Wireless Systems Validation Eng

Apple • Cupertino, CA

2d

About The Position

Apple Inc. is hiring a Wireless Systems Validation Engineer in Cupertino, California, and various unanticipated locations throughout the United States. The role involves developing wireless systems, with a focus on multi-radio coexistence. The engineer defines coexistence performance requirements and test methodologies, contributes to system mitigation, and provides integration recommendations to optimize wireless-device radio performance and quality.

The position works with cross-functional teams, vendors, contract manufacturers, and technology suppliers. It includes providing design guidelines, reviewing PCB and flex layouts, debugging coexistence issues, supporting manufacturing tests, analyzing failed units and test results, and identifying root causes of suboptimal performance. The engineer uses RF test equipment to measure and analyze signals in mobile devices and to identify actual causes of failures and anticipate performance issues.

The role requires 15% international travel and a 40-hour workweek. The listed base pay range is $163,031–$225,300 per year. Apple also describes employee stock programs, comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, discounted products and services, tuition reimbursement for certain career-related education, and possible discretionary bonuses or commission payments and relocation assistance. Benefits and compensation are subject to eligibility and program terms.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in Electrical and Computer Engineering or a related field.
• Experience and/or education in full-cycle physical design and layout of sub-micron RFICs to identify potential interactions among RF components and drive system-level design improvements.
• Experience and/or education in failure analysis to identify and resolve complex system-level hardware issues during development.
• Experience and/or education conducting hands-on rework, including soldering, tuning, and reassembly, to evaluate mockups and close performance gaps.
• Experience and/or education in microwave signal-chain architecture, link-budget analysis, and electromagnetic simulation of phased-array antennas.
• Strong fundamental understanding of RFIC and RF system design principles.
• Experience and/or education communicating circuit-design and signal-integrity design considerations and validating analog/mixed-signal blocks such as ADCs and DACs.
• Experience and/or education characterizing Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) and quantization noise.
• Experience and/or education configuring RF test equipment, including callboxes, signal generators, and signal analyzers, to conduct measurements and debug hardware issues.
• Experience and/or education collaborating with vendors to improve RF grounding, mitigate EMI, and develop mass-production solutions.
• Experience with at least one of the following radios: Cellular, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Thread, NFC, or UWB.

Responsibilities

• Define multi-radio coexistence performance requirements and test methodologies.
• Work with cross-functional teams, vendors, contract manufacturers, and technology suppliers.
• Provide design guidelines and review PCB and flex layouts.
• Debug and resolve multi-radio coexistence issues.
• Support manufacturing tests, debug failed units, and perform large-sample failure analysis.
• Participate in developing system mitigations to optimize product performance.
• Analyze root causes of parametric test failures and suboptimal test results.
• Use spectrum analyzers, base station emulators, and network analyzers to measure and analyze RF signals in mobile devices.
• Identify causes of test failures or suboptimal results efficiently and anticipate performance issues based on test results.
• Provide integration recommendations to optimize overall radio-system performance and wireless-device quality.
• Perform full-cycle physical design and layout of sub-micron RFICs to identify potential interactions among RF components and drive system-level design improvements.
• Conduct failure analyses to identify and resolve complex system-level hardware issues during development.
• Perform hands-on rework, including soldering, tuning, and reassembly, to evaluate mockups and close performance gaps.
• Conduct microwave signal-chain architecture, link-budget analysis, and electromagnetic simulation of phased-array antennas.
• Communicate circuit-design and signal-integrity design considerations.
• Validate analog/mixed-signal blocks such as ADCs and DACs, and characterize EVM and quantization noise.
• Configure RF test equipment, including callboxes, signal generators, and signal analyzers, to conduct measurements and debug hardware issues.
• Collaborate with vendors to improve RF grounding, mitigate EMI, and drive mass-production solutions.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Retirement benefits
• Discounted products and free services
• Reimbursement for certain educational expenses, including tuition, for formal education related to career advancement
• Opportunity to participate in discretionary employee stock programs, including restricted stock unit awards and an employee stock purchase plan with discounted stock
• Possible discretionary bonuses or commission payments
• Possible relocation assistance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time