Lead Product Test Technician

About the Role

The Product Test Lab Lead is a senior individual contributor responsible for hands-on product validation testing and day-to-day lab execution at the YETI Thailand Innovation Center. This role executes test plans, brings new equipment and capabilities online, maintains smooth lab operations, and helps define the processes and standards required for a successful, scalable lab.

The role supports both New Product Development and sustaining engineering across a multi-season product cadence. While the position does not initially have formal people-management responsibility, it is expected to lead through technical expertise, workflow coordination, coaching, and accountability, with potential to assume direct team leadership as the lab grows.

This position is on-site, reports to the Sr. Manager, Innovation, and is based at the YETI Thailand Innovation Center in Chachoengsao.

What You’ll Do

• Lead planning, execution, analysis, and reporting for product validation testing across NPD and sustaining programs.
• Translate engineering requirements, design risks, and validation needs into clear test plans, methods, sequencing, and deliverables.
• Execute and oversee lab testing, including thermal performance, safety, durability, environmental exposure, material properties, destructive testing, and dimensional studies.
• Evaluate test outcomes, identify anomalies and failure modes, support root cause analysis, and recommend next steps to engineering partners.
• Develop, refine, and validate repeatable test methods when established standards are unavailable.
• Design, develop, validate, and maintain test fixtures and setups that support repeatable, reliable, and safe product testing.
• Partner closely with the YETI’s Innovation Centers to align test methods, fixture standards, equipment practices, data expectations, and reporting approaches, ensuring consistent validation execution across global labs.
• Coordinate day-to-day lab workload, balancing program priorities, equipment capacity, sample availability, and timing.
• Provide hands-on direction and coaching to lab technicians on test setup, execution, documentation, equipment use, and troubleshooting.
• Maintain high standards for data integrity, sample traceability, calibration readiness, safety, and lab organization.
• Improve lab procedures, work instructions, templates, record-keeping, workflow, and data-management practices.
• Support evaluation, procurement, installation, qualification, and integration of new lab equipment and capabilities.
• Communicate work status, blockers, risks, and recommendations clearly to the Sr. Manager and cross-functional partners.
• Serve as a technical role model and help build technician capability through training, coaching, and disciplined execution.

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years of progressive experience in product testing, validation engineering, reliability, lab operations, or a related technical environment.
• Experience independently planning and leading complex testing in a hands-on lab environment.
• Strong understanding of test-method development, validation planning, failure analysis, root cause problem solving, and technical documentation.
• Ability to guide technicians or technical peers through influence, expertise, and clear expectations.
• Experience writing clear technical reports in English and communicating findings, risks, and recommendations.
• Experience with test fixtures, electro-mechanical systems, tooling, CAD, statistical analysis, equipment qualification, or third-party labs preferred.
• Consumer products experience and experience working with global teams or suppliers strongly preferred.

Key Attributes

• Strong mechanical aptitude, technical curiosity, and sound judgment.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accurate, traceable data.
• Organized, dependable, hands-on, and proactive.
• Able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative and service-oriented, with the confidence to escalate risks and challenge constructively.
• Comfortable influencing across functions, geographies, and levels without relying on formal authority.
• English proficiency required.
• Personal transportation with a valid car or motorcycle license required