Test Engineer

At Pentair, you will work alongside passionate problem-solvers who are committed to the future of our planet. We put our mission into practice, helping the world sustainably move, improve and enjoy water, life's most essential resource. From our residential water filtration to industrial water management to pool products and more, our 9,000 global employees serve customers in more than 150 countries, working to help create a better world for people and the planet through smart, sustainable water solutions.

We have an opportunity for a Test Engineer to join our Apex, NC team. You will be responsible for the definition, design, development, deployment, and continuous improvement of End-of-Line & In Process Testers used to validate product performance and quality in a high-volume manufacturing environment. You will owe the creation of automated test systems that ensure manufacturing validation, complete systems functionality testing, and comprehensive data collection—serving as a critical quality gate before products ship to customers. This position requires an innovative problem-solver who can design sophisticated test solutions, manage complex data systems integration, and leverage cloud-based dashboards and AI-driven analytics to detect quality issues before they impact production.

You will:

• Define and architect Product test requirements that ensure complete manufacturing validation and systems functional testing for new and existing products, aligned with product design and failure modes (DFMEA/PFMEA)
• Design and develop automated test equipment (hardware and software) for inline testing including test fixtures, instrumentation, data acquisition systems, controllers, and safety interlocks
• Develop test strategies and derive test limits that achieve world-class coverage of all critical product and process parameters
• Implement comprehensive data acquisition solutions that capture full data from all test elements and measurements for every unit tested
• Integrate systems with factory networks and cloud platforms to enable real-time test data reporting, historical traceability, and transmission of data to enterprise systems and cloud dashboards
• Configure and maintain cloud-based dashboards that allow manufacturing, quality, and engineering teams to monitor EOL performance, yields, trends, and quality indicators in real time from any location
• Support AI/ML-based predictive analytics capabilities by ensuring data is structured, complete, and properly transmitted to enable early detection of emerging quality issues, process drift, and potential failures before they become apparent to operators
• Work closely with product development, manufacturing engineering, quality, and operations teams to ensure full test coverage, limits, and data requirements align with product specifications and process capability
• Support development and ramp-up of pilot and production manufacturing lines by designing, validating, deploying, and documenting test solutions
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis of test failures, identify systemic issues, and drive corrective actions and design-for-test improvements
• Create and maintain comprehensive test documentation, including test specifications, procedures, control plans, equipment BOMs, work instructions, and engineering change records
• Manage multiple development projects concurrently, ensuring quality, cost, schedule, and performance targets are met from concept definition through full production deployment
• Ability to travel 25% is preferred as demand requires

Key Qualifications: 

• Have earned at least a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering, or equivalent
• At least 5yrs of experience (7+ preferred) in a high-volume production and product development environment with demonstrated responsibility for automated test equipment and manufacturing systems
• Strong background in automated test system design including instrumentation, sensors, data acquisition hardware, PLCs, automated fixtures and safety interlocks
• Experience developing test software using industry-standard tools such as Python, LabVIEW or similar languages for automation, data collection and integration
• Strong understanding of product and process design as well as structured new product development processes (Stage-gate)
• Be able to work globally with engineering staff in numerous remote locations while respecting & understanding differing cultures
• Have a drive for results and the willingness to take initiative
• Have excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing
• Have a high level of self-motivation and urgency and demonstrate the ability to meet deadlines
• Engage, inspire, motivate, and influence others

Compensation:

For this full-time position working at this location, the anticipated annualized base pay range will be from $82300 - $152800 / year. At Pentair, it is not typical for an individual to be hired near the bottom or top of the pay range. Pentair considers various factors in determining actual compensation for this position at the expected location. Actual compensation will be commensurate with demonstrable level of experience and training, pertinent education including licensure and certifications, work location, and other relevant business or organizational needs. This position may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as, annual incentive bonus.

Benefits:

As a Pentair employee, you would enjoy a wide array of benefit options to help keep you and your family healthy and protected, health benefits, a generous 401(k), employee stock purchase program, disability benefits, life insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, parental leave, caregiver leave, tuition reimbursement, plus paid time off and wellness programs to encourage a healthy work/life balance.

Pentair is an Equal Opportunity Employer. With our expanding global presence, cross-cultural insight and competence are essential for our ongoing success. We believe that a diverse workforce contributes different perspectives and creative ideas that enable us to continue to improve every day.