Staff Test Engineer, Powertrain

The Staff Manufacturing Test Engineer – Powertrain will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for defining, integrating, and sustaining manufacturing test strategies across Lucid’s electric powertrain systems, including traction inverters, Drive Units, and high‑voltage battery assemblies. 

This role is focused on systems-level test ownership, ensuring alignment of test architecture, data strategy, safety standards, and validation methodology across powertrain commodities—while partnering closely with commodity‑level test engineers, Design Engineering, Controls, Quality, Production, and external equipment suppliers. 

As a Staff‑level engineer, this role emphasizes technical authority, cross‑functional leadership, and strategic scalability, rather than day‑to‑day ownership of individual test stations. 

• Serve as the manufacturing test technical authority for powertrain systems, providing oversight and direction across inverter, Drive Unit, and battery test architectures. 
• Review and approve powertrain‑level test strategies, specifications, and major change requests from Design Engineering, ensuring consistency, manufacturability, and scalability across commodities. 
• Define common test principles for end‑of‑line (EOL) and in‑process testing, including test sequencing philosophy, limit strategies, failure‑mode handling, safety requirements, and data traceability. 
• Guide and review test system designs to ensure alignment in HV/LV safety, grounding, shielding, thermal considerations, and connectorization standards across all powertrain stations. 
• Provide technical mentorship and design oversight to commodity‑focused test engineers (Inverter, DU, Battery) during system development, commissioning, and production ramp. 
• Lead technical reviews for externally supplied powertrain test equipment, including RFQs, supplier selection, architecture reviews, and design validation. 
• Partner with Controls Engineering to ensure proper integration of test applications with station PLCs, dynos, load systems, cooling systems, safety circuits, and material handling equipment. 
• Define and review commissioning and validation methodologies across powertrain test systems, including GR&R, fault injection, red‑rabbit units, and simulation of electrical, mechanical, thermal, and communication failures. 
• Act as a key escalation point for complex production issues, supporting root‑cause analysis, yield improvement, and false‑fail reduction across powertrain test operations. 
• Collaborate with factory data and analytics teams to enable consistent test data architecture, serial‑level traceability, yield dashboards, and long‑term quality monitoring across powertrain systems. 
• Support training strategies for operations and maintenance teams, ensuring safe operation and effective troubleshooting of high‑voltage powertrain test systems. 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Controls Systems Engineering, Electrical and Controls Engineering, or Automation and Control Engineering and at least 5 years of professional experience.
• 8+ years of experience developing, launching, and supporting automated test equipment in high‑volume manufacturing environments.
• Prior experience with EV powertrain systems, with direct exposure to two or more of the following areas: traction inverters, electric motors / Drive Units, or high‑voltage battery modules or packs. 
• Strong understanding of high‑voltage EV systems, including safety requirements, insulation resistance, hipot testing, functional power testing, and energy storage hazards. 
• Proven ability to define test strategies without being limited to hands‑on station ownership across all commodities simultaneously. 
• Experience guiding test hardware design using platforms such as National Instruments PXI, cDAQ, or cRIO, or equivalent industrial test architectures. 
• Strong software development or technical review experience with tools such as NI LabVIEW, NI TestStand, Python, MATLAB, or similar manufacturing test frameworks. 
• Working knowledge of automotive communication protocols, including CAN, CAN‑FD, LIN, and Automotive Ethernet. 
• Proficiency reviewing electrical schematics and system layouts using tools such as AutoCAD or EPLAN. 
• Experience interfacing test systems with PLCs and industrial networks such as Ethernet/IP or OPC‑UA. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional technical discussions, influence design decisions, and provide clear direction across engineering, production, quality, and suppliers. 
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to balance strategic oversight and hands‑on technical problem solving when required.