Position : Reliability Program Specialist
Location : Cupertino, CA
Duration: Full-Time
Strong exp working on Keynote and Numbers is mandatory.
1) Background & Goal
Apple Reliability teams (Retail and Beats) are supporting a large portfolio of hardware programs. To increase execution clarity and crossteam alignment, we will add Reliability Program Specialists (DRIs) who will coordinate schedules across many concurrent programs (~30), communicate updates via Keynote, and convert small data sets into clear decisionready visuals. Technical reliability depth is helpful but not the first filter; the emphasis is breadth, orchestration, and communication to cross functional Apple teams.
2) Role Summary
The Reliability Program Specialist (RPS) is a programcoordination DRI embedded with Retail REL (and parallel roles for Beats REL). The RPS will:
Own scheduling & integration tables across multiple programs and DRIs.
Create executiveready Keynote decks to communicate status, risks, and asks to partner teams.
Analyze small datasets (hundreds of rows) to produce plots/curves and tell the story (trends, conclusions, recommendations). The group uses JUMP to handle data.
Facilitate crossfunctional alignment with RE/PD/SQE/vendor partners across the globe including China.
Provide light reliability support (terminology, DOE/FMEA awareness) while deferring deep FA or lab execution to engineering owners.
3) Scope of Work A) Program Orchestration
Build & maintain master schedules for assigned programs; update integration tables daily/weekly.
Track dependencies, risks, and decision points; drive followups across DRIs.
Maintain a single source of truth for status, highlighting critical path items and upcoming gates.
B) Communication & Keynote
Author Keynote presentations used for communication beyond the immediate team (exec reviews, partner readouts).
Standardize slide templates: objectives, schedule, status, risks, mitigations, asks.
Publish polished updates that enable quick comprehension by nonspecialists.
C) Data Storytelling (ExcelLevel)
Receive small datasets (e.g., 1 3 spreadsheets with a few hundred data points each).
Plot curves and charts, highlight trends/anomalies, and summarize conclusions or make it easy for stakeholders to do so.
No dashboard development or advanced coding required; clarity > complexity.
D) CrossFunctional Alignment
Coordinate with RE, PD, SQE, vendors and other DRIs to ensure who/what/when is understood and committed.
Keep meeting notes actionable; convert decisions into schedule updates and clear next steps.
E) Light Reliability Support (as needed)
Understand the basics of reliability test planning and standards and help package information from engineering owners into consumable summaries.
Deep FA methods (Xray/SEM/FTIR, etc.) remain with engineers; the RPS does not own lab execution.
4) Deliverables
Weekly Keynote status decks per portfolio (Retail/Beats): schedule, risks, data charts, actions.
Integration table (maintained): ownership, milestones, dependencies, dates.
Excel charts & brief analyses translating small datasets into simple visuals and narratives.
Risk & action logs (traceable closures, clear DRIs).
Lessons Learned page for recurring coordination issues (optional).
5) Skills & Qualifications Musthave
Demonstrated program coordination across multiple concurrent efforts.
Keynote proficiency (or equivalent) for executiveready storytelling.
Excel comfort (charting, basic functions, plotting curves) and data narration.
Strong written & verbal communication; stakeholder management; attention to detail.
Engineering background preferred (Mechanical/Electrical/Materials) for context; reliability can be taught on the job.
Nicetohave
Familiarity with DOE/FMEA and common reliability vocabulary/standards (JEDEC/ASTM).
Experience coordinating with vendors and lab logistics (calibration, readiness).
Not required
Coding or advanced data science; dashboard development.
Deep failure analysis ownership (SEM/Xray/FTIR) or heavy lab execution.
6) Tools & Systems
Keynote (primary deliverable format).
Excel (data preparation and charting).
Apple standard tracking (e.g., Jira/issue trackers) for requests and followups.
7) Success Metrics
Ontime schedules and integration table accuracy for assigned programs.
Quality of Keynotes (clarity, completeness, actionable storytelling).
Data hygiene & insightfulness of Excel charts (accuracy, usefulness).
Stakeholder satisfaction (RE/PD/SQE/vendor partners).
Risk/action closure rate within agreed SLAs.
8) Risks & Mitigations
Risk: Program overload beyond manageable breadth. Mitigation: Stage rampup; cap active programs; weekly load review with manager.
Risk: Ambiguity in upstream requirements. Mitigation: Standardize intake templates; enforce DRI ownership on actions.
Risk: Data inconsistency. Mitigation: Lightweight data checks; versioned files; link sources in slides.
9) Travel & Safety
Travel: None expected.
Follow Apple s documentation, test, and safety standards when interacting with lab teams.
Never miss an opportunity! Create an alert based on the job you applied for.
