accept and own them in production. If your background is software testing rather than manufacturing, this role will not be a fit.
Own the production test strategy, specifications and coverage for assigned ECU programs — ICT, EOL functional test and flashing — from DFT review through volume qualification.
Drive the full industrialization of ECU flashing, from protocol selection (JTAG / DAP / ISP / bootloader) through volume qualification and cycle-time optimization.
Lead DFT reviews with Design Engineering and the contract manufacturer: test point coverage, test access, fixture and nest feasibility, throughput and capacity.
Specify, commission and qualify testers and fixtures at CM sites; own test capacity planning (installed vs. planned capacity, cycle time, OEE) and tester deployment and commissioning schedules.
Acceptance of Test Hardware and Sequences
Act as the receiving customer for EOL hardware and test sequences developed by our Test Automation team and external integrators — define acceptance criteria, run FAT in our lab and SAT at the CM, manage punch lists, and give or withhold formal sign-off.
Validate every hardware and sequence release in our lab before it reaches production. Block unvalidated equipment or sequences from entering the line, and make the risk visible to program leadership when schedule pressure pushes the other way.
Maintain version control and release records for test sequences, limits and fixtures across all sites.
Failure Analysis and Root Cause on the Floor
Identify, root cause and close production test failures, separating fixture, sequence, process, operator, firmware and design contributors.
Lead component-level failure analysis of PCBA and module failures with Design Engineering, driving design or process changes during launch and early production.
Reduce false fails, no-fault-found and escapes; run correlation and GR&R studies across stations and sites.
Establish and monitor production test KPIs (FPY, first-fail Pareto, OEE, installed vs. planned capacity) and present findings and recommendations to program leadership.
Drive corrective actions (8D) through to verified closure, with documentation aligned to IATF 16949 / VDA quality system requirements.
Build Events and Program Milestones
Represent manufacturing test at every build phase — proto, EVT, DVT, PVT, SOP and ramp-up — with test readiness plans, capacity, logistics and coverage committed ahead of each build rather than during it.
Run test readiness for mini-builds, capture lessons learned, and carry them into the kick-off of the main build.
Track test deliverables against program milestones and quality gates; escalate blockers early instead of absorbing them.
Drive PFMEA, control plan and PPAP completion for test-related elements at each quality gate.
Cross-Functional Coordination
Serve as the primary manufacturing test point of contact for Design Engineering, Test Automation, Product Launch, Supplier Excellence, Quality and VWG governance stakeholders.
Coordinate manufacturing test activities across contract manufacturer sites (e.g. USI, Pegatron, Inventec, Flex), aligning capacity plans, tester deployment and commissioning milestones.
Act as Team Lead for tester bring-up and production readiness activities, coordinating junior test engineers and CM technicians as needed.
Influence CM selection and quotation by bringing manufacturing test requirements into RFQ and award decisions.
Hands-on ownership of ICT and/or EOL functional test equipment in a high-volume electronics manufacturing environment — equipment you specified, commissioned, debugged and kept running in production.
Experience gained at a Tier 1 automotive supplier, EMS / contract manufacturer, or OEM plant, on PCBA or electronic module production. Automotive strongly preferred; semiconductor or high-volume consumer electronics considered.
Ability to debug to component level: read a schematic, probe a live PCBA with oscilloscope and DMM, use boundary scan, and reach a defensible conclusion about the failure mode.
Production programming / flashing of embedded devices at volume via JTAG, DAP, ISP or bootloader flows.
6+ years in the specification, build, commissioning and sustaining of manufacturing test equipment for electronic modules — ICT, EOL testers and programming stations — across multiple platforms or programs.
Bachelor's in Electrical, Electronics, Mechatronics, Manufacturing or a related engineering field plus 6 years of relevant experience; or Master's plus 4 years; or PhD plus 3 years; or equivalent experience.
Experience
Track record of carrying a product through EVT, DVT, PVT, SOP and ramp-up from a manufacturing test standpoint, including test capacity analysis and first-pass yield improvement.
Multi-variable root cause analysis of production test failures in high-volume lines, including false-fail, no-fault-found and escape analysis.
Running FAT and SAT acceptance of test equipment and test sequences supplied by internal teams or external integrators, including acceptance criteria, punch lists and formal sign-off.
Working across the engineering / contract manufacturing interface on PCBA production quality, DFT and test optimization.
Automotive quality systems applied in practice: PFMEA, control plan, PPAP, MSA, and IATF 16949 / VDA expectations at each production quality gate.
Technical Expertise
Electronics: schematic and PCBA literacy; confident with oscilloscope, DMM, power supply and electronic load; able to interpret datasheets, wiring diagrams and system specifications.
ICT and DFT: test point coverage, boundary scan / JTAG, flying probe, fixture and nest design constraints, probe wear and contact resistance.
EOL functional test: modular instruments and I/O (PXI, cDAQ), load boxes and simulation loads, and instrumentation over USB, VISA, GPIB, Ethernet and RS-485.
Automotive protocols: CAN, CAN FD, LIN, Automotive Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDS and XCP; production programming via JTAG, DAP and ISP.
Software: able to read, debug and modify LabVIEW code and NI TestStand sequences well enough to review and accept them; Python for test data analysis and reporting.
Test data: extracting station logs at volume and turning them into Pareto analysis, yield trends and capability decisions (CSV, TXT, SQL, Python).
Skills and Competencies
Chases problems. Follows a failure across design, firmware, fixture, process and operator until it is closed with evidence, and is comfortable being the person who keeps asking.
Holds the gate. Able to tell a program under schedule pressure that a tester or sequence is not accepted, and to back it up with data.
Bridges hardware and software. Comfortable discussing a schematic with a design engineer in the morning and a test sequence with a test automation engineer in the afternoon.
Program-literate. Tracks own deliverables against program milestones and quality gates, flags risk early, and reports status to program leadership without being chased.
Operates on the floor. At ease in a production environment — ESD discipline, shift support during build events, and working effectively with operators and CM technicians across language and culture barriers.
Documents properly. Test specifications, work instructions, acceptance reports and corrective action records that survive an audit.
Proven ability to manage ambiguity, run multiple concurrent programs, and create clarity for stakeholders in fast-moving launch environments.
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to network effectively with contacts outside own area, including VWG governance and executive stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting VWG or another German OEM as a customer, including their governance and documentation expectations.
Experience defining manufacturing test cases from DFMEA / PFMEA inputs.
Test data management at scale (cloud data lake, AWS or equivalent) for cross-site yield analysis.
Second language useful at CM sites (Spanish, Mandarin).
Additional Requirements
Willingness and ability to travel to contract manufacturer, proto-house and plant locations, domestic and international, as needed — including at short notice and during build events — to support test development, tester commissioning and production issue resolution.
Ability to support off-shift or weekend production activities during launch and ramp-up windows.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, adapt to changing priorities, and independently determine the best course of action on new and ambiguous assignments.
We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.
Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.
In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs.
External candidates can apply for this role through the Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies careers site (). If you are a current employee, please apply through our internal job board.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [email protected].
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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.