Engineering Manager - AI Server RMA (Field Repair) Operation
- Houston, United States
- Lead/Staff
- 5+ years
- Bachelor's degree
- Posted
Skills
Required
- failure analysis / manufacturing / repair / RMA / NPI / field-return operations
- Mechanical
- Manufacturing Engineering
- computing
- electronics
- networking
Preferred
- AI / GPU / HPC / hyperscale / enterprise server platforms
- GPU/CPU architecture
- DDR memory
- PCIe
- BMC
- BIOS
- firmware
- telemetry
- system-event-log diagnostics
Manager - AI Server RMA (Field Repair) Operation Position Summary This position is responsible for the technical performance of the RMA operation, including server diagnostics, root-cause analysis, repair process development, liquid-cooling integrity, test validation, repair yield, and customer technical escalations .
Responsibilities
- The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise with hands-on factory leadership, managing engineers while partnering with Manufacturing, Quality, Test Engineering, Process Engineering, Supply Chain, Program Management, suppliers, and customer engineering teams.
- rapidly restore customer systems while identifying and eliminating the root causes that drive repeat failures.
- Engineering & RMA Leadership Lead engineers supporting customer returns, RMA repair, refurbishment, and field-failure investigations.
- Establish standardized diagnostic, repair, validation, and engineering escalation processes.
- Provide technical leadership for complex AI server failures that cannot be resolved through standard troubleshooting procedures.
- Manage engineering resources based on customer severity, RMA aging, production impact, and business risk.
- Develop engineers and technicians through coaching, technical training, certification, and structured problem-solving practices.
- symptom → reproduction → isolation → root cause → corrective action → validation → closure .
- Reduce unnecessary component replacement, repeated troubleshooting, and No Trouble Found (NTF) cases.
- Lead structured investigations using 8D, 5 Why, Fishbone, Pareto, FMEA, fault-tree analysis, DMAIC, and DOE , as appropriate.
- Analyze RMA and field-failure data to identify product, process, supplier, firmware, workmanship, and test-coverage improvement opportunities.
- Partner with Design, Manufacturing, Quality, suppliers, and customer engineering teams to implement permanent corrective actions.
- Provide RMA lessons learned and Design-for-Serviceability/Repairability feedback into NPI and future AI server platforms.
- Key Performance Indicators First Pass Yield (FPY) / Repair Yield First Time Fix / First Time Right Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) RMA Turnaround Time & Aging Repeat RMA / Repeat Failure Rate No Trouble Found (NTF) Rate Root-Cause & Corrective-Action Closure Engineering Hold Aging Success requires balancing repair speed, technical accuracy, product quality, cost, and customer satisfaction , rather than simply maximizing repair volume.
- Customer & Cross-Functional Leadership Serve as a senior technical escalation point for critical customer and field issues.
- Coordinate containment, failure reproduction, root-cause investigation, corrective action, validation, and effectiveness monitoring.
- Lead technical reviews and communicate complex failures clearly to engineering, operations, customers, and executive leadership.
- Work closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Test, Process Engineering, NPI, Program Management, Supply Chain, suppliers, and customer engineering organizations.
- Ensure field-return data is translated into actionable improvements to manufacturing processes, test coverage, supplier quality, firmware, and product design.
Requirements
- Qualifications Education Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Electronics, Computer, Mechanical, Manufacturing Engineering , or a related technical discipline.
- Equivalent relevant technical and leadership experience may be considered.
- Experience 5+ years of engineering experience in servers, computing, electronics, networking, high-tech manufacturing, or related industries.
- 3+ years of engineering leadership or people-management experience.
- Strong experience with system-level troubleshooting, failure analysis, manufacturing, repair, RMA, NPI, or field-return operations .
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
- Experience working directly with customers, suppliers, or customer engineering organizations.
- Hands-on technical leadership and willingness to engage directly in complex debug situations
- Strong root-cause and structured problem-solving discipline Data-driven decision making and KPI ownership
- Ability to lead engineering teams in a fast-paced factory/RMA environment
- Strong customer focus and urgency without sacrificing technical rigor
- Effective cross-functional and supplier leadership
Clear written, verbal, and executive-level communication
- Ability to develop engineers, technical leads, and repair technicians
- Above all, this leader understands the difference between replacing the failed part, repairing the system, and eliminating the root cause .
Preferred
- Technical Qualifications Strong candidates will have experience with several of the following: AI, GPU, HPC, hyperscale, or enterprise server platforms GPU/CPU architecture, DDR memory, PCIe, NVMe, and high-speed networking BMC, BIOS, firmware, telemetry, and system-event-log diagnostics
- Liquid cooling, cold plates, QDs/QDCs, manifolds, coolant handling, flow/pressure fundamentals, and leak testing High-volume electronics manufacturing and RMA operations 8D, FMEA, SPC, DOE, CAPA, and Six Sigma methodologies MES, PLM, QMS, ERP, and RMA tracking systems ISO 9001 or similar quality-management environments Accelerated-computing or advanced GPU server architectures
- Leadership Competencies The successful
