Product Functional Test Technology Specialist

We are looking for a talented Product Functional Test Technology Specialist to join our team specializing in Engineering for our Cummins location in Columbus, IN.  

Role Overview 

The Test Technology Engineer will be responsible for implementing, developing, and troubleshooting measurement and control systems within an engine and hybrid powertrain test facility. This role requires a strong foundation in electrical engineering, controls, data acquisition, and experimental methods, along with the ability to work effectively with a diverse team of technicians and engineers. The position also demands strong strategic thinking—seeing how individual technical issues connect to broader departmental objectives—and the ability to contribute to globally aligned initiatives by understanding tools, practices, and goals across multiple sites. 

Key Responsibilities for the role are: 

Electrical Engineering & Test Systems 

• Develop a deep understanding of battery emulators and their application in hybrid powertrain testing. 
• Support and troubleshoot dynamometer systems, including motoring and eddy‑current dynos. 
• Understand hybrid test configurations involving engines, generators, and dynos, including the underlying physics and the measurement objectives of customer test programs. 

Controls Engineering 

• Understand and work with various test cell control modes. 
• Diagnose and resolve control‑related issues such as torque spikes or instability between engine and dyno systems. 
• Understand how different control strategies (e.g., dyno controlling speed vs. engine controlling torque) affect system behavior. 
• Support and tune additional control loops associated with other test cell subsystems. 
• Understand how changes in control strategy, PID tuning, or subsystem interactions can introduce bias, noise, or drift into measurement systems, and adjust control settings to minimize uncertainty. 

PLC Systems & Safety 

• Contribute to PLC‑based projects, including the ongoing safe‑entry system for test cells. 
• Develop, modify, and troubleshoot PLC logic to support safety and operational improvements. 

High‑Voltage & Facility‑Level Electrical Knowledge 

• Understand building‑level electrical noise, including total harmonic distortion (THD), and how it affects dyno drives and other sensitive equipment. 
• Determine whether mitigation strategies (e.g., transformers or filters) are required. 
• Measure and characterize THD using appropriate tools. 
• Build MATLAB or similar models to simulate regenerative power flow from dynos back to the grid and predict resulting THD levels. 

Experimental & Data Skills 

• Understand the full data acquisition chain, from sensor output to digitization and storage. 
• Distinguish between accuracy and precision and apply this understanding to test planning and data interpretation. 
• Have at least a basic understanding of uncertainty analysis, including how measurement uncertainty propagates and affects test results. 
• Support calibration processes and ensure measurement integrity. 
• Process and analyze data using MATLAB or similar tools. 
• Apply signal‑processing techniques (FFTs, filtering, smoothing) and numerical‑methods approaches within MATLAB and related platforms for data analysis. 
• Develop scripts or utilities to automate data processing and improve workflow efficiency. 
• Document test results and research findings using LaTeX or similar reporting tools. 

Strategic Thinking & Systems Perspective 

• Maintain awareness of how individual test cell issues, engineering tasks, and subsystem behaviors connect to broader departmental objectives. 
• Identify patterns, recurring failure modes, or inefficiencies and propose long‑term, scalable solutions rather than one‑off fixes. 
• Anticipate downstream impacts of technical decisions on safety, data quality, scheduling, and cross‑team workflows. 
• Contribute ideas that improve the overall test technology roadmap, not just local processes or tools. 

Global Collaboration & Cross‑Site Awareness 

• Understand the goals, priorities, and technical strategies of the global Test Technology organization. 
• Stay informed about tools, methods, and innovations being developed at other sites and proactively evaluate their applicability to CTC. 
• Participate in global projects that require coordination across multiple locations, ensuring solutions are consistent, scalable, and aligned with enterprise‑level standards. 
• Bring an “outside‑the‑box” mindset to problem‑solving by integrating lessons learned, best practices, and emerging technologies from across the global network. 
• Communicate effectively with engineers and leaders at other sites to share knowledge, align on technical direction, and support unified global initiatives. 

To be successful in this role, you will need the following: 

Interpersonal Skills 

• Work effectively with a team of engineers and associate engineers with varying work styles. 
• Maintain productive relationships by balancing expectations, communication, and respect for established work dynamics. 
• Navigate sensitive interpersonal situations with professionalism and tact to ensure tasks are completed without damaging long‑term cooperation. 

