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Do you want to help drive solutions in an innovative way? Do you want to be on the ground floor of new technology and engineering standards? Winnebago Industries has an exciting new opportunity for a Test & Validation Engineer based out of our Middlebury, IN location. The Vehicle Test & Validation Engineer is responsible for leading the development, execution, and continuous improvement of vehicle, component, materials, environmental, and electronics testing activities. This role serves as the technical owner of advanced testing capabilities, including full vehicle shaker table systems, environmental chambers, materials testing equipment, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems. This role will work closely with engineering, quality, manufacturing, and supplier teams and this individual will generate data-driven insights that improve product durability, reliability, safety, and customer satisfaction while advancing enterprise testing capabilities and best practices.
Day to Day of the Role:
Validation & Testing Leadership
- Develop and execute verification and validation plans for vehicle systems, components, materials, and electronic products.
- Lead laboratory, proving ground, and field-testing activities.
- Establish test methods that replicate customer usage and real-world operating conditions.
- Support product development through data-driven validation and technical recommendations.
Durability, Environmental & Electronics Testing
- Operate and continuously improve full vehicle shaker table testing capabilities.
- Develop test profiles, procedures, and instrumentation plans.
- Execute environmental testing including thermal, humidity, corrosion, ingress protection, and accelerated life testing.
- Validate vehicle electronics, controls, sensors, and electrical systems.
- Lead root cause investigations and failure analysis activities.
Data Acquisition & Analysis
- Develop instrumentation plans utilizing accelerometers, strain gauges, thermocouples, load cells, and related technologies.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret laboratory and field test data.
- Prepare technical reports and communicate findings to engineering and leadership teams.
Laboratory Capability Development
- Support specification, installation, commissioning, and operation of new testing equipment and laboratory assets.
- Develop standardized procedures, calibration practices, and safety requirements.
- Drive continuous improvement of laboratory utilization, efficiency, and technical capability.
Collaboration
- Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supplier Quality, and Product Development teams to support enterprise validation objectives.
- Collaborate with suppliers, consultants, and external laboratories as required.
Education & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- 5-7+ years of experience in product testing, validation, durability, reliability, or laboratory operations.
- Experience independently developing and executing engineering test programs.
- Experience with instrumentation, data acquisition, and engineering analysis tools.
- Ability to lead complex technical investigations and communicate recommendations effectively.
Preferred
- 10+ years of experience in test, validation, or reliability engineering.
- Experience with full vehicle durability and shaker table testing.
- Experience with environmental chambers and accelerated life testing.
- Experience with materials and structural testing.
- Experience with Dewesoft, NI, LabVIEW, LMS, m+p, or similar DAQ platforms.
- Experience with strain gauges, accelerometers, thermocouples, load cells, and related instrumentation.
- Knowledge of vehicle electrical systems, CAN networks, and electronics validation.
- Experience with reliability analysis, DOE, and statistical test methods.
About Us: Winnebago Industries is a leading North American manufacturer of premium outdoor recreation products under the Grand Design, Newmar, Winnebago, Barletta and Chris-Craft brands. We are a family of brands, each unique in its own rich legacy, but united in the pursuit to Be Great, Outdoors. The company builds high-quality motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth-wheel products, outboard and sterndrive powerboats, pontoons and commercial community outreach vehicles.
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