Module Test Instrumentation & Automation Engineer

The Motion Sensing Hardware team at Apple develops sophisticated test systems and automation frameworks that support cutting‑edge sensing technologies in consumer products. This role offers an opportunity to join a team that characterizes and validates inertial, pressure, and magnetic sensing systems, delivering rigorous test coverage and data insights throughout the product development lifecycle. We invite motivated and innovative hardware engineers to help build the test infrastructure and domain expertise that puts our products in a class of their own.

As a Module Test Instrumentation & Automation Engineer, you will be responsible for designing and executing test methodologies for IMU, pressure, and compass sensor systems, while closely supporting the team's data collection and automation infrastructure. Your work will span sensor characterization, test fixture development, signal analysis, and the development of software tools that give the team deeper insight into sensor behavior across the full product development cycle. You will apply deep sensor domain knowledge to transform raw measurement data into actionable characterization results, driving quality and performance from early silicon bring‑up through mass production.

This position requires strong hands‑on experience with inertial measurement units, barometric pressure sensors, and magnetometers, combined with solid software engineering skills and a rigorous approach to sensor characterization. You will own the design and execution of sensor characterization experiments, develop and maintain test plans for new sensor variants, and write the software needed to collect, structure, and analyze test data, integrating these tools into the team's shared automation infrastructure. The role demands strong software development skills alongside rigorous experimental methodology, the ability to diagnose sensor anomalies at the signal level, and excellent communication skills to translate hardware behavior into robust software solutions that the broader team can rely on.

Design and execute characterization experiments for IMU (accelerometer and gyroscope), barometric pressure, and compass (magnetometer) sensors across environmental and operating conditions

Develop and maintain test plans, test fixtures, and calibration procedures for new and existing sensor variants

Write modular, maintainable software for test automation, data acquisition, signal processing, and results visualization, contributing these tools to shared team infrastructure

Partner with data automation and software engineers to define data collection schemas, test protocols, and analysis pipelines that accurately capture sensor behavior

Perform signal‑level analysis of sensor outputs, identifying noise sources, bias instability, temperature dependencies, and cross‑axis sensitivity

Evaluate IMU error models including Allan variance, VRW, ARW, and bias repeatability

Evaluate pressure sensor performance including offset, sensitivity, long‑term stability and altitude accuracy under varying thermal and mechanical conditions

Drive root cause analysis of characterization anomalies and out‑of‑spec results, working across hardware, firmware, and software teams

Define and document test requirements and acceptance criteria for sensor subsystems ensuring alignment between hardware specifications and automated test coverage

Contribute to the continuous improvement of shared test infrastructure, automation scripts and data analysis tooling

Communicate characterization results and sensor behavior clearly to cross‑functional teams including hardware design, firmware, systems and product engineering

BS and a minimum of 10 years relevant industry experience

5+ years of hands‑on experience characterizing or testing inertial, pressure, or magnetic sensors in a product development environment

Deep understanding of IMU fundamentals accelerometer and gyroscope error models, noise characterization, temperature calibration and Allan deviation analysis

Hands‑on experience with magnetometer characterization including magnetic interference assessment and heading accuracy validation

Experience characterizing barometric and differential pressure sensors including sensitivity, offset, hysteresis, and environmental stability

Proficiency in Python or equivalent languages for writing production‑quality test automation, data processing and analysis tools

Proficiency with lab instrumentation environmental chambers, rate tables, vibration fixtures, precision voltage references and data acquisition systems

Strong signal processing fundamentals FFT, filtering, noise floor analysis, and statistical characterization of sensor outputs

Strong object‑oriented software design skills ability to write reusable, well‑structured code that integrates cleanly into shared team frameworks

Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to document test methodologies clearly and present characterization results to hardware and systems teams

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronic, or Aerospace Engineering

Experience developing simulation environments or digital twins of sensor systems that allow performance to be evaluated without physical hardware

Experience with sensor fusion algorithms combining IMU, magnetometer, and pressure data (e.g., AHRS, altitude estimation, dead reckoning)

Familiarity with stochastic sensor modeling techniques including Kalman filtering, Monte Carlo simulation and uncertainty quantification

Familiarity with hardware communication protocols used in sensor integration (I2C, SPI, UART) and ability to read and interpret register‑level sensor data

Experience working alongside firmware or embedded software engineers to debug sensor data pipelines at the hardware‑software boundary

Familiarity with AI/ML‑based data analysis techniques applied to sensor characterization datasets, including anomaly detection and performance prediction

Experience with automated test frameworks and data pipeline tools used in production hardware testing environments

Knowledge of MEMS fabrication fundamentals and how process variation influences sensor performance

Experience with consumer electronics product development cycles, including EVT/DVT/PVT test phases

Familiarity with motion sensing technologies across multiple modalities and their interaction effects in integrated consumer devices

Passion for rigorous measurement science and continuous improvement of test methodology