Reliability User Research Engineering Manager

At Apple we dont just follow industry standards we push beyond them. The Reliability organization evaluates how well every Apple product holds up to the demands of real-world use. The Reliability Labs User Research team studies how people interact with our hardware products in these tough scenarios. We turn those findings into the specs test strategies and design success criteria that engineers and designers depend on across Apples entire product this role youll collaborate with diverse hardware teams to ensure our products are not only durable and reliable but also built to exceed expectationsand our research is where that work begins. We run in-person studies and surveys to understand user and device youre energized by leading talented researchers and turning research insights into better more durable products wed love to hear from you.

As the User Research Engineering Manager youll lead a team of researchers with expertise spanning mechanical engineering materials science human factors and statistics. Youll set research strategy and grow your team delivering clear actionable insights that inform critical decisions across Apple Hardware products used by millions around the a leader of this group you will guide your team through every stage of their researchcoaching owning the hard calls and stepping in when your technical expertise is needed. The result is clear and data-backed guidance that directly shapes how Apple designs and validates its role sits at the intersection of multiple disciplines requiring you to collaborate with highly technical cross-functional partners adapt quickly to new domains and balance a variety of projects simultaneously. Success here means leading with equal parts curiosity critical thinking and the ability to translate complex findings into clear impactful recommendationsall while building a team culture grounded in ethical research and continuous growth.

Lead develop and grow the teamsetting direction coaching researchers and fostering a collaborative high-trust research strategy and priorities across multiple concurrent studies balancing research needs against product technical leadership as a subject-matter expert in one or more core disciplineselevating study design statistical and qualitative analysis and bias the team to translate complex datasets into compelling presentations and actionable recommendations for cross-functional partners and closely with designers engineers and cross-functional teams to align research with product goals and shape test ethical rigorous and inclusive research practices keeping the human experience and Apple quality front and center.

Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering Physics Human Factors Ergonomics Biomechanics Human-Computer Interaction Industrial Engineering or a closely related field.n3 years of experience in a people-management role of technical communication interpersonal skills and attention to detail with the ability to present findings clearly to multidisciplinary ability to conduct research experiments to inform engineering decisions.

Masters or PhD in Mechanical Engineering Physics Human Factors Ergonomics Biomechanics Human-Computer Interaction Industrial Engineering or a closely related record of building and developing high-performing technical teams setting vision and strategy while coaching individuals and earning credibility with deep technical using AI or Large Language Models (LLMs) for data processing and ability to design and conduct rigorous user studies for consumer product usability evaluation using robust experimental designs and scientific methods expertise combining quantitative and qualitative research with human characterization methods