Principal Product Engineer

SambaNova Systems · San Jose, California · Posted 2026-08-17

SambaNova is a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, delivering a full-stack inference platform for customers worldwide. At the core of SambaNova's technology is the RDU (Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit) — a chip built on a dataflow architecture rather than the traditional GPU model. Its decode performance is especially strong for agentic workloads like multi-turn agents, code generation, and long-running applications. RDUs are packaged into SambaRack, rack-scale hardware that lets customers deploy state-of-the-art models with better performance, greater energy efficiency, and faster time to value.

About the team

You'll join the New Product Introduction team within SambaNova's hardware operations organization. The team takes AI server systems from prototype through high-volume production at global contract manufacturers, owning manufacturability, test coverage, yield, and quality, and working closely with electrical, mechanical, firmware, and supply chain teams to get each new product built at scale.

About the role

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Responsibilities

The Senior New Product Introduction (NPI) Engineer plays a critical role in the product-realization process by bridging product design, supply chain, and scalable contract manufacturing. This position ensures that innovative product concepts become reliable, manufacturable, and cost‑effective realities. As an experienced technical leader, you will collaborate with cross functional teams including electrical, mechanical, and firmware engineers to guide products from prototype to mass production. This role suits a hands‑on systems thinker who thrives at the intersection of engineering disciplines and manufacturing operations.

Manufacturing & Quality Leadership

Act as the primary interface with Contract Manufacturers (CMs) and suppliers
Drive prioritization and resolution of manufacturing issues, field failures, and quality concerns

Design for Manufacturability (DFx)

Influence product design early by assessing new technologies and components
Ensure manufacturing readiness through proper equipment, processes, and factory feedback loops

Drive continuous improvements in yield and manufacturability

Product Readiness & Production Execution

Own factory readiness and production builds at global CMs
Support product bring-up and provide training to CM teams

Lead escalations, remote troubleshooting, and onsite support as needed

Test Strategy & Reliability

Partner with Systems Engineering to define manufacturing test coverage
Develop data strategies to monitor capacity, yield, and quality

Execute reliability testing required for product release

Supply Chain Optimization

Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce cycle time, cost, and yield loss

Manage supplier PCNs to prevent production disruption

Sustaining Engineering

Own BOM accuracy and manage ECOs/MCOs across NPI and production

Ensure documentation remains aligned with manufacturing builds

Customer & Field Issue Resolution

Collaborate with customer service teams to resolve field quality and performance issues

Change Qualification & Continuity

Qualify alternate components, new processes, and EOL replacements
Perform first article inspections to validate accuracy and quality of changes

Required qualifications

Bachelor in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
7+ years of experience in new product introduction, manufacturing engineering, or hardware development
Experience supporting products from prototype through high-volume manufacturing
Strong collaboration across hardware, test, platform, manufacturing, and supply chain teams
Expertise in PCB design considerations for DFM, DFT, and DFA
Experience performing hardware failure analysis and driving root cause and corrective actions
Familiarity with manufacturing test development, yield analysis, and reliability validation
Experience working with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems such as Oracle Fusion Cloud

Preferred qualifications

Master's degree in Electrical Engineering
10 years of experience working at a company developing supply chains, manufacturing and test for new server and storage type products for the IT industry
Experience in data analytics and quality data systems
Experience with automation in a manufacturing environment
Experience leveraging AI/GenAI for process efficiency and effectiveness
Familiarity developing manufacturing test systems, setting test limits, and ensuring test coverage

Base Salary Range:

Base Pay Range

$1—$999,999 USD

**Submission Guidelines **Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at SambaNova Systems, you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified.

**EEO Policy **SambaNova Systems is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Benefits Summary for US-Based, Full-Time Employment Positions SambaNova offers a competitive total rewards package, including the base salary, plus equity and benefits. We cover 95% premium coverage for employee medical insurance, and 77% premium coverage for dependents and offer a Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer contribution. We also offer Dental, Vision, Short/Long term Disability, Basic Life, Voluntary Life, and AD&D insurance plans in addition to Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options like Health Care, Limited Purpose, and Dependent Care. Our library of well-being benefits available to you and your dependents includes a full subscription to Headspace, Gympass+ membership with access to physical gyms, One Medical membership, counseling services with an Employee Assistance Program, and much more.

About SambaNova Systems

SambaNova Systems builds AI hardware and integrated systems to run AI applications from the data center to the cloud.