Test & Development Engineering Manager
Posted Jun 4, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time a dynamometer or on-water test result contradicted what the design team expected. What did you do next?
What they are checking: how they handle conflicting data and whether they escalate constructively or just report numbers
Describe a time you had to explain a test failure or a risk to program management in a way that didn't get lost in engineering jargon.
What they are checking: ability to translate technical findings for non-engineering stakeholders
Tell me about a junior or developing engineer you coached. What specifically did you teach them, and how did you know it landed?
What they are checking: real mentoring track record versus a vague claim of leadership experience
Tell me about the most complex technical problem you've solved largely on your own, one that required pulling in design engineers, analysts, and program managers.
What they are checking: independent problem-solving ability and cross-functional coordination skill together
What would you do
Say you're mid-program and the test lab tells you the dyno schedule is going to slip two weeks because of equipment conflicts. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: prioritization skill and how they protect program timelines under resource constraints
If two of your engineers disagree on the root cause of a component failure and each wants to run a different validation test to prove their theory, how do you decide what happens next?
What they are checking: technical judgment combined with team management under disagreement
Imagine your team is under pressure to sign off on a component that passed most but not all of its DVP criteria, and the program timeline is tight. What do you do?
What they are checking: willingness to hold the line on validation rigor versus caving to schedule pressure
About the work
Walk me through how you'd structure an FMEA and DVP for a new outboard engine program from the component level up to the full system.
What they are checking: whether the candidate has real hands-on depth building validation plans, not just reviewing ones others wrote
How have you used tools like Concerto, Uniplot, or Catman in your day-to-day work, and what kind of design margin decisions have come out of that analysis?
What they are checking: actual fluency with the specific software stack this job runs on, not just familiarity by name
What's your experience with data acquisition system setup and choosing the right instrumentation for a given test? Give me a specific example.
What they are checking: depth of instrumentation knowledge versus relying on technicians to figure it out
Have you worked with system modeling tools like GT-Suite, LMS Amesim, or Simulink? Walk me through how modeling fed into a real test plan you built.
What they are checking: whether simulation experience is genuine and connects to physical test work, since it's only preferred but adds credibility
How do you approach writing a technical report on a failed or marginal test result so that it's useful to both design engineers and program leadership?
What they are checking: communication discipline and whether they document conclusions clearly enough to drive decisions
What's your background specifically with internal combustion engines, and how does that experience map onto outboard or sterndrive applications?
What they are checking: whether the required 8-plus years of engine experience is directly relevant or adjacent and needs translation
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Mercury Marine from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.
Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Mercury Marine.