Manager

Strategic Design Engineering (SDE) PM - Mechanicals

Summary
Posted: Dec 15 2023
Weekly Hours: 40
Role Number: 200488845

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 Program Manager - Mechanicals will work within the Strategic Design Engineering (SDE) organization. Strategic Design Engineering (SDE) will partner with cross-functional product teams across Apple to develop and introduce new products that are both innovative and cost advantaged.

SDE’s objective is to support premium & high-quality products but to also drive Design for Cost and Design for Value to support cost-sensitive products and help design the product in a more efficient way.

Mechanical components define the look, feel, and expression of Apple’s globally recognized industrial and product design. SDE PM - Mechanical will drive and influence cross-functionally to identify and validate opportunities needed to strike a balance between maintaining the look but still meeting aggressive cost targets.

Key Qualifications

• Strong technical background with an ability to quickly understand various aspects of product design and manufacturing processes necessary to materialize the design.
• Hands-on experience in some of the following: mechanical engineering, mechanical development, packaging development, cable development, manufacturing practices/techniques involving CNC machined parts, sheet metal enclosures, casings, jigs, tooling fixtures, injection molding, plastic parts, cable extrusions, cable assemblies, etc.
• Ability to challenge the engineering teams on requirements specifications and suggest alternate designs and processes that meet design requirements and MP goals.
• Deep expertise with “should cost” modeling.
• Strong PM-ing skills… ability to manage wide and diverse activities with disparate stakeholders by focusing on key deliverables and effectively driving next steps.
• Excellent presentation and interpersonal skills capable of working in multinational environments.
• Excellent soft skills, flexibility to adapt to dynamic environments.
• Experience working across functions (Industrial design, Product design, Manufacturing design) and with suppliers… ability to influence across multi-functional teams.
• Top-notch analytical skills with ability to toggle between detail-oriented and strategic large-picture thinking.
• Passionate about optimizing cost!
• Ability to travel ~10% internationally and ~20% domestically.

Description

Successful SDE PMs thrive in a dynamic environment and constantly drive excellence across their own responsibilities as well as that of team members and partners. They frequently leverage strategic internal relationships to effectively collaborate with engineering operations and other Apple teams. You are able to make sensible decisions with the information available, think and stay focused under pressure, and communicate concisely and effectively with senior management as well as peers.

• Engage with engineering teams during early product development phases to drive overall architecture towards the right cost by providing quick feedback on baseline architecture, challenging teams on underlying assumptions, and helping identify and evaluate alternatives.
• Investigate and propose alternative manufacturing processes, materials, designs, and suppliers that optimize cost for our cross-functional engineering partners.
• Manage overall mechanicals cost BOM and influence cross-functional teams to validate and implement creative alternatives needed to meet cost targets.
• Investigate and propose off-AVL suppliers and/or vertically integrated supply chains and spearhead the cross-functional team to bring them up as a strategic Apple AVL supplier.
• Drive product cost optimization and industry/supply chain intelligence through competitive product tear down activities and bottoms-up cost estimation.
• Develop a cost solutions portfolio over time to scale across various Apple products.

Education & Experience

BSME or equivalent. MBA a plus.

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 $152,400 and $229,400 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, and reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits. Note: Apple benefit compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.