DFM PCBA Engineer

DFM PCBA Engineer

Imagine yourself as a select member of the team that brings the assemblies from concept to high volume manufacturing. At Apple, our PCBA Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Engineers are the bridge between groundbreaking design and mass production. You will collaborate closely with Product Design, Electrical Engineering, Product Integrity, the Advanced Technology Group, PCB Design, Operations, and our global vendor partners. Your expertise will be critical in developing, productizing, and mass producing some of the world's most challenging consumer PCBA designs, ensuring unparalleled quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness from concept through high-volume manufacturing, all while minimizing our environmental footprint.

Opportunities to Grow and Develop:
This role provides an unparalleled opportunity to deepen your expertise in:
Holistic PCBA and process design optimization, balancing competing considerations such as assembly material selection and validation, cutting-edge process development, reliability, environmental footprint reduction, raw material usage, cost, quality, and factory throughput. Advanced tolerance analysis for PCBA, fixture, and equipment design. Proficiency with industry-standard CAD tools like Siemens NX and Valor for design review and array panel creation. Applying advanced simulation tools and modeling techniques to predict and proactively mitigate complex manufacturing or reliability risks.

Strategic high-volume manufacturing planning, including line planning, capital expenditure analysis, and manufacturing value-add reduction. Leading root cause and failure analysis investigations, recommending and applying advanced analytical techniques (e.g., DMM, Optical Microscopy, X-Ray, CSAM, SEM/EDS, FTIR, TDM, XPS, cross-sectioning). Use internal LLM based tools for automating workflows and smarter decision making in design and manufacturing.

• Drive PCBA and related system design decisions to optimize product performance, cost-efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
• Develop, champion, and apply internal guidelines and best practices for PCB design and assembly across Apple's product lines.
• Conduct rigorous DFM reviews of rigid and flexible PCBA and custom component designs, providing actionable feedback and solutions to design teams.
• Design and optimize PCBA manufacturing processes, including process flow, assembly materials, panel array design, and critical process parameters.
• Collaborate strategically with design engineers, manufacturing partners, and material suppliers to develop and validate cutting-edge PCBA assembly technologies and materials.
• Innovate and develop new manufacturing processes, tooling, and automation solutions, driving efficiency and capability.
• Establish and refine design rules and formulas to ensure the consistent creation of manufacturable component land patterns.
• Partner with eCAD Librarians to review and validate component land patterns for multi-vendor compatibility and DFM.
• Plan and execute Design of Experiments (DOEs) and test builds to establish robust manufacturing boundary conditions and validate new technologies.
• Assess and verify PCB assembly vendor technical capabilities, proactively identifying and articulating potential gaps and risks.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive checklists to ensure design maturity and factory readiness for new product introductions.
• Define and implement robust methodologies for workmanship, maintenance, and data retention requirements with PCBA assembly vendors, ensuring compliance and quality.
• Communicate complex technical information fluidly and effectively across diverse cross-functional teams and present clear, concise updates to Apple leadership.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in an engineering discipline (e.g., Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Electrical, Materials Science) or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in PCBA, electronic assembly or related field.
• Demonstrated high level of creativity and intellectual curiosity, particularly in materials science and electronics packaging.
• Robust understanding of engineering fundamentals, with the ability to apply material…