Engineering Manager - AI Server RMA (Field Repair) Operation

Houston, TX
Full Time
Experienced
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.

 
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