Sr. Prototyping Systems Engineer

Apple Inc.; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Apple stock programs

Tuition reimbursement

Relocation support

Bonuses/commission options

Discounted products and services

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking an experienced Home Prototyping System Engineer to define electrical architectures and rapidly realize early-stage concepts. You will work across hardware, software, and UX to spin up proof-of-concept electronics and guide integration into physical models.

The role requires hands-on board bring-up, sensor integration, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to balance performance, power, and safety in consumer electronics.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of industry experience in hardware design, specifically in rapid prototyping, architecture, or R&D environments.
• Strong fundamentals across digital, analog, mixed-signal, and power delivery (DC-DC).
• Experience in system-level architecture and component selection for embedded systems or electromechanical products.
• Hands-on sensor integration, microcontrollers/SoCs, and interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, MIPI, USB, PCIe).
• Proficiency with Cadence Concept/Allegro or Altium and PCB layout for SI and power integrity.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end electrical architectures for novel systems.
• Design rapid proof-of-concept electronics, including schematic capture, component selection, and guiding PCB layout.
• Collaborate with Industrial Design, Mechanical, Software, and AIML teams to negotiate trade-offs and integrate electronics into models.
• Bring up new prototype boards, debug mixed-signal systems, and integrate edge compute, motor drivers, and high-bandwidth sensors.
• Evaluate and benchmark new silicon, sensors, and power technologies from internal and external teams.
• Write basic bring-up code or scripts (C/C++ or Python) to validate hardware before handing to core software teams.

Skills

Schematic capture

PCB layout

Mixed-signal design

Sensor integration

Embedded interfaces

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering

MS/PhD preferred

Tools

Cadence Concept/Allegro

Altium

Job description

The Home Hardware team is looking for a highly motivated and creative Electrical Engineer to help define, prototype, and build the future of Apple home product concepts. In this 0-to-1 role, you will be at the forefront of early-stage product exploration, operating at the intersection of hardware, software, and user experience. You will work with a diverse, cross-functional team of mechanical engineers, software developers, and industrial designers to architect complex systems, spin up rapid proof-of-concept hardware, and evaluate the technologies that will enable entirely new, accessible, and intuitive experiences in our customers' personal spaces.

Description

As a Home Prototyping System Engineer, you will be responsible for the electrical definition and rapid realization of early-stage concepts. Your day-to-day work will span high-level system architecture to hands-on bench-level prototyping. You will research and select novel sensors, compute modules, power electronics, and electromechanical technologies, driving the electrical architecture from a blank whiteboard to a fully functioning prototype. You will need to constantly balance performance, power, thermals, acoustic noise, and safety—ensuring our products bring surprise and delight to customers.

Responsibilities

• Defining end-to-end electrical architectures for novel systems
• Designing and building rapid proof-of-concept electronics, including schematic capture, component selection, and guiding PCB layout.
• Collaborating closely with Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Software and AIML teams to negotiate complex system trade-offs and integrate electronics seamlessly into physical models.
• Bringing up new prototype boards, debugging complex mixed-signal systems, and integrating edge compute, motor drivers, and high-bandwidth sensors (vision, audio, LiDAR, IMU).
• Evaluating and benchmarking new silicon, sensors, and power technologies from internal teams and external vendors.
• Writing basic bring-up code or scripts (C/C++ or Python) to validate hardware functionality before handing it off to core software teams.
• Fostering an inclusive and deeply collaborative environment where diverse perspectives are leveraged to solve deeply technical, unprecedented problems.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of industry experience in hardware design, specifically in rapid prototyping, architecture, or R&D environments.
• Strong electrical engineering fundamentals across digital, analog, mixed-signal, and power delivery (DC-DC) design.
• Proven experience in system-level architecture and component selection for embedded systems, consumer electronics, or electromechanical systems.
• Hands-on experience with sensor integration, microcontrollers/SoCs, and standard digital interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, MIPI, USB, PCIe).
• Proficiency with schematic capture tools (e.g., Cadence Concept/Allegro, Altium) and a solid understanding of PCB layout principles for signal integrity and power delivery.
• Extensive experience in a lab environment: board bring-up, debugging, and using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and multimeters.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in electrical engineering or similar field
• Experience leading teams through product development cycle from concept development to production bring up
• Large scale data analysis and knowledge of statistical techniques.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distill

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 $184,700 and $324,800, 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
• reimbursement for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, including tuition

Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation.

• discretionary bonuses or commission payments
• relocation

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.

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