Material Characterization Engineer, Packaging Product Design

Apple • Cupertino, CA

2d

About The Position

Apple’s Packaging Product Design team designs and executes structural packaging for Apple products shipped worldwide. The team aims to create an excellent unboxing experience, protect products through shipping, and advance Apple’s sustainability goals, collaborating with teams such as Industrial Design, Marketing, Environmental, and Operations.

The Material Characterization Engineer connects material properties to packaging performance, focusing on fiber-based materials, adhesives, and coatings. The role identifies properties that drive critical performance, characterizes materials and parts through testing and failure analysis, and translates results into models and specifications that help teams focus on key considerations early in the design process. The work includes defining failure criteria and design margins, developing trial plans and correlation models, and creating fixtures, test systems, and test methods. Testing may take place in-house or with vendors and partner labs, across environmental conditions. The position also partners with finite element analysis teams on material model development and promotes characterization and correlation methodologies across project teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science, Fiber Science, Chemical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering, with strong materials science knowledge.
• At least 6 years of relevant industry experience.
• Solid knowledge of materials science fundamentals, including how processing and structure drive properties and performance.
• Hands-on experience in mechanical and physical material testing and failure analysis.
• Proficiency in trial design and statistical analysis using JMP or equivalent statistical software.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to present technical details succinctly in a team-based environment.
• Ability to travel up to 20%, including internationally.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Science, Fiber Science, Chemical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience with fiber-based materials, adhesives, or coatings.
• Experience with accelerated aging methods and packaging test standards such as ASTM, TAPPI, and ISTA.
• Working knowledge of analytical techniques to characterize materials, such as SEM, FTIR, and DSC.
• Advanced data analysis and modeling skills, such as regression and machine learning, using tools such as Python or MATLAB, and exposure to finite element analysis such as Abaqus.

Responsibilities

• Identify material properties that drive critical packaging performance, applying processing, structure, and property fundamentals.
• Plan and execute material- and part-level characterization and failure analysis across environmental conditions, including test-to-failure methods, in-house and with vendors and partner labs.
• Define failure criteria and design margin; use FMEA to prioritize high-risk failure modes and critical tests, and help teams translate these into material and part specifications.
• Design trial plans and build correlation models linking material properties to part and packaged-product performance.
• Partner with finite element analysis teams on material model development.
• Develop test fixtures, test systems, and new test methods.
• Promote adoption of the characterization and correlation methodology across project teams.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior