Motion Sensing Hardware Engineer

Cupertino, California, United States Hardware

Motion sensors serve as a bridge between the physical and digital realms, facilitating seamless user interaction and motion features. The Motion Sensing Hardware Team at Apple is entrusted with the responsibility of integrating MEMS and magnetic sensing technologies across its product portfolio. This team comprises a collaborative environment that fosters creativity, intelligence, and state-of-the-art technologies. Engineering excellence and meticulous attention to detail are highly valued and encouraged.

Invention and patent creation are supported, aiming to revolutionize product design and manufacturing by introducing innovative technologies and exceptional user experiences. As a member of the Motion Sensing Hardware Team, you will play a pivotal role in defining, developing, characterizing, and validating motion sensing systems. Your expertise should encompass sensor technologies with an emphasis on system integration, sensing technology, and performance metrics.

You will be responsible for integration of state-of-the-art motion sensors (magnetic, inertial, and pressure) into various Apple products, requiring understanding of sensor architecture, characterization, and validation from concept through manufacturing. You will define sensing system metrics, develop measurement methods, and work cross-functionally to ensure system performance meets feature requirements. The position also demands strong analytical and communication skills to engage with suppliers, troubleshoot complex engineering issues, and align efforts across teams.

• Evaluate and drive sensor design, technology investigation, manufacturing process development, and system integration.
• Diagnose engineering issues with true scientific method driving to definitive root cause.
• Identify, create, and document new sensing system metrics that deliver performance and improvement to customer perception.
• Work cross-functionally to identify and specify critical performance parameters and error sensitivities.
• Develop measurement methods and equipment that are repeatable, reproducible, and automated as appropriate to enable thorough validation coverage of sensors on tight development schedules.
• Support engineering build activities with performance validation measurements, yield optimization, and failure analysis coordination.
• Work with suppliers to proactively identify and resolve issues of matching to our specs. Analyze trade-offs among performance, manufacturability, size, schedule and cost.
• Travel to supplier facilities and manufacturing sites for production validation and issues resolution.
• Author high quality and thorough engineering requirements specifications for sensors.
• Prepare and deliver presentations to clearly communicate technical status, risks and mitigation strategies for ongoing sensing system programs.

• BS in related discipline and a minimum of 3 years relevant industry experience.
• Experience in motion sensors (magnetic, inertial, pressure) and relevant physics.

• PhD in physics or engineering related fields/MS with 2+ years of hands‑on experience and proven track record in shipping products.
• Strong fundamentals in sensors and experience on integrating sensor into product, connecting user-level requirements to component-level requirements.
• Experience in architecture, design, characterization and validation of sensing systems that includes theory of operation, signal processing, and design trade offs.
• Proficiency in instrumentation/modeling/analysis scripting language like Matlab/Python.
• Excellent critical analysis, statistical analysis, and logic/problem solving skills. Competency in signal processing, sensor fusion, machine learning and mathematical modeling is an asset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and solid collaboration and leadership skills.
• Experience developing models to simulate the use of or performance of a sensor. Proficiency in designing and running FEA or Monte‑Carlo simulations is beneficial.
• Multi-disciplinary understanding of EE, ME, and Physics principles. Experience in modeling complex…