Apple might have given away its plan to create a new health-oriented product

Apple's "Jobs at Apple" website has posted an ad looking for an "Engineering Project Manager (EPM) to lead the design and development of Apple-branded Health Hardware products." The ad suggests that the tech giant could be looking to build new devices that would monitor the health of Apple's customers. This particular help wanted ad is one that Apple posts often in a bid to add fresh blood to its work force. However, what makes it different this year is that in posting the responsibilities of the job, Apple clearly notes that "Apple Health Hardware EPMs are responsible for building and communicating project definition, development milestones, project schedules, validation/FA/CA, and project status in the development of new products."

Had the job opening been definitively related to an existing Apple device, we probably would have seen the Apple Watch get a nod. The timepiece is full of health-related features such as the heart rate monitor, the fall detector, the electrocardiogram (ECG), and the recently added pulse oximeter. For the Apple Watch Series 7, expected to be released later this year, there is talk about Apple adding a non-invasive glucometer to the timepiece. This will allow insulin-dependent diabetics to get their blood sugar reading before each meal so that they can compute how much insulin to inject. Doing this without having to draw blood will make the process pain-free and less messy.

The Engineering Project Manager (EPM) has to be in possession of certain important skills. For example, Apple says that "EPMs are fearless organizers who are ready to work with the highly skilled Hardware, Software, Mechanical Design and Industrial Design teams to identify and resolve potential risks to the schedule and quality of the product. The EPM will interact with these engineering design disciplines plus Safety, Reliability, Marketing, Packaging, Manufacturing, Component Engineering, and other resources inside and outside Apple." Additionally, the EPM is also the key interface to the suppliers, driving build readiness at the factory and managing the build itself. Success is defined in terms of the quality and timeliness of the pre- production builds and the start of mass production."

To be considered for the job, you need to have a B.S. ME/EE/BME degree or equivalent in any engineering discipline. Also, you get extra brownie points if you can communicate in Chinese. If you do get the job, keep in mind that you'll be on the road 20% of the time.

Despite the use of the phrase "new products" in the job ad, it still seems likely that the person who gets this job will work very closely with the Apple Watch team.