Strategic Lead Manufacturing Design Engineer (MDE), Materials Development and Decarbonization

Apple

18h

About The Position

The Strategic Lead, Materials Development & Decarbonization partners with Product Design and Manufacturing Design teams to embed environmental and manufacturability considerations into material selection decisions at the earliest product development stages. In this strategic hands-on role, you will have direct frequent communication and collaboration with Apple Product Design Materials, Environmental teams, and global raw material vendors. This role is empowered and expected to influence critical material decisions upstream, translating complex vendor capabilities and decarbonization timelines into clear business and technical trade-offs for leadership.

You will lead the development and implementation of material selection strategy and decarbonization roadmaps across Apple's primary materials (alloys and polymers) used as the building blocks of Apple's products. You will collaborate closely with colleagues in Product Design Materials, Global Supply Management, Industrial Design, Quality Engineering, and the Environmental team to ensure material decisions meet product quality, manufacturability, cost, yield, capacity, schedule, and decarbonization goals.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in materials engineering, manufacturing engineering, supply chain strategy, or similar roles with demonstrated influence on cross-functional decisions
• Deep knowledge of primary metals (aluminum, stainless steel, Titanium) or polymer processing, material characterization, and supply chain dynamics
• BS or higher in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering with materials emphasis, Environmental Science, or related fields preferred.
• MBA or equivalent experience in strategy and program management preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Experience translating environmental and sustainability goals into technical roadmaps and vendor negotiations
• Strong cross-functional leadership without direct authority; ability to influence through technical credibility and relationship building
• Demonstrated project and program management at enterprise scale
• Communicates technical and business information clearly and persuasively in both written and verbal forms, adapting content to suit the intended audience
• Employs project management tools to effectively plan and track work to completion; diligent and reliable in executing tasks independently
• Experience in decarbonization, lifecycle assessment (LCA), or sustainable material development preferred
• Experience working with highly cosmetic parts or products is preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of material selection strategy and decarbonization roadmaps across Apple's primary materials (alloys and polymers).
• Collaborate closely with colleagues in Product Design Materials, Global Supply Management, Industrial Design, Quality Engineering, and the Environmental team.
• Ensure material decisions meet product quality, manufacturability, cost, yield, capacity, schedule, and decarbonization goals.
• Embed environmental and manufacturability considerations into material selection decisions at the earliest product development stages.
• Influence critical material decisions upstream, translating complex vendor capabilities and decarbonization timelines into clear business and technical trade-offs for leadership.

What This Job Offers

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