Successful SDE GSMs thrive in a rapidly changing environment and constantly drive excellence across their own responsibilities as well as that of team members and partners. They frequently leverage strategic internal relationships to effectively collaborate with engineering, operations and other Apple teams. They are able to make smart decisions with the information available, think and stay focused under pressure, and communicate concisely and effectively with senior management as well as peers.
*Engage with engineering teams during early product development phases to drive overall architecture towards the right cost by providing quick feedback on baseline architecture, challenging teams on underlying assumptions, and helping identify and evaluate alternatives
*Where relevant, work with early development supplier partners to help define overall architecture, while still balancing for cost
*Investigate and propose alternative manufacturing processes, materials, designs, and suppliers that optimize cost for our x-functional engineering partners
*Manage overall mechanicals cost BOM, and influence cross-functional teams to validate and implement creative alternatives needed to meet cost target
*Collaborate closely with partners in Ops to understand down-stream (FATP) impact of upstream design decisions, and work closely with Engineering teams and supplier partners to optimize
*Identify the right supplier partners to work with (and think broadly, about the right strategy) to secure product quality, supply, and long-term cost-competitiveness, all on an aggressive, timeline
*Develop supplier relationships to “train” vendor mind-sets to align with strategic organizational needs
*Identify and drive “special projects” related to costs, and develop into scalable cost solutions that can be applied across various Apple products over time
*Liaise between operational cross-functional teams and operations-focused GSM teammates as needed, to support quality, capacity, and supply
Minimum Qualifications
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or related engineering field
Intimate knowledge / understanding of a typical stage/gate product development process
Strong technical background, with an ability to quickly understand various aspects of a product’s design, and the manufacturing processes necessary to materialize the design, and assembly and testing steps needed to execute it at scale
Factory experience, particularly related to forming and finishing processes related to plastics, composites, and metal. FATP experience, ideally within consumer electronics
Deep expertise with “should cost” modeling and developing (and maintaining) a costed BOM
Strong PM-ing skills… ability to manage wide and diverse activities with disparate stakeholders, by focusing on key deliverables and effectively driving next steps
Excellent presentation and interpersonal skills, capable of working in multinational environments
Excellent soft skills; flexibility to adapt to dynamic and rapidly changing environments
Ability to travel ~20% internationally, ~30% domestically
Preferred Qualifications
BSME, or equivalent. MBA a plus
Product design exposure or experience, with a deep interest in designing for cost
Managing a costed BOM during early product architecture. Ability to identify, manage, and drive Opportunities and Risks
Experience working across functions (Industrial design, Product design, Manufacturing design, Operations), and with suppliers… ability to influence across multi-functional teams
Top-notch analytical skills, with ability to toggle between detail-orientated and strategic, large-picture thinking
“Team lead” experience, guiding / leading less experienced teammates within subject matter area