Wireless Control Systems Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock programs

Stock purchase plan

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking a Wireless Control Systems Engineer in San Diego to lead end-to-end cellular modem development for 6G/5G/4G features. You will architect system-level requirements, design control algorithms, and optimize performance and power across the wireless stack.

Applicants should have a strong background in Layer-1 control design, AI/ML-based prototyping, and hands-on silicon bring-up experience. This role emphasizes collaboration with SoC, PHY, and L1 teams.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field; 10+ years of industry experience in Layer 1 control design.
• Strong knowledge of cellular standards: 6G (emerging), 5G NR, 4G LTE - RAN1 3GPP.
• Deep expertise in communication theory and signal processing; LDPC, Polar, Turbo coding; RF impairment estimation and correction; OFDM; MIMO.

Responsibilities

• Define & architect system-level features for next-gen modems with 6G evolution focus.
• Own the end-to-end system view across 3GPP requirements, algorithms, HW/FW architecture, and targets.
• Design control algorithms (traditional or AI/ML) for PHY/L1 to optimize performance and power.
• Create interfaces and message flows for wireless features across layers.
• Model and simulate algorithms in MATLAB/C/Python and validate via link-level simulations or field data.
• Drive gains in throughput, latency, battery life, and connectivity from deployments.

Skills

Layer-1 control design

Low-power algorithm design

End-to-end timeline analysis

Silicon bring-up

Mathematics foundations

Generative AI / LLM tooling

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

MATLAB

C/C++

Python

Job description

At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences - fast. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Dynamic, sensible people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. Join us to help deliver the next groundbreaking Apple product.

We're looking for a Wireless Control Systems Engineer to join our cellular systems engineering team as we define and build the next generation of cellular technology. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of wireless communication at a company that ships at global scale as we transition towards 6G. In this role, you'll bring an end-to-end view of wireless systems - spanning 3GPP standards, algorithm design, hardware architecture, timing requirement, interfaces, message flows - to deliver leading-edge performance and power optimizations that directly improve the user experience across Apple products. If you thrive at the intersection of deep technical theory and hands‑on bring‑up - and you're excited about pushing beyond 5G into the 6G era - we want to hear from you.

Description

As a Wireless Control Systems Engineer, you will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of cellular modem systems - from feature design through silicon bring‑up and productization for 6G/5G and 4G 3GPP features and proprietary enhancements to improve user experience. Collaborate cross‑functionally with SoC, PHY, PHY HW, PHY FW, and L1 SW teams to ensure end‑to‑end system requirements are met across the full stack.

Responsibilities

• Define & architect system‑level features and requirements for next‑generation cellular modems, with a focus on 6G evolution and advanced PHY/L1 capabilities.
• Own the E2E system view - connect 3GPP standard requirements, algorithm design trade‑offs, HW/FW architecture constraints, and product‑level targets into cohesive, leading‑edge control solutions.
• Design Control algorithms (Traditional or AI/ML based) for the physical layer, across layers and L1/RF control to optimize performance/power.
• Construct interfaces and Message flows for wireless features across layers.
• Model & simulate algorithms in floating‑point and fixed‑point using MATLAB, C/C++, and/or Python, and validate, through link‑level simulation or correlating with data collected from field and real deployments.
• Optimize for user experience by driving performance and power efficiency improvements across the wireless stack - translating system‑level insights into tangible gains in throughput, latency, battery life, and connectivity reliability based on real world deployments. Use the available information from deployments and statistics from field to fine tune the performance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Layer‑1 Control Design.
• Experience in low‑power algorithm design for power‑constrained mobile platforms.
• Experience in end‑to‑end timeline analysis for latency‑critical PHY processing chains.
• Hands‑on silicon bring‑up experience, including use of lab equipment: protocol testers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters.
• Strong mathematical foundations: linear algebra, stochastic processes, detection & estimation theory.
• Familiarity with 3GPP standardization processes, RAN2, RAN4 topics and emerging 6G study items (e.g., AI/ML for air interface, sub‑THz bands, joint communication and sensing, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces).
• Track record of published research or patents in wireless communications.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field, with 10+ years of relevant industry experience in Layer 1 control design.
• Strong knowledge of cellular communication standards: 6G (emerging), 5G NR, 4G LTE - particularly RAN1 3GPP.
• Deep expertise in communication system theory and signal processing: LDPC, Polar, and Turbo coding; signal estimation and detection; AGC; RF impairment estimation and correction; channel estimation; OFDM; MIMO detection; waveform generation and up‑sampling.
• Proficiency in MATLAB, C/C++, and/or Python for algorithm development, fixed/floating‑point modeling, and link‑level simulation.
• Experience leveraging Generative AI and LLM‑based tools to accelerate engineering workflows - e.g., algorithm prototyping, code generation, simulation analysis, or technical documentation

Pay & Benefits

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 parti