Sr. Test Engineer

Department: Manufacturing Indirect

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Valencia, California

Reporting To: Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Compensation: $95,000 - $115,000 / year

Description

This is a position offering excellent professional and career development in Knowles Precision Device Division. In this critical role, you will be working side-by-side with Process and Equipment Engineering, Facility, QA and R&D teams at Knowles Valencia and be responsible for High volume MLCC Testing development and optimization, introducing new test equipment technology to ensure the process that are stable, high yielding and cost effective. The position will be based at Knowles Valencia CA Site.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, validate, and optimize electrical test procedures for MLCC capacitors as part of the overall manufacturing process flow.
• Collaborate with other process engineers to integrate electrical testing into production workflows; ensuring test coverage aligns with process control and yield improvement goals.
• Lead and manage high-reliability test protocols such as Burn-In, THB, Temperature Cycling, DWV, and Life Testing to meet customer and industry standards 
• Specify, install, and maintain electrical test equipment and fixtures. Ensure calibration, uptime, and capability meet production and reliability requirements.
• Analyze test data to identify trends, root causes of failures, and opportunities for process optimization. Work with cross-functional teams to implement corrective actions.
• Support the introduction of new MLCC products and process changes by developing and validating test methods that ensure electrical performance and reliability.
• Create and maintain test documentation, including procedures, specifications, and reports. Ensure compliance with internal quality systems and external regulatory standards.
• Ability to interpret electrical test results and correlate them with physical assembly defects or process deviations.
• Train technicians and junior engineers on test procedures, equipment operation, and safety protocols. Provide technical leadership within the engineering team.
• Drive initiatives to automate test processes, reduce test cycle time, and improve test coverage and accuracy.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronics Engineering, or equivalent required; Master’s degree is a plus.
• Minimum 5 years in electrical test engineering, preferably in MLCC or passive component manufacturing environments.
• Skilled in using LCR meters, hipot testers, thermal chambers, and automated test systems. Strong understanding of capacitor behavior, dielectric materials, and failure mechanisms.
• Hands-on experience with capacitor assembly processes, including electrode stacking, sintering, termination, and encapsulation.
• Experience working within manufacturing or process engineering teams. Familiar with integrating test procedures into production lines.
• Knowledge of high-reliability test standards such as MIL-PRF, AEC-Q200, and ISO 9001. Familiar with SPC, data analysis, and root cause investigation.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally and mentor junior engineers or technicians.

Benefits

What’s in it for you on Day 1:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance plans
• Prescription Drug Plans
• Basic Life Insurance 
• 401k plan with company match
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Employee Referral Program 
• Flex PTO and Paid Sick Leave
• Paid Holidays

Exciting Onsite Perks: 

• Free coffee available at our cafeteria
• Employee Appreciation Events

 Knowles is committed to providing a competitive and fair total compensation package for all employees.
  
 One element in our total compensation package is base pay.  The starting pay for this role is targeted to be between $95,000 and $115,000 per year. 
 Individual compensation decisions are based on a number of factors, including but not limited to previous experience and skills acquired prior to joining Knowles, cost of living in the assigned work location, assigned schedule, and salaries of similarly situated peers at the company.  It is to be expected that candidates will come to us with different sets of skills and experiences and therefore will be paid at different points in the stated range.  We recognize that the person(s) we select for hire may be less experienced or more experienced than the role as posted; if this is the case, any updates to available sala