Test Lab Manager

Job Title: Test Lab Manager - Power Electronics Validation, Verification & Reliability Engineer

Job Description

This role leads the validation, verification, and reliability strategy for advanced power electronics products, with full ownership of the validation lifecycle for industrial drives and new energy platforms such as bidirectional DC/DC converters, solar MPPT optimizers, and next-generation variable frequency drives. You will combine deep technical engineering expertise with hands-on laboratory leadership, defining validation strategy from DFMEA through acceptance testing, building and managing a dedicated product validation lab, and partnering closely with design, compliance, manufacturing, and quality teams to deliver robust, field-proven products.

Responsibilities

• Own the Design Validation Plan (DVP) for new power electronics products and define comprehensive test coverage from subsystem bench testing through full system integration and environmental qualification.
• Lead and facilitate Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) workshops with cross-functional teams, translating risk rankings into targeted validation test cases and mitigation plans.
• Establish verification traceability matrices that link design requirements, test cases, and acceptance criteria throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Define acceptance criteria, measurement uncertainty budgets, and statistical confidence levels appropriate for industrial power electronics applications.
• Design, set up, and execute qualification test programs covering electrical performance, including efficiency curves, power quality (harmonics, power factor, THD), switching waveform characterization, and thermal derating.
• Perform thermal validation activities such as junction temperature measurement, heat sink characterization, thermal imaging, and derating verification.
• Coordinate and execute environmental testing programs, including vibration, thermal cycling, humidity exposure, and ingress protection (IP rating), working with third-party laboratories as needed.
• Plan and perform reliability testing such as HALT/HASS, accelerated life testing, and component-level stress analysis to qualify products for long-term field performance.
• Conduct dielectric and safety testing, including hi-pot, insulation resistance, and ground bond, in alignment with UL and IEC requirements.
• Validate communication and control functions by verifying fieldbus protocols such as EtherNet/IP, Modbus, and CANopen, and performing firmware regression validation.
• Analyze test data, document failures, and drive root-cause analysis using structured methodologies such as 8D, Ishikawa diagrams, and fault tree analysis (FTA).
• Author detailed validation reports suitable for regulatory submissions, customer technical reviews, and internal design history files, ensuring clear documentation of test plans, procedures, and results.
• Develop, organize, and manage the product validation laboratory, including equipment procurement justification, lab layout, safety procedures, calibration programs, and equipment maintenance schedules.
• Define capital equipment roadmaps to support current and future product lines, including power analyzers, high-voltage DC sources, programmable loads, thermal cameras, oscilloscopes, data acquisition systems, and environmental chambers.
• Supervise, schedule, and mentor test technicians, establishing standard operating procedures, workload priorities, and skill development plans.
• Maintain lab safety compliance with NFPA 70E, OSHA electrical safety standards, and internal environmental health and safety policies, serving as the lab safety leader.
• Track lab utilization, project test schedules, and resource capacity to align validation activities with product development timelines and delivery commitments.
• Partner with power electronics and controls design engineers to provide Design for Testability (DFT) and Design for Reliability (DFR) feedback early in development, championing best practices for component derating, thermal management, and robust gate drive design.
• Collaborate with compliance engineers to align validation activities with applicable UL, IEC, CE marking, NEC, NFPA, and other regulatory requirements, and support third-party agency submissions.
• Work closely with manufacturing engineering and production teams to define end-of-line (EOL) test strategies, test fixture requirements, go/no-go limits, and tester calibration protocols, and support transfer of validation methods into production.
• Interface with quality assurance to integrate validation data into the product quality management system and support corrective action processes for field issues.
• Engage with supply chain and component engineering to assess reliability of critical components, support last-time-buy (LTB) qualification, and validate alternate sourcing options.
• Develop and maintain reliability models such as MTBF and MTTF for power electronics platforms using MIL-HDBK-217, Telcordia, or physics-of-failure approaches.
• Analyze field return data and warranty claims to identify systemic failure modes and recommend design or process improvements that enhance product reliability.
• Establish product reliability targets and derating standards in coordination with product management and engineering leadership, and ensure these targets are reflected in validation plans.
• Maintain a lessons-learned database and drive incorporation of reliability improvements into new product development efforts.
• Run and oversee the test lab for lifecycle and durability testing of power electronics products, ensuring that appropriate test programs and documentation are in place to evaluate designs from a reliability, verification, and validation standpoint.
• Determine and define the test activities needed to prevent failures in the field, including misuse scenarios such as incorrect user inputs and boundary-condition testing to understand product limits.
• Coordinate with external laboratories for tests that cannot be performed in-house, particularly for high-voltage and specialized environmental or compliance testing.
• Define end-of-line testing requirements for converters, inverters, drives, and related products to ensure consistent production quality and proper qualification of finished units.