Initiative and Curiosity 

• Identify useful tasks, improvements, or opportunities without requiring constant direction. 
• Explore new tools, methods, and ideas with a research‑oriented mindset. 
• Demonstrate a genuine interest in understanding the physics behind systems and applying that knowledge to develop practical, elegant solutions. 

Problem‑Solving Approach 

• Approach test cell issues analytically, using first principles when appropriate. 
• Enjoy the process of diagnosing complex problems and developing solutions grounded in engineering fundamentals. 

Education, Licenses, Certifications: 
 

• Demonstrated aptitude is required. College, university, or equivalent Associate's degree or certification in an appropriate STEM field is required. 
• Equivalent Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline area may be required for select roles. 
• This position may require licensing for compliance with export controls or sanctions regulations. 
   

Experience: 
Prior Senior or Lead Engineer equivalent work experience in a relevant discipline area is required with a demonstrated track record of technical problem solving and quality decision making. Knowledge of MS Office tools is preferred. 

Key Responsibilities 

Electrical Engineering & Test Systems 

• Develop a deep understanding of battery emulators and their application in hybrid powertrain testing. 
• Support and troubleshoot dynamometer systems, including motoring and eddy‑current dynos. 
• Understand hybrid test configurations involving engines, generators, and dynos, including the underlying physics and the measurement objectives of customer test programs. 

Controls Engineering 

• Understand and work with various test cell control modes. 
• Diagnose and resolve control‑related issues such as torque spikes or instability between engine and dyno systems. 
• Understand how different control strategies (e.g., dyno controlling speed vs. engine controlling torque) affect system behavior. 
• Support and tune additional control loops associated with other test cell subsystems. 
• Understand how changes in control strategy, PID tuning, or subsystem interactions can introduce bias, noise, or drift into measurement systems, and adjust control settings to minimize uncertainty. 

PLC Systems & Safety 

• Contribute to PLC‑based projects, including the ongoing safe‑entry system for test cells. 
• Develop, modify, and troubleshoot PLC logic to support safety and operational improvements. 

High‑Voltage & Facility‑Level Electrical Knowledge 

• Understand building‑level electrical noise, including total harmonic distortion (THD), and how it affects dyno drives and other sensitive equipment. 
• Determine whether mitigation strategies (e.g., transformers or filters) are required. 
• Measure and characterize THD using appropriate tools. 
• Build MATLAB or similar models to simulate regenerative power flow from dynos back to the grid and predict resulting THD levels. 

Experimental & Data Skills 

• Understand the full data acquisition chain, from sensor output to digitization and storage. 
• Distinguish between accuracy and precision and apply this understanding to test planning and data interpretation. 
• Have at least a basic understanding of uncertainty analysis, including how measurement uncertainty propagates and affects test results. 
• Support calibration processes and ensure measurement integrity. 
• Process and analyze data using MATLAB or similar tools. 
• Apply signal‑processing techniques (FFTs, filtering, smoothing) and numerical‑methods approaches within MATLAB and related platforms for data analysis. 
• Develop scripts or utilities to automate data processing and improve workflow efficiency. 
• Document test results and research findings using LaTeX or similar reporting tools. 

Strategic Thinking & Systems Perspective 

• Maintain awareness of how individual test cell issues, engineering tasks, and subsystem behaviors connect to broader departmental objectives. 
• Identify patterns, recurring failure modes, or inefficiencies and propose long‑term, scalable solutions rather than one‑off fixes. 
• Anticipate downstream impacts of technical decisions on safety, data quality, scheduling, and cross‑team workflows. 
• Contribute ideas that improve the overall test technology roadmap, not just local processes or tools. 

Global Collaboration & Cross‑Site Awareness 

• Understand the goals, priorities, and technical strategies of the global Test Technology organization. 
• Stay informed about tools, methods, and innovations being developed at other sites and proactively evaluate their applicability to CTC. 
• Participate in global projects that require coordination across multiple locations, ensuring solutions are consistent, scalable, and aligned with enterprise‑level standards. 
• Bring an “outside‑the‑box” mindset to problem‑solving by integrating lessons learned, best practices, and emerging technologies from across the global network. 
• Communicate effectively with engineers and leaders at other sites to share knowledge, align on technical direction, and support unified global initiatives.