Director, Test Engineering

NetApp•San Jose, KS

About The Position

The Director, Test Engineering is responsible for leading NetApp's PCBA Manufacturing Test Engineering organization, ensuring products are designed, validated, and manufactured to meet the highest standards of quality, reliability, manufacturability, and operational efficiency. This position leads the engineering team responsible for In-Circuit Test (ICT), Boundary Scan Test (BST), Functional Verification Test (FVT), and Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) across both New Product Introduction (NPI) programs and sustaining manufacturing operations. Reporting directly to the VP, Ops Engineering, the Director will drive manufacturing test strategy, execution, automation, quality improvements, factory yield optimization, and continuous process improvement initiatives in partnership with engineering, operations, supply chain, and manufacturing partners worldwide. The Director leads an organization consisting of one engineering manager and a total team of approximately eleven engineers located in San Jose, CA, Wichita, KS, and Taipei, Taiwan, while driving a portfolio of strategic initiatives focused on improving product quality, manufacturing efficiency, test coverage, cost, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
Minimum of 15 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing test engineering, product validation, or related technical functions.
Minimum of 8 years of people leadership experience, including management of managers and technical teams.
Strong expertise in PCBA manufacturing test methodologies, including ICT, BST, FVT, and ESS.
Experience supporting both New Product Introduction (NPI) programs and sustaining manufacturing operations.
Demonstrated success driving manufacturing quality, yield improvement, defect reduction, and operational excellence initiatives.
Experience working with global manufacturing partners, suppliers, contract manufacturers, and cross-functional engineering organizations.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills.
Excellent verbal, written, and executive communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Experience with enterprise storage systems, networking products, server platforms, or other complex electronic systems.
Experience implementing manufacturing test automation, data analytics, and advanced diagnostic methodologies.
Proven track record of leading large-scale engineering transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
Lean, Six Sigma, or related continuous improvement certification.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the company's PCBA manufacturing test strategy across ICT, BST, FVT, and ESS.
Lead manufacturing test development and deployment for all NPI programs, ensuring test readiness, quality objectives, schedule commitments, and successful production ramps.
Drive continuous improvement of sustaining manufacturing test processes, methodologies, automation, coverage, efficiency, and factory yields.
Lead and develop a high-performing engineering organization consisting of managers and individual contributors across multiple geographies.
Partner closely with Hardware Engineering, Firmware Engineering, Software Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Engineering, Supplier Quality Engineering, and Operations teams to ensure robust test coverage throughout the product lifecycle.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to test coverage, yield performance, test efficiency, quality escape prevention, first-pass yield, cycle time, and manufacturing readiness.
Drive root cause investigations and corrective actions for manufacturing test failures, yield excursions, and field quality issues.
Oversee test architecture, hardware, software, automation frameworks, fixtures, instrumentation, diagnostics, and manufacturing data analysis.
Lead engagement with contract manufacturers, suppliers, and external engineering partners to ensure global manufacturing test excellence.
Drive a portfolio of continuous improvement initiatives focused on operational efficiency, quality improvement, manufacturing scalability, cost reduction, and test optimization.
Champion Design for Testability (DFT), Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and Design for Quality (DFQ) practices across product development programs.
Establish organizational roadmaps, budgets, staffing plans, and resource strategies aligned with business priorities.
Prepare and present executive-level updates, metrics, risks, recommendations, and strategic plans to senior leadership.
Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance management for managers and engineers.
Build a culture centered on accountability, technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Develop succession plans and organizational capability to support future business growth.
Foster strong cross-functional partnerships and influence decision-making across engineering and operations organizations.