Engineering Manager - AI Server RMA (Field Repair) Operation

Engineering 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. 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. The objective is clear: rapidly restore customer systems while identifying and eliminating the root causes that drive repeat failures.

Key Responsibilities

• 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.

• Drive failures through a disciplined process: 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.

• Required 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.

• 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 Engineering Manager will demonstrate:

• 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.