Hardware Reliability Engineer - Watch System Reliability

Apple; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple is seeking a System Reliability Engineer to define durability from early architecture to mass production. You will balance real-world stress with product strength, develop accelerated test plans, and isolate failure mechanisms early to drive design decisions.

You will lead cross-functional teams across Product Design, EE, and Materials, delivering actionable reliability insights and robust test strategies for high-volume devices.

Qualifications

• Minimum: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field.
• 7+ years hands-on hardware reliability engineering experience.
• Experience with failure analysis techniques and automated fixtures.
• Ability to present technical trade-offs to cross-functional and executive teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and defend product durability from architecture through mass production.
• Develop accelerated test methodologies and identify failure mechanisms early.
• Lead FA investigations (optical, X-ray/CT, SEM/EDS) to root causes.
• Model reliability data (Weibull, degradation) to inform design risk at build gates.
• Collaborate with design, EE, and materials teams and communicate results to leadership.

Skills

Hardware reliability

Failure analysis

Test design

Statistical analysis

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Eng

M.S./Ph.D. in Materials/Mech/Electrical

Tools

Weibull analysis

JMP

Python

R

X-ray/CT

Job description

Summary

At Apple, we don’t just follow industry standards—we push beyond them. We value creative problem-solving, dynamic thinking, and the ability to quickly adapt to new technical challenges. If you’re excited about tackling tough problems and shaping the future of amazing products, we’d love to have you on board! In this role, you’ll collaborate with diverse hardware teams to ensure our products are not only durable and reliable, but also built to exceed expectations. From early concepts to field returns, you’ll lead cross-functional teams, design innovative reliability tests, and drive continuous product improvements. Come join our team!

Description

As a System Reliability Engineer, you will define and defend product durability from early architecture through mass production. Rather than reacting to failures late in the cycle, you will characterize the fundamental balance between real-world life stress and product strength—developing targeted accelerated test methodologies, isolating failure mechanisms early, and converting empirical data into actionable design risk assessments. Your work directly steers cross-functional design decisions to ensure our products deliver an uncompromised customer experience over their full operating life.

Key Responsibilities

• Front-End Architecture & Risk Mitigation: Partner with Product Design, EE, and Materials teams during early architecture and concept phases to drive FMEAs, identify high-risk failure mechanisms early, and design out vulnerabilities before tooling freezes
• Physics-of-Failure Test Methodology: Conceive, author, and validate novel reliability test procedures that map complex real-world user behaviors and environmental stresses into repeatable, accelerated laboratory environments
• Test Infrastructure & Automation: Lead the technical definition and delivery of specialized test equipment, fixtures, and specifications; drive vendor development and lab readiness to meet aggressive program milestones
• Quantitative Risk & Statistical Assessment: Own the statistical modeling of reliability data (e.g., Weibull distribution, accelerated degradation, stress–strength interference) to establish design margins, project annual failure rates (DPPM), and inform program risk at major build gates
• Failure Analysis Leadership: Drive physical FA investigations (optical, X-ray/CT, SEM/EDS, etc.) to definitive root cause, moving beyond surface symptoms to deliver actionable design mitigations and validate corrective actions
• Executive Communication & Cross-Functional Alignment: Serve as the authoritative technical voice for reliability; synthesize complex, ambiguous datasets into crisp executive narratives, technical risk waterfalls, and clear paths to closure for cross-functional partners and leadership

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related discipline, with 7+ years of hands-on industry experience in hardware reliability engineering, product validation, or failure analysis
• Deep, practical background in physical failure analysis techniques (e.g., Optical Microscopy, X-ray/CT, SEM/EDS, cross-sectioning) and a proven track record of methodically driving complex mechanical or electrical failures to fundamental root causes
• Proven history of developing custom reliability test suites from first principles, authoring detailed engineering test specs, and bringing up automated fixtures under tight NPI schedules
• Demonstrated ability to construct concise, high-signal technical presentations (Keynote/PPT) and communicate complex technical trade-offs with conviction across multi-disciplinary engineering and executive teams
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally up to 10% to support factory builds, audit vendor labs, and oversee critical test bring-up

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or an equivalent field
• Mastery of reliability statistics and modeling tools (JMP, Python, or R), including Weibull analysis, accelerated test modeling (Arrhenius, Peck, Coffin-Manson), sample size determination, and degradation analysis
• Experience taking complex, compact electromechanical systems or wearable devices from early concept through mass production ramp
• Specialized knowledge in one or more core degradation modes: adhesive/seal integrity, drop/impact shock dynamics, environmental ingress, corrosion kinetics, or material fatigue
• Proven ability to navigate high ambiguity, challenge assumptions with rigorous data, and mentor junior engineers on analytical rigor and decision-making