Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for In‑Test Developer

🎯 Role Definition

The In‑Test Developer designs, develops and sustains manufacturing test programs and hardware for electronic assemblies, ensuring high first-pass yield, accurate fault coverage and efficient automated test execution on ICT, ATE and functional test platforms. This role partners closely with PCB design, process engineering, and production operations to implement Design for Test (DFT) best practices, create robust test plans, and continuously improve test throughput, reliability and reporting integration with MES/ERP systems.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Test Engineer / Manufacturing Test Technician with experience in ICT/ATE programming.
Hardware Design Engineer or Electronics Technician with exposure to fixture and test development.
Field or Service Test Technician experienced in troubleshooting and validating test equipment.

Advancement To:

Senior Test Engineer / Lead In‑Test Developer responsible for multiple product lines.
Test Engineering Manager / Manufacturing Engineering Manager overseeing test strategy and teams.
Director of Test & Validation or Director of Manufacturing Engineering focused on test and quality programs.

Lateral Moves:

Product Test Architect (focus on DFT and test strategy)
Reliability & Failure Analysis Engineer
Automation or Process Improvement Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, debug and qualify automated in‑circuit test (ICT), flying probe and automatic test equipment (ATE) programs and test sequences to verify PCB assembly electrical integrity, component placement and functional performance across production volumes.
Create and maintain detailed test plans, test coverage matrices and pass/fail criteria that map back to product requirements, bill of materials (BOM) and PCB netlists to ensure measurable fault coverage and traceability.
Design, specify and oversee the fabrication and validation of test fixtures (bed‑of‑nails, pogo‑pin fixtures, custom adapters) including mechanical constraints, grounding, shielding and connectorization to meet production cycle time and reliability targets.
Implement and maintain boundary‑scan (JTAG) and other DFT strategies to increase testability for high‑density boards, working with PCB designers to add test points or modify net routing to meet target test coverage.
Write, optimize and maintain test scripts in languages and frameworks such as TestStand, LabVIEW, Python, C/C++, TCL, or proprietary ATE languages to achieve deterministic and repeatable test behavior in a high throughput manufacturing environment.
Troubleshoot intermittent and systematic test failures using laboratory instruments (oscilloscope, logic analyzer, multimeter, signal generator), root cause analysis and cross‑functional defect review to reduce yield escapes and scrap.
Integrate test equipment with MES and ERP systems for automated data capture, serial number traceability, yield reporting, and downstream quality workflows; ensure test logs are stored, searchable and KPI‑ready for analytics.
Develop and execute automated and manual regression test suites and validation plans for new revisions, ensuring backward compatibility and preventing test regressions across product releases.
Define and enforce test hardware calibration, maintenance schedules and spares strategies to minimize downtime and protect test accuracy at scale in production lines and pilot builds.
Partner with design engineering during new product introduction (NPI) to perform Design for Testability reviews, pre‑production test iterations and early defect detection to shorten time‑to‑volume.
Perform systematic fault injection and negative‑testing to validate test program robustness, ensuring graceful handling of edge cases, noisy signals and marginal components.
Create, update and maintain comprehensive test documentation, including test procedures, operator work instructions, contact impedance guidelines and failure disposition paths that support operator training and audit readiness.
Analyze large sets of test data to identify trends and root causes (including component, process and design related), propose corrective actions and work with suppliers and manufacturing to implement improvements that increase yield and reduce rework.
Support test station commissioning and continuous improvement projects to reduce cycle time, eliminate single points of failure and achieve takt time objectives while maintaining test coverage.
Lead or participate in cross‑functional DFM/DFT reviews and problem resolution sessions with PCB designers, procurement, process engineering and quality teams to minimize field failures and warranty costs.
Implement version control, backup and release processes for test programs, fixtures and configuration files to ensure repeatable deployments and traceability across manufacturing sites.
Provide on‑floor technical support and escalation handling for production test failures, including operator training, quick‑change test procedure updates and reactive fixture repairs to restore production flow.
Specify and validate low‑level test interfaces (power rails, communication buses like I2C/SPI/UART, RF test paths, ADC/DAC checks) and design test jigs to condition DUTs for reliable measurement and functional verification.
Collaborate with suppliers and external test houses to qualify third‑party test equipment, outsource test programs and maintain performance SLAs, including FAT and SAT procedures for incoming test systems.
Drive continuous improvement and automation initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen methodologies to reduce test cycle times, lower cost‑of‑test and improve first‑pass yield across multiple product lines.
Mentor junior test engineers and technicians, create training materials and transfer knowledge for sustainable test program maintenance and handover to operations teams.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

In‑Circuit Test (ICT) and Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) test program development and validation experience.
Proficiency with test execution and sequence platforms such as TestStand, LabVIEW, or custom ATE environments.
Programming and scripting skills in Python, C/C++, TCL, or similar languages for test automation and data processing.
Boundary‑Scan (JTAG) / IEEE1149.x test design and test program implementation.
Experience with flying probe test systems and transition criteria between flying probe and bed‑of‑nails ICT.
Hands‑on hardware debugging using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, multimeters and power supplies.
Familiarity with manufacturing MES integration, serial traceability, test data logging and SQL or time‑series databases for test result analysis.
Knowledge of PCB netlist analysis, schematic review and DFT techniques to improve test coverage early in design cycles.
Test fixture design fundamentals, including mechanical CAD (SolidWorks/AutoCAD) basics and specification of pogo‑pins, connectors and fixture materials.
Solid understanding of analog/digital interfaces, power sequencing, signal integrity considerations and common bus protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, USB).
Experience with statistical process control (SPC), yield analysis and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) applied to manufacturing test.
Version control and configuration management of test programs and fixtures (Git or equivalent).
Experience with regulatory and industry standards relevant to electronics manufacturing and testing (IPC standards, UL, CE considerations where applicable).

Soft Skills

Strong analytical and structured problem‑solving skills with a data‑driven mindset for root cause and corrective action.
Clear written and verbal communication skills to create documentation, train operators and coordinate cross‑functional teams.
Collaborative team player able to influence design and process owners and drive consensus on DFT and testability improvements.
Time management and prioritization skills in a fast‑paced production environment with multiple concurrent NPI and sustaining projects.
Attention to detail and quality mindset to ensure test programs are robust, maintainable and audit‑ready.
Adaptability and continuous learning orientation to adopt new ATE tools, test methodologies and automation frameworks.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, or a closely related technical discipline; or equivalent hands‑on experience in electronics test and manufacturing.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Test Engineering, or relevant advanced technical certification (e.g., IPC, Six Sigma Green Belt).
Additional coursework or certifications in embedded systems, signal integrity, or automated test equipment programming.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Electrical Engineering / Electronics Engineering
Computer Engineering / Embedded Systems
Mechatronics / Manufacturing Engineering
Test Engineering / Quality Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–8 years of hands‑on experience in manufacturing test development, ICT/ATE programming, fixture design and production support.

Preferred:

5+ years in high‑volume electronics manufacturing test roles, with demonstrated success in NPI, test program optimization, MES/ATE integration and cross‑site test program rollouts.