Senior Hardware Systems Design & Integration Engineer

Quick Facts

Role: Hands-on Electrical Engineering Lead / Senior Technical Lead for an AirPods hardware program

Focus: End-to-end system architecture, electrical design, validation, and mass-production readiness

Description

You will own the electrical system architecture and drive hardware design and development for an AirPods program—from initial concept through mass production. You will lead critical engineering trade-offs under tight volumetric, thermal, and power constraints, resolve architectural ambiguity, and align electrical design across cross-functional partners. You’ll also mentor engineers while setting the technical standard for the team.

Responsibilities

• Drive system-level electrical decisions and contribute to product definition with cross-functional engineering teams.
• Lead prototype bring-up, debug, and system validation; create validation plans that prove lab performance and factory quality.
• Define manufacturing test requirements and partner with contract manufacturers and operations for high-volume ramp.
• Lead multi-disciplinary investigations across electrical, mechanical, and software domains to root cause and durable resolution.
• Translate complex technical trade-offs into clear narratives for partners, manufacturers, and executive audiences to drive alignment and decisions.
• Own schematic design, PCB rigid layout direction, and flexible circuit design reviews to meet program milestones.
• Mentor peers and raise the team’s technical bar and culture.
• Occasionally travel to support builds and manufacturing activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (or equivalent directly related work experience).
• 8+ years of relevant industry experience designing electronic and/or embedded systems.
• 3+ years experience in technical leadership.
• Deep electrical fundamentals across analog, digital, power, and signal integrity, with a record of leading complex system decisions to closure.
• Experience driving high-volume consumer product development end-to-end from architecture through mass production.
• Strong ability to track, prioritize, and close multiple concurrent open issues while keeping cross-functional partners aligned on status and risk.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with wearables/hearables design and manufacturing.
• Experience productizing new technologies in high-volume applications.
• Experience translating high-level direction into concrete plans and holding peers accountable for delivery.
• Comfort making measured decisions in ambiguity with incomplete data while balancing engineering constraints.
• Excellent communication and executive presence; adjust depth based on audience.