Systems Design Engineer

Apple • San Diego, CA

1d • $137,500 - $207,100 • Onsite

About The Position

Apple Inc. is hiring a Systems Design Engineer in San Diego, California. The role works with hardware/software development and cross-functional teams to identify issues affecting cellular performance. It evaluates unreleased Apple products, including iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch hardware, in field scenarios from early prototypes through final products across different networks and wireless technologies. Work includes developing and evolving performance metrics; processing and analyzing device logs; preparing test plans; conducting end-to-end field testing; investigating issues to root cause; validating device stability; updating test databases; and preparing periodic reports. The engineer identifies issues at device protocol layers such as PHY, MAC, RLC, and PDCP, as well as higher application layers, creates issue tickets, and shares logs and analysis with cross-functional teams. The role also participates in design reviews and technical meetings, contributes validation input for upcoming work, and partners with development teams to drive issues to closure. The position is 40 hours per week. The listed base pay range is $137,500–$207,100 per year, depending on skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience and/or education using wireless communication knowledge to test Apple product performance in field scenarios across GSM, WCDMA, LTE, and 5G.
• Experience and/or education implementing digital signal processing knowledge to design, develop, and validate test plans related to wireless features.
• Experience and/or education diagnosing and resolving protocol-layer issues, including PHY, PDCP, and MAC, using device-side log analysis.
• Experience and/or education applying Python to develop scripts for efficient log analysis and root-cause real-world device issues.
• Experience and/or education identifying and isolating field-testing issues using wireless protocol and RF log analysis tools to drive root-cause resolution.
• Experience and/or education applying wireless communication skills to develop, test, and optimize cellular products and features.
• Experience applying maximum-likelihood and MAP estimation, channel estimation, and hypothesis-testing techniques to characterize wireless channel behavior, assess signal-quality degradation, identify anomalous channel conditions, and investigate multipath fading and delay-spread issues from field-captured device-side RF logs.
• Proficiency in MATLAB and Python-based machine learning, with hands-on experience developing supervised learning models, regression pipelines, and anomaly-detection algorithms.
• Experience applying stochastic-process modeling, power spectral density analysis, autocorrelation techniques, statistical channel models, and SNR/BER statistical analysis to characterize noise, interference, and signal impairments in wireless device field logs and inform link-quality optimization.

Responsibilities

• Work with hardware/software development and cross-functional teams to identify issues affecting cellular performance.
• Evaluate unreleased iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch hardware in field scenarios, from early prototypes through final products, across different networks and wireless technologies.
• Create and evolve performance metrics, and post-process and analyze device logs collected in the field.
• Prepare test plans and conduct end-to-end cellular technology testing, including field testing, log analysis, and deep-dive analysis to identify hardware and system root causes.
• Test devices against network infrastructure across GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE, and 5G technologies; collect key performance metrics and verify functional stability.
• Update test databases with validation results and prepare periodic reports.
• Use tools to analyze collected logs and identify issues at protocol layers such as PHY, MAC, RLC, and PDCP, or at higher application layers.
• Create issue tickets and provide logs and analysis to cross-functional teams to support timely bug resolution.
• Participate in design reviews and technical meetings to gather information for future validation activities and provide validation input.
• Partner with development teams to drive issues to closure.
• Develop Python scripts for efficient field-log analysis and root-cause investigation of real-world device issues.
• Apply wireless communication, signal-processing, statistical, and machine-learning methods to characterize channel behavior, diagnose signal impairments, and support link-quality optimization.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical and dental coverage.
• Retirement benefits.
• Discounted products and free services.
• Tuition reimbursement for certain formal education expenses related to advancing an Apple career.
• Potential discretionary bonuses or commission payments.
• Potential relocation assistance.
• Opportunity to participate in Apple discretionary employee stock programs, including restricted stock unit awards and discounted stock purchases through the Employee Stock Purchase Plan, subject to eligibility and program terms.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time