Optical Safety Engineer, Laser & LED Systems Lead

Apple, Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock programs

Comprehensive benefits

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Apple is seeking an optical safety engineer in Cupertino to own laser and LED safety for our products. You will partner with hardware, optical, firmware, regulatory, and operations teams to embed safety requirements throughout the lifecycle, from design reviews to mass production.

You will lead compliance efforts to IEC 60825-1/2 and IEC 62471, perform hazard analyses, and manage certification with external labs and bodies. Strong communication and DoE/FMEA skills are essential.

Qualifications

• MS in Physics, Optical Physics, Electro‑Optics, Electrical Engineering or closely related field plus 2–8 years of optical safety or photonics experience.
• 2+ years hands-on experience characterizing optical & optoelectronic devices (laser sources, LEDs, photodetectors, fiber components).
• Experience performing optical hazard analysis, AEL calculations, and optical power/irradiance measurements.
• Experience conducting FMEA and Fault Tree Analysis in product safety contexts.
• Experience managing relationships with external labs, vendors, and certification bodies to develop and qualify designs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to translate complex optical safety to non‑specialists and regulatory bodies.
• Strong collaboration across hardware, legal, regulatory, and operations teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical DRI for laser and LED safety across the full product lifecycle.
• Develop deep product understanding and partner with cross‑functional teams to identify/design early risk mitigation.
• Lead safety compliance testing, write technical reports, and drive third‑party certification to IEC 60825‑1/2 and IEC 62471.
• Apply DoE, FMEA, and Fault Tree Analysis to characterize risk and drive root‑cause resolution.
• Develop and maintain optical safety specs, test protocols, and acceptance criteria for suppliers.
• Collaborate with suppliers/manufacturers to ensure safety requirements in production.
• Conduct detailed failure analyses and document lessons to prevent recurrence.
• Support communications equipment certification where optics intersect with ICT product certification.

Skills

Laser safety

Optical photonics

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Hazard analysis

FMEA

Education

MS in Physics / Optical Physics / Electro‑Optics

PhD in Physics / Optical Physics / EE

Tools

MATLAB

Python

COMSOL

Zemax

Job description

Apple is seeking an optical safety engineer in Cupertino to own laser and LED safety for our products. You will partner with hardware, optical, firmware, regulatory, and operations teams to embed safety requirements throughout the lifecycle, from design reviews to mass production.

You will lead compliance efforts to IEC 60825-1/2 and IEC 62471, perform hazard analyses, and manage certification with external labs and bodies. Strong communication and DoE/FMEA skills are essential.