Manufacturing Quality Engineer - Color

Apple•Cupertino, CA

About The Position

Apple’s Manufacturing Quality Engineers for Color define product color appearance specifications and manufacturing quality control methods. This highly visible, hands-on role combines key decision-making responsibilities with on-site problem solving to ensure the quality of highly visible products. The team develops and implements quality tools, systems, and instrumentation for cosmetically demanding product designs. The role partners with Apple designers and cross-functional teams to develop measurement technologies, quality control strategies, information systems, and manufacturing methods that meet ambitious specifications at mass-production scale. The engineer leads color specification development, supports suppliers through development and qualification, evaluates production performance, and communicates color-development status and issues from initial concept through mass production.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Color Science.
At least 7 years of experience in quality engineering, supplier quality management, and manufacturing operations.
Ability to travel internationally 15–25%.
Experience with visual comparison and assessment of color and texture.
Experience developing quality plans or experience with color appearance, gloss, and/or texture metrology.
Understanding of problem-solving tools, including root cause analysis and statistical process control principles.
Understanding of project-management concepts.

Nice To Haves

Direct project-management experience.
Experience with optical coatings, plating, anodizing, resin compounding, pigmentation, textiles, dyeing, or other color and finishing processes.

Responsibilities

Apply manufacturing and quality-control expertise to lead development of color and appearance specifications for assigned products, programs, or components.
Collaborate with design, materials, and process-development teams throughout the color-development process.
Analyze data to evaluate yields of key processes and components and work with suppliers and cross-functional teams to implement data-driven corrective actions.
Communicate the status and issues of key-component color development from initial concept through mass production.
Qualify and implement visual and instrumental quality-inspection tools and processes.
Develop and direct studies to improve measurement methods where appropriate.
Establish program- and supplier-appropriate audit procedures to ensure adherence to Apple quality standards.
Review quality plans at supplier sites and internally with Apple groups to ensure expectations are understood.
Evaluate supplier readiness and support supplier bring-up to align with quality plans at development and qualification stages.
Monitor supplier performance using production-line statistics, company inspections, and audits; prepare and communicate performance summaries to the broader team and management.