RF Design Engineer – Next-Gen Wireless

Apple, Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 309,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonuses

Relocation assistance

Medical and dental coverage

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Apple, Inc. in San Diego is seeking a mid/senior RF Design Engineer to advance antenna and RF architecture for wireless products. You will apply deep EM theory, hands-on prototyping, and system-level thinking to balance performance, manufacturability, and cost.

You will own antenna design from concept through mass production, lead cross‑functional teams, and mentor junior engineers. Strong background in RF hardware, EM simulation, and wireless communications is required.

Qualifications

• BSEE or equivalent education.
• 6+ years of RF/antenna design in consumer products.
• Ownership of RF/antenna design through at least one full product cycle, from concept to mass production.
• Strong foundation in antenna/RF design, wireless communications, EM theory, or circuit design.
• Deep knowledge of EM or RF hardware and antenna design.

Responsibilities

• Own antenna design, EM simulation, and prototype HW design from concept through production, with minimal oversight.
• Lead integration of multiple wireless technologies (cellular, GPS, Wifi, NFC) into products, resolving cross-technology coexistence and interference challenges.
• Drive RF/antenna schematic and PCB/flex layout decisions, balancing performance, manufacturability, and cost.
• Partner closely with wireless and software architects, industrial designers, and product designers to shape product design with an RF-first lens on user experience.
• Work directly with manufacturing teams to support builds from prototype through mass production, troubleshooting issues in real time.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers, helping them grow their skills and ownership over time.
• Contribute to team building by fostering a collaborative, knowledge-sharing culture and helping establish RF design best practices and documentation.
• Represent RF design decisions and trade-offs to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.

Skills

Antenna design

RF design

EM theory

Wireless communications

EM simulation

Prototype hardware

Mentorship

Education

BSEE or equivalent

Tools

EM simulation tools

RF lab instrumentation

Job description

Join a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver outstanding performance for wireless products. As a senior member of the Product RF Design team, you will be at the forefront of wireless technology, pushing the boundaries of achievable performance for innovative products. You'll bring deep, hands‑on expertise to a product development team that shapes current and future generations of Apple products, and you'll play a key role in building team capability — guiding junior engineers, fostering collaboration, and strengthening the team's technical culture as it grows. We're looking for an experienced engineer with strong fundamentals and a proven track record in RF/wireless and electromagnetic theory, antenna design, system integration, and wireless communications.

Description

As a mid/senior RF Design Engineer, you bring broad, deep knowledge across RF architecture, design, integration, and manufacturing. You have deep theoretical and practical expertise in electromagnetic theory, RF and wireless circuit design, communication theory, and product design trade-offs — and you know how to apply that expertise to resolve complex, ambiguous technical problems independently. You use electromagnetic and system simulation, hands‑on prototyping, and test and measurement to understand complex system and sub‑system interactions, their implications for product‑level design, and manufacturing trade‑offs that enable mass production at scale.

Responsibilities

• Own antenna design, EM simulation, and prototype HW design from concept through production, with minimal oversight.
• Lead integration of multiple wireless technologies (cellular, GPS, Wifi, NFC) into products, resolving cross‑technology coexistence and interference challenges.
• Drive RF/antenna schematic and PCB/flex layout decisions, balancing performance, manufacturability, and cost.
• Partner closely with wireless and software architects, industrial designers, and product designers to shape product design with an RF‑first lens on user experience.
• Work directly with manufacturing teams to support builds from prototype through mass production, troubleshooting issues in real time.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior and mid‑level engineers, helping them grow their skills and ownership over time.
• Contribute to team building by fostering a collaborative, knowledge‑sharing culture and helping establish RF design best practices and documentation.
• Represent RF design decisions and trade‑offs to cross‑functional stakeholders and leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

• BSEE or equivalent education.
• 6+ years of experience in antenna/RF design in consumer products.
• Demonstrated ownership of RF/antenna design through at least one full product cycle, from concept to mass production.
• Strong foundation in antenna/RF design, wireless communications, EM theory, or circuit design.
• Deep knowledge of EM or RF hardware and antenna design.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or above in Electrical Engineering with an Electro‑magnetics or RF emphasis.
• Advanced proficiency with electromagnetic simulation tools.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with RF lab instrumentation.
• Proven ability to debug desense issues and characterize noise sources independently.
• Experience driving production‑environment problem solving and statistical analysis.
• Experience mentoring or technically leading other engineers.

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role.

The base pay range for this role is between $175,000 and $308,500, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition.

Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits.

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.