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.

Engineering Manager - AI Server RMA (Field Repair) Operation

Skills mentioned

About the role

Similar jobs