Optical Sensing PD - Mechanical Engineer

San Francisco Bay Area Until 9/21/2026 First posted July 23, 2026 Last posted July 23, 2026
Job description

The Optical Sensing Product Design team is seeking a mechanical engineer to build great experiences and bring Apple products to life. We develop sensors that change the way people interact with their technology. You will help a diverse team of talented engineers and play a key role in specifying, developing, characterizing, and validating the mechanical design of optical sensing systems. At the end of the extraordinary team effort, your work will be in the hands of millions of people making a difference in their daily lives.

Description

You will lead the end-to-end design, development, and validation of spectral sensing technology into Apple’s portfolio of products. In this role, you will work collaboratively with a talented multifunctional team to generate and validate design concepts, and as the mechanical specialist you will be responsible for design, engineering analysis and documentation for your piece of the project. - Identify design tradeoffs and risks to choose viable paths forward that lead to a great customer experience. - Design optical modules and packaging, and ensure system integration requirements are met for sensor module functional and cosmetic performance. - Apply experiment design and the scientific method to reduce design risk early. - Work with component part and manufacturing partners on design manufacturability and resolution of mechanical issues. - Support external manufacturing vendors with process development and root cause analysis for issues found during testing, including international travel between 10% and 25%.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience in the design of miniature component or opto-mechanical modules.
Proficient in 3D CAD design (NX preferred) and application of statistical tools and techniques (Matlab, Python, JMP, etc).
Minimum requirement of a bachelors degree.

Preferred Qualifications

Mechanical and manufacturing experience relating to optical elements, opto-mechanical modules, and/or optical sensing sensing systems.
Simulation experience (FEA - structural / thermal or optical design, techniques and software packages).
Failure mode analysis, root-cause diagnosis, and system-level problem solving.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
GD&T, tolerance analyses, and manufacturing process knowledge related to sensors, high volume, consumer electronics, or sensing.
Able to effectively collaborate with diverse team members and external vendors to develop functional specifications, design verification plans, functional test procedures and achieve project goals.
Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related fields.

About this role

Summary

Designs and validates optical sensing systems, collaborates with teams, and improves product performance.

Job title

Optical Sensing PD - Mechanical Engineer

Experience level

bachelor's degree

Industry

technology

Location requirements

San Francisco Bay Area, some travel required, no remote work

Salary

Not specified

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

3D CAD designstatistical toolsoptical sensing

Preferred skills

optomechanical modulesFEA simulationfailure mode analysisGD&Tcollaboration

Specializations

optical sensingmechanical designoptomechanical modulessensor development
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

Unknown location

On-site