Product Design Lab Engineer

Summary

Apple's Product Design team turns concepts into hardware you can hold — the enclosures, mechanisms, and internal architecture of the products our customers use every day. The lab is where design intent meets physical reality, and how fast a part can be built and measured shapes how good the final product becomes.

We're standing up a new Product Design lab and looking for a Lab Engineer to own it end to end: shape the space during construction, bring it online, run it day to day, and partner with Product Design engineers on the problems behind their requests. The ideal person is equally credible at the machine and at the whiteboard — cutting a part on a CNC mill in the morning, planning equipment layout and calibration in the afternoon. You'll be the sole engineer on-site, backed by a network of peer Product Design labs for deeper builds and specialized work. Rather than advancing a single project, you'll accelerate everything the team builds.

Description

You will own the build-out, commissioning, and daily operation of a new Product Design lab, and act as the engineering partner who translates design concepts into the right build path. You'll machine and fabricate urgent parts on-site — primarily on CNC and manual equipment — and run the dimensional inspection that qualifies them, routing heavier fabrication and specialized characterization to internal shops, peer labs, and external vendors. You'll manage the full request load for the team, from intake through delivery, while keeping the lab safe, calibrated, and audit-ready.

Responsibilities

• Machine, fabricate, and assemble prototype parts on-site using CNC milling, manual machine tools, 3D printing, and other rapid-prototyping equipment, including the programming, setup, fixturing, and tooling selection those jobs require.
• Plan and shape the lab facility during construction — layout, utilities, and equipment strategy — then specify, source, install, and commission the equipment needed to bring it online.
• Own ongoing lab management and maintenance: preventive maintenance, calibration schedules, tooling and consumables, spares, service contracts, and equipment upgrades as the lab's capabilities evolve.
• Partner with Product Design engineers on build strategy and iteration, translating concepts and requirements into a practical, manufacturable build path.
• Scope build needs and route heavier fabrication to internal shops, peer labs, or external vendors, managing those relationships, quotes, and timelines.
• Perform routine dimensional inspection and measurement, and determine when deeper metrology or material characterization should be handed to specialized resources.
• Own intake, prioritization, scheduling, and delivery of all lab requests, resolving what can be resolved on-site so specialized teams receive only the work that requires them.
• Maintain a safe, audit-ready lab, including environmental health and safety compliance, training, and documentation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on CNC machining experience, including setup, fixturing, tooling selection, and producing finished parts to drawing.
• Experience owning the operation and upkeep of a prototyping, R&D, engineering lab or machine shop — equipment maintenance, calibration, and safety.
• Hands-on experience across mechanical, electrical, and test work in a prototyping or R&D environment.
• Experience performing dimensional inspection and measurement, and interpreting drawings, tolerances, and GD&T.
• Experience scoping and specifying machined parts and working with internal or external fabrication suppliers.
• Ability to work on-site in a lab environment, including lifting and moving up to 25 lbs and safely operating lab equipment, with occasional schedule flexibility around build and bring-up milestones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing, standing up, expanding, or significantly reconfiguring a lab, cleanroom, or machine shop — including layout, utility and infrastructure requirements, equipment selection, installation, and commissioning.
• Experience operating and maintaining various types of 3D printers and laser cutters.
• Depth in CNC machining and CAM: multi-axis work, difficult materials, tight-tolerance features, or process development for prototype parts.
• Complementary fabrication skills such as sheet metal, welding, or precision finishing.
• Track record of working as an embedded engineering partner — engaging with the engineering problem behind a request rather than fulfilling it as written.
• Experience owning environmental health and safety compliance, calibration programs, or audit readiness for a technical space.
• Strong vendor and supplier management skills, including quoting, scheduling, and quality follow-through.
• Experience in metrology and GD&T.
• Self-directed and highly organized, with the judgment to work independently as the sole on-site owner and escalate to a remote peer network when appropriate.