Apple - Cupertino, CA
posted 6 months ago
In this highly visible role at Apple, you will take on dual responsibilities as a Technical Program Manager (TPM) and Quality Engineer (MQE) for next-generation Apple products. This position requires you to lead the selection, implementation, and optimization of manufacturing processes, as well as quality planning and deployment. You will be managing a network of supplier factories worldwide, ensuring that our partners meet bold schedules while maintaining the highest quality standards. Your focus will be on the elegant execution of extraordinary industrial designs, resulting in products that not only meet but exceed customer expectations. Your role will involve significant process development, where you will plan, propose, and lead experiments to produce timely and accurate analyses that drive design, development, and supply chain decisions. You will assess the suitability of fabrication technologies for specific part designs and plan validation exercises to demonstrate initial feasibility and manufacturing capability. Analyzing the results of these validation exercises will be crucial, as you will provide technical recommendations based on your findings. You will also review the progress of development activities at supplier locations and serve as a point of escalation for critical process-related issues. As part of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process, you will drive process development and capability assessment activities, ensuring that part design documentation aligns with process capabilities. You will assign specific tasks and collaborate with Apple suppliers to support process development and data gathering activities, setting clear goals for results and providing timely performance reviews throughout the program. Establishing validation procedures to determine the acceptance of tooling into development builds and mass production will also be a key responsibility. In terms of supplier execution, you will review supplier tool designs, process flows, equipment selections, and proposals for Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design of Experiments (DOE). Identifying shortfalls and corrective actions to ensure design compliance will be essential. You will work closely with supplier engineering teams to map out process development exercises, secure necessary resources, and commit to schedules that align with program goals. Assessing supplier readiness to support build events and production ramp will be critical, as will identifying potential execution issues and providing recommendations to mitigate risks. Utilizing your Quality Engineering background, you will apply a solid understanding of quality control and manufacturing concepts to develop a specific Product Quality Plan (PQP) tailored to the program and commodity. You will coordinate all Quality Engineering functions for the program, acting as a project manager to lead efforts at supplier locations. Actively participating in the program planning and monitoring process, you will assume responsibility for key deliverables at all milestones. Providing technical direction and guidance to other Quality Engineers supporting the implementation of the PQP will be part of your role, as will assessing measurability and creatively addressing concerns directly with stakeholders. You will also establish audit procedures appropriate to the program and supplier to ensure adherence to Apple quality standards, implementing First Article Inspection (FAI) and Cp/Cpk reviews of mechanical parts.