Principal Manufacturing Test Engineer

Amazon is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Test Engineer to define and drive the test strategy across a product line scaling from prototype builds toward high-volume manufacturing. This is a senior technical leadership role — you'll own the test architecture from concept through volume, set the standards and frameworks that guide the broader test and manufacturing engineering team, and build the organizational capability to execute complex test operations at scale. You sit at the seam between validation and production — creating clarity on what gets tested, how, and why, and ensuring the test infrastructure evolves in lockstep with the product and the production system.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience designing, deploying, and scaling manufacturing test systems for complex electromechanical products — including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, in-line functional test, and parametric data collection. You should have a track record of standing up test operations from scratch, driving multi-generational test strategy across product iterations, and influencing product architecture decisions to improve testability. This role demands strategic thinking, deep technical credibility, and the ability to align cross-functional teams — engineering, validation, software, manufacturing, and quality — around a unified test philosophy that scales.

Key job responsibilities
- Define and own the end-to-end manufacturing test strategy — what gets tested, where (in-line vs. EoL vs. sampling), and how — across build iterations from prototype through volume production. Set the multi-generational test roadmap and investment plan.

- Serve as the test voice in design trades — influence product architecture, interface design, and tolerance strategy to improve testability. Drive design-for-test (DFT) considerations upstream as a co-designer, not just a reviewer.

- Create clarity from ambiguity: establish test frameworks, standards, and decision criteria that guide the broader engineering team. Define what "ready to test" means at each build stage and own the test readiness process as part of manufacturing readiness.

- Partner with Engineering, Validation, and Quality leadership to align V&V requirements with production test capability. Translate validation intent into a production test philosophy that balances thoroughness, cycle time, and cost at scale.

- Architect the test data strategy — define schemas, traceability frameworks, pass/fail logic, and export standards designed for direct dashboard ingestion (Grafana, QuickSight, or similar). Ensure test data enables real-time production visibility, trend analysis, and closed-loop design feedback without post-processing.

- Drive the design and deployment of manufacturing test systems — electromechanical subassembly test stations, HIL rigs, in-line functional/parametric test, and end-of-line acceptance test — sized for medium-to-high throughput and architected for operator execution at rate.

- Design operator-friendly test setups that inform high-volume line requirements — intuitive UIs, clear pass/fail indicators, guided error recovery, and work instructions that enable L1 operators to execute complex test sequences reliably. Engineer the test flow to balance throughput with learning.

- Specify and procure test instrumentation — DAQ hardware, sensors, power supplies, electronic loads, motion controllers, communication interfaces (CAN, EtherCAT, SPI, UART) — making strategic build-vs-buy decisions on test hardware, fixtures, and platforms.

- Scale test solutions from single-station, engineering-attended toward multi-station, operator-run, and fully instrumented — designing modular, replicable test cells that can be deployed across lines and sites.

- Analyze test data to drive quality and design improvements at a systems level — identify trends, correlate failures to root cause, and feed actionable insights back to design, process, and quality engineering. Own the feedback loop between the test floor and the next design iteration.

- Raise the bar on hiring, develop the team's test engineering capabilities, and mentor engineers. Shape the test engineering culture — technical rigor, data discipline, and operational excellence.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Manufacturing Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline.

- 10+ years of manufacturing test engineering experience for electromechanical or robotic products, including experience spanning both NPI/prototype and high-volume production environments.

- Experience owning manufacturing test strategy for a new product introduction (NPI) from concept through volume production.

- Hands-on experience developing and deploying in-line and end-of-line functional test systems, including test sequence creation, pass/fail criteria definition, and parametric/SPC data collection.

- Proficiency in test software/frameworks (e.g., LabVIEW, NI TestStand, Python-based test automation or custom solutions) and DAQ/instrumentation specification.

- Demonstrated experience architecting test data pipelines for dashboarding and analytics — structured data formats, schemas, and traceability frameworks designed for consumption, not just storage.

- Demonstrated ability to create clarity from ambiguity — defining test strategy, frameworks, and decision criteria for cross-functional teams.

- Ability to influence at a senior level across engineering, validation, quality, and manufacturing leadership.

- Proven ability to implement test systems end-to-end — fixture build, instrumentation integration, and on-floor debug. Technical support available; hands-on execution is not optional.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test system design and deployment at production scale

- Experience standing up test operations for a greenfield or brownfield manufacturing facility

- Experience in robotics or complex electromechanical manufacturing test
- Experience with high-throughput test cell design (cycle time optimization, parallel test, multi-station architectures)

- Familiarity with data visualization tools (Grafana, QuickSight, etc.) and structured data formats (JSON, Parquet, SQL databases)

- Experience with communication protocols common in robotic/electromechanical systems (CAN, EtherCAT, SPI, UART, Ethernet/IP)

- Experience scaling test systems from prototype quantities to volume production (100+ units/day)

- Knowledge of GD&T, measurement system analysis (MSA/Gage R&R), and statistical process control

- Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, MA, N.Reading - 163,400.00 - 221,000.00 USD annually