Textiles SME - SoftGoods

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In this highly visible role, you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on Apple Products, and leave a footprint for years to come. We have an opportunity for an accomplished manufacturing engineer to lead development, and ramp for a next generation Apple product.

Our textile manufacturing engineering team enables the mass creation of impossible products. The role encompasses Manufacturing Design and Quality Engineering responsibilities (MDE & MQE). We work in tandem with Apple's renowned designers to develop equipment, processes, measurement technologies, control strategies, information systems, and manufacturing methods that achieve ambitious specifications at massive production scale. We handle a network of supplier factories worldwide, with responsibility for our partners' delivery to bold schedules. Our focus is on elegant execution of extraordinary industrial designs, resulting in products that thrill our customers.

The Textile Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Softgoods provides deep technical expertise in textile materials and manufacturing processes to support the development and mass production of high-quality softgoods components used in Apple products.

You will be the primary technical authority for textile materials and processes used in softgoods products. You will utilize your manufacturing and quality engineering background in the following areas:

Process Development:
Provide subject matter expertise in textile manufacturing processes, including fiber/yarn production, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing, coating and other softgoods fabrication processes.

Identify process risks and implement process control strategies to maintain consistent product quality.

Planning, proposing, and leading experiments to produce timely and accurate analyses used to drive design, development, and supply chain decisions.

Assessing the suitability of a fabrication technology for a given part design. Planning validation exercises to demonstrate initial feasibility as well as manufacturing capability. Analyzing results of validation exercises and provide technical recommendations.

Evaluate and recommend appropriate textile manufacturing and fabrication process for product applications.

Reviewing progress of development activities at supplier locations and serve as point of partner concern for critical process related issues.

Support development and optimization of scalable production processes to enable high-volume manufacturing.

Support failure analysis , factory ramp readiness and yield improvement activities.

Conduct root cause analysis and drive corrective actions for material or process issues.

Drive innovation in advanced textile manufacturing process and sustainability.

Work with cross-functional teams to ensure successful technology transfer into manufacturing.

Work closely with global suppliers to ensure scalable manufacturing capability and process stability.

New Product Introduction:
Acts as lead engineer to drive process development and capability assessment activities, reviewing part design documentation to ensure alignment with process capability.

Partner with Product Design teams to translate design intent into manufacturable textile solutions.

Collaborate with product design teams to evaluate whether proposed product architectures and specifications are manufacturable at scale.

Provide early feedback to influence product design toward manufacturability, robustness, and supply chain readiness.

Assess Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) characteristics defined by product design teams and identify potential gaps or unrealistic specifications.

Recommend modifications to product specifications where necessary to ensure achievable manufacturing capability.

Lead technical investigations into material and process failures using structured problem-solving methodologies.

Assigns specific tasks and work with Apple suppliers to support process development and/or data gathering activities. Set clear goals for results and provide timely reviews of performance throughout program.

Establish validation procedures to determine acceptance of tooling into development builds as well as mass production.

Supplier Execution:
Review supplier tool design, process flow, equipment selection, DFM, and DOE proposals. Identify shortfalls and corrective actions to ensure design compliance.

Work with supplier engineering teams to map out process development exercises, secure resources, and contribute to schedules in line with program goals.

Assess supplier readiness to support build events and production ramp. Identify potential execution issues and provide recommendations to mitigate risk.

Quality Planning:
Apply solid understanding of quality control and manufacturing concepts to develop specific Product Quality Plan (PQP) appropriate to program and commodity.

Coordinate all Quality Engineering functions for a program, serving as project manager to lead efforts at supplier locations.

Support quality team to develop and implement measurement systems and metrology methods for evaluating textile properties, material performance, and product quality.

Support quality team to Develop qualification plans for new materials, manufacturing processes, and suppliers.

Define validation requirements to ensure new technologies meet performance, reliability, and production readiness criteria.

Work closely with quality engineering and manufacturing engineering teams to improve process capability (Cp/Cpk) and increase production yield.

Actively participate in the program planning and monitoring process assuming responsibility for key work you're doing at all milestones.

Provide technical direction and guidance to other Quality Engineers supporting the implementation of the PQP.

Assess measurability and creatively address concerns directly with stakeholders. Identify and direct studies to implement improvements in measuring method where appropriate.

Establish audit procedures appropriate to program and supplier to ensure alignment to Apple quality standards. Implement FAI and Cp/Cpk reviews of mechanical parts.

Supplier Quality Management:
Review PQP with supplier and other Apple functional groups to optimize supplier quality programs.

Evaluates supplier readiness and adherence to PQP at all development and qualification stages.

Monitor each supplier's performance through measurement of production line statistics, company inspections, and audits.

Prepare summary of performance and communicate to appropriate management to ensure effective corrective action plans can be promptly executed.

Identify, evaluate, and develop global suppliers capable of meeting advanced textile manufacturing requirements.

Assess supplier technical capability, equipment readiness, and process maturity.

Establish best practices and technical standards across supplier manufacturing operations.

Assists supplier selection process for new products and second sourcing activities.

Support supplier qualification and drive continuous improvement across the supply chain.

Support supplier training and development programs.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Textile Engineering, Fiber & Polymer Science, Materials Science or a related engineering discipline.
8+ years of experience in textile materials, manufacturing, or materials development.
Strong understanding of fiber and polymer materials, textile structures (woven, knit, braid), dyeing and coloration processes and textile finishing technologies.
Demonstrated experience in manufacturing process development, process capability improvement, and yield optimization.
Ability to analyze product specifications and evaluate manufacturability and production feasibility.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and ability to influence cross functional teams.
Experience working with global textile suppliers and manufacturing partners.
International experience, particularly in Asia is a plus.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Experience developing equipment, manufacturing processes, quality plans, supplier quality audits, and driving corrective actions and failure analysis efforts.
Working knowledge of mechanical quality and reliability concepts, supplier management, and manufacturing operations.
Project management experience and an understanding of DFx, DOE, SPC principles are considered a plus.
Requires International travel to supplier sites > up to 30%

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Textile Engineering, Fiber & Polymer Science, Materials Science, or related discipline.
Experience in wearables, or high-performance textile, high-precision product manufacturing environments.
Deep expertise in woven, knitted, and engineered textile structures used in high-performance applications.
Experience developing measurement systems and quality control methodologies for textile materials and components.
Experience supporting new technology introduction , supplier qualification, and process validation in high-volume manufacturing.
Familiarity with problem solving tools, statistical quality control, PFMEA, Six Sigma methodologies, and process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk).
Demonstrated ability to influence product design decisions to improve manufacturability and scalability.
Knowledge of sustainable materials and environmentally responsible manufacturing practices.