Hardware Systems Workload and Characterization Engineer - iPad

Summary

The iPad hardware team in Austin, TX is seeking a Systems Workload and Characterization Engineer who is motivated by the opportunity to make Apple products the best they can possibly be. In this unique role, you will partner closely with our System Electrical Engineering team to develop and automate the system workloads, power measurement platforms, and validation infrastructure used to characterize next-generation devices. Working alongside System Electrical Engineers who take products from concept to ship, you will sit at the intersection of hardware, software, silicon, and thermal/power engineering and will work cross-functionally with architecture, software, QA, silicon engineering, and regulatory teams. We are creative and passionate about what we do and the products we make. Come join us!

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience Hands-on experience with scripting and test automation (Python, shell scripting, or similar languages) Experience setting up, maintaining, and troubleshooting development boards, lab test benches, or automated test racks Fundamental understanding of computer systems and hardware/software interactions (CPU/GPU behavior, system power, and thermals) Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across hardware, software, and QA teams

Preferred Qualifications

3+ years of relevant industry experience in system characterization, hardware/software QA automation, power/performance validation, or hardware test infrastructure Experience developing, profiling, and automating system-level workloads Familiarity with board-level power measurement techniques, power telemetry instrumentation, and lab equipment (such as power supplies, oscilloscopes, electronic loads, and multimeters) Experience managing large fleets of development hardware or stability test environments Experience testing or characterizing consumer electronics for regulatory or energy efficiency compliance Proven track record of taking ownership of test tools and lab infrastructure to improve engineering efficiency and product quality

Description

Rather than focusing on traditional schematic capture or PCB layout design, this role is dedicated to system-level characterization, workload development, and hardware test infrastructure that enables our EE team to push the boundaries of iPad performance and efficiency. We are looking for an engineer who is genuinely excited about building software workloads, automating test systems, maintaining specialized lab hardware, and diving deep into system power and thermal management. You do not need a traditional Electrical Engineering degree to thrive in this role. A variety of technical backgrounds or hands-on hardware and automation experience are welcome. What matters most is a passion for understanding how complex hardware and software interact and a dedication to elevating product quality across the entire product lineup. Beyond technical capability, we prize curiosity, creativity, integrity, collaboration, and a passion for learning.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and evolve workloads used to characterize power, performance, battery life, and thermal behavior across the product lifecycle Track upcoming hardware and software features and translate them into representative, repeatable characterization workloads Drive workload discovery, quality assurance, and end-to-end test automation to improve coverage, reliability, and engineering efficiency Develop, execute, and characterize workloads and test methodologies to support international regulatory and energy compliance standards Deploy and maintain development boards and power-measurement hardware setups for the EE team Maintain and expand automated rack-based stability and characterization test infrastructure, migrating manual or standalone stability testing into scalable, automated rack environments Partner with cross-functional teams to support and tune system-level thermal and power management algorithms and power budgeting