Color Engineering Project Manager – Softgoods

Summary

Posted: Nov 4, 2024

Weekly Hours: 40

Role Number:200577332

Why Apple? At Apple we believe our products begin with our people. By hiring a diverse team we drive creative thought. By giving that team everything they need we drive innovation. By hiring incredible engineers we drive precision. And through our collaborative process we create memorable experiences for our customers. These elements come together to make Apple an amazing environment for motivated people to do the greatest work of their lives. You will become part of a hands-on development team that sets the standard in cultivating excellence, creativity and innovation. Will you help us design the next generation of revolutionary Apple products? Why SoftGoods? Apple’s SoftGoods Engineering team is relatively new to Apple. We work with materials like textiles, silicone, soft polymers, and magnets. Our mission is to use these incredible materials to enable new product categories, and to enhance Apple’s existing product lines. Bringing Apple engineering and precision to products made of soft materials is an exciting challenge and requires a creative and open-minded approach. We have a talented team of people from a wide variety of backgrounds. We all work together in beautifully customized labs where we design, engineer and develop the best softgoods products in the world. If this sounds like an exciting challenge, we hope you will consider a place in our team and encourage you to consider this role.

Description

What is the role? We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated color engineering project manager (EPM) with a proven consumer product development track record to work cross functionally with the Color Design Team. As a Color EPM within the SoftGoods product design organization you will lead the development of color across multiple materials and programs through the product development lifecycle— from architecture up to production. You are an individual who can successfully balance high SKU counts and deliver a portfolio of products multiple times per year. You will enable team success by crafting and monitoring a streamlined development plan, managing critical path, and driving timely issue resolution. You will lead team meetings, document action items, drive followup, and be accountable for communicating development and schedule status to senior management. Your role will include coordinating with Product Design, Industrial Design (ID), Operations, Reliability and other key cross functional teams. You will understand technical issues and drive them to closure by bringing together key partners and facilitating problem solving and decision-making. You will be empowered to build great relationships across high-energy teams. You will work closely with material suppliers and manufacturing partners. The role will require international travel to support material vendors in Asia and Europe.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Design, Material Science, Industrial or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
• At least 5 years of experience managing multiple programs in the consumer product space or a related field
• You have exceptional experience with developing materials in color
• Strong experience fostering relationships with manufacturing suppliers and driving materials to development builds at scale
• Experience working closely with product design and other cross functional teams to drive closure of technical issues and communicate risk
• You are someone who is analytical, professionally assertive, and exhibits excellent attention to detail
• Strong verbal & written communication and executive level presentation skills
• You exhibit a deeply curious mindset about new ideas

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as a practicing engineer or related product development role prior to becoming a project manager
• Experience working with industrial designers or other similarly creative product developers
• Experience working with soft goods materials and processes (synthetics, textiles, coatings/films)
• Experience traveling internationally to work closely with suppliers
• Experience managing development schedules, working with Industrial Design and Product Design teams to release designs to vendors on time
• Experience collaborating and facilitating communication across engineering, operations, marketing, and external partners to meet very aggressive cost, schedule, and quality goals
• Understanding of different coloration methods (package dyeing, pigment dyeing, etc.)
• Exceptional understanding of soft goods assembly process (bonding, cutting, stitching)

Pay & Benefits

• At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $136,300 and $248,700, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
  
  Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits.
  
  Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.