Essential Skills

• Deep understanding of power electronics circuit operation, with the ability to diagnose failure modes at both the component and system levels.
• Hands-on experience working directly with power electronics products such as variable frequency drives (VFDs), inverters, DC/DC converters, power supplies, UPS systems, battery storage systems, solar inverters, EV charging equipment, or industrial drives.
• Proven ownership or significant contribution to design validation and verification activities for power conversion products.
• Strong knowledge of DFMEA and DVP processes, including leading DFMEA activities and developing comprehensive Design Validation Plans.
• Experience performing reliability, qualification, and environmental testing, including HALT/HASS or similar methodologies.
• Extensive lab experience using power electronics test equipment such as oscilloscopes, power analyzers, thermal cameras, programmable power supplies, and electronic loads.
• Ability to discuss and analyze inverters, drives, converters, battery systems, motor controls, and related products at a detailed technical level.
• Leadership presence and experience sufficient to oversee technicians and manage a test lab environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field; a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) is preferred.
• At least 5 years of hands-on experience in power electronics design validation, test engineering, or reliability engineering.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating DFMEA and developing DVPs specifically for power conversion products such as AC drives, DC/DC converters, and inverters.
• Proficiency with power electronics test equipment, including power analyzers (e.g., Yokogawa, Hioki), high-voltage probes, isolation amplifiers, thermal cameras (e.g., FLIR), and programmable AC/DC sources and electronic loads.
• Working knowledge of relevant standards such as UL 508A, UL 1741 SA/SB, IEC standards, IEEE 519, and NFPA 70E.
• Strong data analysis skills with proficiency in tools such as Excel, MATLAB, or Python for test data reduction, statistical analysis, and reporting.
• Experience supervising technicians or junior engineers in a laboratory setting.
• Excellent technical writing skills, with demonstrated ability to produce clear test plans, procedures, and validation reports.
• Comfort working around high-power AC systems and high-voltage DC equipment up to approximately 1500 VDC.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with HALT/HASS testing methodologies and accelerated life test design for power electronics products.
• Familiarity with validation of solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters or battery energy storage system (BESS) products.
• Experience defining, commissioning, and optimizing end-of-line production test systems for power electronics.
• Knowledge of SiC MOSFET and IGBT characterization techniques and their implications for reliability and validation.
• Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) or Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) credentials.
• Experience using LabVIEW, Python, or similar tools for automated test system development and data acquisition.
• Exposure to ISO 9001 or AS9100 quality management systems and associated documentation and process requirements.
• Experience with validation protocols, root-cause analysis techniques, and structured reliability engineering methodologies.
• Experience in circuits, power electronics engineering, and verification and validation engineering for industrial or energy applications.

Work Environment

The role is primarily based in a dedicated test laboratory environment and requires on-site presence due to extensive hands-on work with power electronics equipment. You will work regularly with high-voltage electrical systems up to approximately 1500 VDC and high-power AC equipment, following established electrical safety programs and NFPA 70E arc flash personal protective equipment requirements. The position involves frequent standing, bending, and working in and around confined equipment enclosures, as well as lifting and positioning test equipment weighing up to 50 pounds. You will use a range of specialized technologies and equipment, including power analyzers, high-voltage DC sources, programmable loads, oscilloscopes, thermal cameras, data acquisition systems, and environmental chambers. The environment emphasizes strong safety culture, structured procedures, and collaboration with technicians and engineers. Occasional travel, estimated at up to 15% of working time, may be required to visit customer facilities, third-party test laboratories, and supplier sites for testing, validation, and technical support activities.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Franksville, WI.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $160000.00/yr.

competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a commitment to professional development. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome candidates of all backgrounds.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Franksville,WI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 24, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.