Flex DFM Engineer

Cupertino, California, United States Operations and Supply Chain

Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish.

The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts.

Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. Apple products are as alluring on the inside as they are on the outside. Inside every one of our products are some of the world's most challenging consumer Flexible printed circuit boards (Flex PCBs) and PCBA designs. In this highly visible role, you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on Apple products by bringing designs from concept to mass production, leaving a footprint for years to come across various business units.

As a Flex DFM Engineer, you'll partner with Apple Product Design and Hardware Engineering to design Flex PCBs and lead the evaluation/implementation of end-to-end fabrication and assembly solutions. You will ensure our manufacturing solutions meet our product quality, cost, yield, capacity, schedule, and environmental goals.

Our team possesses deep knowledge of the Flex fabrication processes and raw materials. We maintain Apple's general design guidelines and product specifications for Flex PCBs, as well as the technology development roadmap.

• Provide expert level support to teams designing flex PCBs to bring designs from concept to mass production while ensuring manufacturability
• Review vendor technical feedback, considering their specific capabilities, to direct Apple Product Design in implementing appropriate solutions
• Develop best-in-class qualification plans and procedures to qualify vendor manufacturing lines and sites
• Analyze defects and lead automation and particle reduction activities
• Optimize manufacturing processes to meet Apple quality, reliability, and throughput requirements

• B.S./M.S. degree in Chemical, Materials Science, Mechanical, Electrical or related fields with 5+ years of research, process or product development experience in an applicable field
• Experience selecting materials and manufacturing processes based on engineering requirements in a professional environment
• Established capability in statistical data analysis, including DOE and SPC
• Manage multiple assignments simultaneously with a detail-oriented focus on documentation, organization, and the establishment of critical milestones
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated leadership ability
• Strong communication skills with the ability to articulate technical detail to others with varying levels of technical expertise across diverse professional backgrounds
• Drive technical leadership at global supplier sites during NPI and production ramps; travel internationally to ensure operational excellence by identifying process gaps and implementing timely resolutions
• Willingness to participate in communication with overseas team members at irregular hours and international business travel to support project implementation and collaborate with external vendors as necessary (~30%)

• Ph.D. degree in Chemical, Materials Science, Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing Engineering with research or process development in flexible electronics or semiconductor fabrication
• Knowledge of industry specifications for Flex and/or Rigid PCBs and assemblies
• A proven understanding of the link between Flex PCB design rules, industry capabilities, and the specific processes required to meet performance benchmarks
• Experience in failure mode analysis, root cause investigation, and problem solving for product yield and quality issues as well as driving corrective actions
• Demonstrated knowledge of cause and effect relationship between manufacturing practices and defect…