Principal Test Engineer

Zoetis is currently looking for a Principal Test Engineer to join our team in Durham, NC. The Principal Test Engineer is a key position in the development and validation of devices for the animal health industry. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer who enjoys working with electro-mechanical test hardware while also leveraging programming skills to automate test systems.

This position will work as an independent contributor, technical resource, and mentor, focusing on developing test hardware, supporting existing test systems, executing tests, and performing objective data analysis to drive product design improvements for Zoetis.

The role is part of an engineering group working toward goals resulting from Research and Development, Quality Control, and Manufacturing needs. While this position does not include formal supervisory responsibilities, the engineer will frequently collaborate with and influence team members' efforts throughout project execution.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and execute reliability test programs including sample size calculations, accelerated life testing (ALT), and statistical validation plans that drive data-driven design decisions.
• Lead complex vibration testing projects while working directly alongside team members to troubleshoot instrumentation challenges, debug test setup issues, and solve measurement problems in real-time.
• Develop and optimize electro-mechanical test platforms by hands-on design of fixtures, sensor integration, and measurement systems, demonstrating best practices to team members during implementation.
• Automate repetitive test processes using LabVIEW, Python, or similar tools to improve efficiency while teaching programming fundamentals and automation techniques to colleagues.
• Drive effective collaboration across R&D project teams by serving as a key technical contributor who bridges engineering, biological sciences, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure test strategies align with project goals and timelines.
• Mentor through direct collaboration on challenging technical problems, building team capabilities by working side-by-side on test system design, data analysis, and troubleshooting rather than just providing guidance.
• Perform advanced statistical analysis of test data using appropriate statistical methods, presenting clear findings and recommendations to engineering and cross-functional teams.
• Translate complex technical requirements from cross-functional stakeholders into practical, executable test approaches that support R&D project objectives.

Basic Qualifications:

• BS in Engineering (preferred: Electrical, Mechanical, or Biomechanical) with 10+ years of test engineering experience in an electro-mechanical device development environment.
• Statistical and reliability engineering: Strong capability in experimental design, sample size calculations, statistical analysis (means/variance, categorical, Gauge R&R), and reliability test methodologies (ALT, HALT, HASS)
• Vibration testing expertise: Hands-on experience with accelerometers, modal analysis, frequency domain analysis, vibration instrumentation setup and troubleshooting.
• Programming for test automation: Practical experience with LabVIEW, Python, or similar platforms to automate data collection and analysis (mastery not required, but must be comfortable learning and teaching others)
• Hands-on test hardware development: Experience designing, building, and troubleshooting electro-mechanical test fixtures, sensor integration, and measurement systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS in Engineering (preferred: Electrical, Mechanical, or Biomechanical) with 8+ years of test engineering experience in an electro-mechanical device development environment.
• Statistical and reliability engineering: Strong capability in experimental design, sample size calculations, statistical analysis (means/variance, categorical, Gauge R&R), and reliability test methodologies (ALT, HALT, HASS)
• Cross-functional collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with diverse R&D teams (engineering, biology, manufacturing, quality) as a major technical contributor to complex projects.
• Problem-solving and mentoring: Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively on technical challenges while teaching and developing others' capabilities.
• Communication: Ability to present complex technical findings to diverse audiences and document test procedures clearly.
• Experience with electrodynamic shaker systems (Sentek or similar).
• Experience with National Instruments hardware and software ecosystem.
• Familiarity with PLCs or embedded controllers for test automation.
• CAD experience (SolidWorks) for fixture design.
• ASQ reliability engineering certification (SSBB or similar).
• Project management experience with Jira or other workflow tracking tools

About Zoetis
At
Zoetis
, our purpose is to nurture the world and humankind by advancing care for animals. As a Fortune 500 company and the world leader in animal health, we discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other technologies for companion animals and livestock. We know our people drive our success. Our award-winning culture, built around our Core Beliefs, focuses on our colleagues' careers, connection and support. We offer competitive healthcare and retirement savings benefits, along with an array of benefits, policies and programs to support employee well-being in every sense, from health and financial wellness to family and lifestyle resources.

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