Strategic Design Engineering, Global Supply Manager - Mechanicals

Apple • Los Angeles, CA

2d

About The Position

This role is part of Apple’s Beats organization and works with cross-functional teams to launch innovative, cost-efficient products on ambitious timelines. Mechanical components shape the look, feel, and expression of the Beats brand and are integral to product performance and reliability. The role partners with engineering to guide design for manufacturability and cost, defines sustainable sourcing strategy using cross-functional input, and develops effective relationships with internal teams and suppliers to support cost, quality, capacity, and supply objectives.

The successful candidate thrives in a rapidly changing environment, drives excellence across their responsibilities and those of team members and partners, and collaborates strategically with engineering, operations, and other Apple teams. They make sound decisions with available information, stay focused under pressure, and communicate effectively with senior management and peers.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering field; the posting also specifies BSME or equivalent.
• Intimate knowledge and understanding of a typical stage-gate product development process.
• Strong technical background and ability to quickly understand product design, manufacturing processes, and the assembly and testing steps required for production at scale.
• Factory experience, particularly with forming and finishing processes related to plastics, composites, and metal.
• Deep expertise in should-cost modeling and developing and maintaining a costed bill of materials.
• Strong project management skills, including managing varied activities and stakeholders, focusing on key deliverables, and driving next steps.
• Excellent presentation, interpersonal, and communication skills, including the ability to work in multinational environments.
• Flexibility to adapt to dynamic and rapidly changing environments.
• Ability to travel approximately 20% internationally and 30% domestically.
• Experience managing a costed bill of materials during early product architecture and identifying, managing, and driving opportunities and risks.
• Experience working across functions such as industrial design, product design, manufacturing design, and operations, as well as with suppliers; ability to influence cross-functional teams.
• Top-notch analytical skills, with the ability to move between detail-oriented work and strategic, broad-picture thinking.

Nice To Haves

• FATP experience, ideally in consumer electronics.
• MBA.
• Product design exposure or experience and a deep interest in designing for cost.
• Team-lead experience guiding or leading less-experienced teammates within a subject-matter area.

Responsibilities

• Engage with engineering teams during early product development to guide architecture toward appropriate cost, provide feedback on baseline architecture, challenge assumptions, and identify and evaluate alternatives.
• Work with early-development supplier partners where relevant to help define product architecture while balancing cost.
• Investigate and propose alternative manufacturing processes, materials, designs, and suppliers to optimize cost for cross-functional engineering partners.
• Manage the mechanicals cost bill of materials and influence cross-functional teams to validate and implement alternatives needed to meet cost targets.
• Collaborate with Operations partners to understand downstream final assembly, test, and pack (FATP) impacts of upstream design decisions, and work with engineering and suppliers to optimize.
• Identify suitable supplier partners and sourcing strategies to secure product quality, supply, and long-term cost competitiveness on aggressive timelines.
• Develop supplier relationships and align vendor mindsets with strategic organizational needs.
• Identify and drive cost-related special projects, developing scalable cost solutions applicable across Apple products.
• Liaise between operational cross-functional teams and operations-focused Global Supply Manager teammates as needed to support quality, capacity, and supply.

What This Job Offers

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