Manufacturing Design Engineer (MDE) - iPhone
Apple
Design
Austin, TX, USA
Posted on May 21, 2026
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 build products — they craft 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. The Apple iPhone Manufacturing Design Engineer (MDE) is accountable for driving the development of key mechanical manufacturing processes across Apple’s worldwide supply base. In this highly visible, hands-on role as the expert technical member of the Manufacturing Design Team you will have direct frequent communication and collaboration with Apple Industrial Design, Product Design, Manufacturing Design partners and worldwide suppliers.
Drive automation and fixture design activities (including machine design, vision, controls, and component fixturing) for key manufacturing processes in the enclosure and module spaces. Innovate on assembly fixture designs through brainstorming and CAD conceptualization to drive down costs and improve part yields. Work with engineering teams to identify automation needs and opportunities, provide design for automation feedback, conceptualize required automation and modular fixtures, assess associated design/schedule risk, provide new technology capability analysis, negotiate deliverables, and create proof of concept where necessary. Work with integrators to drive detailed design reviews, iterate on new fixture concepts, execute proof of concept, maintain and resolve issues lists, implement data logging and traceability requirements, review control logic and programming, and define qualification requirements for FAT/SAT. Develop modular designs for component fixturing to ensure fixtures can be reused year over year, maximizing capital equipment reuse.
- Work with operations teams, cross-functional product design (PD) teams, and contract manufacturers to evaluate automation and fixture implementation risk, create technical requirements/RFP packages, assess capabilities of automation integrators, provide DFM feedback, support integrator down select activities, and estimate automation costs and capabilities. Evaluate fixture costs through comprehensive design reviews and track ROI across all projects to ensure commercial viability.
- Provide onsite technical support at FAT/SAT, stress runs, NPI builds, and production ramp as needed to ensure equipment capability, availability, and productivity. Validate new fixture designs through rigorous testing and iteration to ensure a positive impact on part quality. Coordinate the above activities with overseas counterparts to push process capability, ensure timely completion of deliverables, and identify/mitigate risk ahead of schedule. Present detailed analysis to key decision-makers to enable commercial and design decisions.
- Drive cutting-edge research and development activities both in-house and with industry partners to deliver step-change improvements to process capability.
- Design precision fixtures specifically tailored for advanced automation stations like laser welding, precision dispensing (gluing), insert molding, and automated adhesive/masking tape application. Maintain deep knowledge of equipment capabilities and key process drivers; keep abreast of the latest industrial developments and leverage new technologies in novel ways to enable improved capabilities. Consistent overseas and occasional domestic travel required, on a quarterly basis.
- 5+ years of experience working on automation, robotics applications, and fixture design for mass production applications
- Machine and fixture design expertise
- Experience designing, deploying, qualifying, supporting, and project managing automated manufacturing process lines that incorporate machine vision (including cameras, lighting, and programming), motion control (including actuators, motors, pneumatics) and sensors, with expertise in most of those component groups
- Extensive experience using CAD to review and design mechanical components, complex assemblies, and precision fixtures, and create proper engineering part drawings using GD&T practices
- BS/MS in engineering (mechanical, manufacturing, automation, mechatronics, robotics, or equivalent)
- 25% domestic and international travel required
- Ability to reconcile DFM feedback with design goals, anticipate risk and identify mitigation opportunities, drive root cause/corrective action and process optimization activities to closure efficiently with proper design of experiment (DOE) practices and detailed data analysis using statistical methods such as process capability, correlation, GR&R, etc. and software such as JMP, Matlab, etc,
- Ability to work independently on a variety of demanding, concurrent projects that often require creative solutions and intellectual curiosity
- Expertise working on vision-guided assembly, precision dispense, and laser welding applications in a mass production environment
- Experience designing scalable, modular fixtures that can be reused across multiple product generations.
- Expertise with one or more major brand six-axis industrial robots (Fanuc, ABB, etc.) and PLCs/IPCs (Mitsubishi, Beckhoff, Siemens, etc.) along with associated programming languages
- Expertise with motion control components, machine vision components, and sensors
- Experience working overseas with international supply chains and contract manufacturers
- Fluent spoken and written English skills with an ability to articulate complex, technical concepts and issues in a clear and concise manner to audiences of mixed backgrounds
- Fluency in Mandarin Chinese is a plus