Customer Technical Support Lab Supervisor - 2277

Job Description

The Supervisor, CTS Test Lab (Austin) is the functional leader for the Austin qualification test lab within the Customer Technical Support (CTS) organization, planning and executing the test cases each customer qualification requires, triaging failures, and reporting qualification status to KIOXIA product teams and customers.

This position has responsibility for a small team of CTS test engineers in the Austin lab, owns the lab's infrastructure and equipment lifecycle, and coordinates test case execution across every qualification running in the lab. It is the first level of support on technical questions, scheduling conflicts and blocked work. The position owns test assignment, rack allocation, maintenance and repair within approved budget, and performance management for its direct reports, and coordinates new equipment and CAPEX, qualification priority calls that cross products or customers, and changes to the CTS test process standard.

This position sets direction for the lab through day to day execution: the plan, the people, the equipment and the issues that come up between qual cycles. It is a hands on role for someone who knows SSD qualification testing at the bench level and is also ready to lead a team of experienced lab engineers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Austin CTS test engineers: assignments, priorities, coaching and development. Set MBOs at the start of each fiscal half, aligned to CTS department goals as defined by CTS executive management, and run performance reviews at the close of each half.
• Coordinate test case assignment and sequencing across the customer qualifications running in the lab, balancing test time, reconfiguration cost and qualification deadlines, and arbitrate contention when qualifications need the same server platform or fixture.
• Track test execution against qualification milestones and report status, risks and slips on a regular cadence.
• Own the lab's test infrastructure (servers, power, cooling and network): maintenance, repair, vendor service, and new equipment orders placed against the qualification roadmap.
• Manage lab inventory and the asset lifecycle from intake through end of service identification and eWaste submission, and support the annual Fixed Asset Audit for the Austin location.
• Serve as the team's first level of support on technical questions, test setup problems and equipment faults: triage setup or environment causes from genuine drive defects, and decide what gets re run and what gets escalated to Japan Engineering for resolution.
• Support the lab's move from spreadsheet based qualification and manually run test cases toward database driven tracking and automated test execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or a related field or 5+ years of hands on experience in SSD, storage, server or systems test engineering, including qualification test execution, and 2+ years leading engineers or running a test lab.
• Working knowledge of SSD qualification: test case planning, host and platform configuration, firmware revisions, and failure triage that isolates a problem to host, platform, firmware or drive.
• Demonstrated ability to set goals, give feedback and write performance reviews for direct reports.
• Clear written and spoken communication, including status reporting and precise documentation in issue tracking systems.
• Ability to stand, rack and lifting equipment up to 40 pounds.
• Occasional off hours coverage when unattended tests or equipment faults require it.

Preferred:

• Enterprise or data center SSD qualification experience with OEM or hyperscale customers.
• Experience with PCIe, NVMe and SAS interfaces, protocol analyzers, and rack scale server test environments.
• Familiarity with test automation and database driven test tracking, and working knowledge of Python, PowerShell or Bash sufficient to review automation built by the team.

Additional Information

Req#2277; #LI-CB1

The expected salary for this position is $99,560.00 - $165,930.00.

At KIOXIA, we value the following:

• Investment in you
  • Offering opportunities for career growth and personal development training
• Open-minded management
  • Empowering employees by listening and responding to ideas, issues, and approaches
• Flexible work-life balance
  • Offering a generous PTO allotment, holiday shutdown, and flexible work options
• Variety of cultures, perspectives, backgrounds and experiences of all our team members
  • Through our opportunity, belonging and respect initiatives, our focus is to strengthen our company culture to create an environment of belonging for all
• Benefits for our team members
  • Excellent medical and non-medical benefits, 401(k) matching, pet insurance

KIOXIA America, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Company Description

No Relocation Assistance Provided. 

KIOXIA America, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of KIOXIA Corporation, a leading worldwide supplier of flash memory and solid state drives (SSDs). From the invention of flash memory to today’s breakthrough BiCS FLASH™ 3D flash memory technology, KIOXIA continues to pioneer innovative memory, SSD and software solutions that enrich people's lives and expand society's horizons. The company's innovative BiCS FLASH™ 3D flash memory technology is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, SSDs, automotive, and data centers.