System Design Engineer

Socket.dev; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple in Cupertino is seeking a System Design Engineer to design hardware testing fixtures and instrumentation that validate board-level functionality and electrical performance for new products. You will work across design, firmware, software and operations to ensure product quality standards are exceeded and customers receive an exceptional experience.

The role emphasizes delivering thorough testing solutions in line with product timelines, with travel up to 10% as needed and a focus on

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• Strong analog, digital, and power electronics knowledge.
• Experience with schematic/PCB layout using Allegro or similar CAD.
• Ability to design and debug complex schematics and PCBs and run experiments.
• Clear verbal and written communication across cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% domestically or internationally (roughly 8–10 days/year).

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of custom hardware testing fixtures, software (firmware/FPGA IP), and instrumentation for product integrity.
• Drive development of testing hardware and software in parallel with product design timelines.
• Develop a deep understanding of full product architecture at hardware and system level.
• Collaborate with design, firmware, software and operations teams to develop and test groundbreaking products.
• Apply strong communication to lead cross-functional efforts from concept through execution.

Skills

Analog & digital design

Power electronics

Schematic & PCB layout (Allegro)

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Travel willingness

Test instrumentation

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent

Tools

Allegro CAD

Python or Lua scripting

FPGA knowledge

Job description

As a System Design Engineer, you will design hardware to validate board-level system functionality and electrical performance of new Apple products. Working cross-functionally with design, firmware, software, and operations teams, you will play a key role in ensuring Apple's quality standards are exceeded and our customers receive the best possible product experience.

Description

Lead the design of custom hardware testing fixtures, software (firmware and/or FPGA IP), and instrumentation critical to Apple's product integrity. Drive the development of testing hardware and software instrumentation in parallel with product design timelines. Develop a deep understanding of the full product architecture at both the hardware and system level to deliver complete and thorough testing solutions. Collaborate cross-functionally with design, firmware, software and operations teams to develop and test groundbreaking products. Apply strong communication skills and technical expertise to lead cross-functional efforts from concept through execution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent
• Good understanding analog, digital, and power electronics hardware architectures and design
• Experience in schematic & PCB layout design using Allegro or a similar CAD tool
• Ability to design and debug complex electrical schematics and PCB layouts and propose clear, relevant experiments
• Good oral & written communication skills - be able to communicate complex engineering concepts clearly and concisely to various cross functional teams and leadership
• Willingness to travel domestically and/or internationally up-to 10% of the time; estimated 8-10 days per trip.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of USB 3.2, USB-PD, Display Port, PCIe, I2C, SPI technologies andprotocols, and design
• Prior experience with bed of nails test fixture and designing custom test instruments
• Basic software engineering experience (writing, editing, debugging Python or LUA scripts, C/C++ etc.)
• Experience in FPGA development (Verilog, SysVerilog, VHDL)
• Prior technical leadership and/or project management experience
• Prior experience of performing parametric data statistical analysis (CPK, GRR etc)