Lead Software Development Engineer – Apple Data Platform

Summary

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Role Number:200567105

The Apple Data Platform team powers data analytics, exploration, and feature engineering that fuel Siri, Search, Music, Maps, iCloud and many other beloved products in the Apple ecosystem. Our mission is to provide engineers and data scientists with an innovative, reliable, secure, and user-friendly platform for ingesting, storing, processing, and interacting with data, ultimately helping teams derive insights that drive product success. As a Staff Engineer on the Data Solution Platform team, you’ll be instrumental in accelerating the adoption of the Apple Data Platform by developing data solutions, including advanced data insights, unified search powered by knowledge bases, and the seamless integration of the latest AI technologies to enhance workflows for large data consumers in Apple. Additionally, you will contribute to future-focused initiatives to automate and streamline development and adoption of new AI Data Applications by Apple Data Platform users. Join us and be a part of the Data Platform journey at Apple, where your contributions will positively impact Apple’s customers and countless teams within Apple.

Description

Join Apple’s Data Platform team where you’ll be instrumental in delivering cutting-edge experiences across a multitude of Apple products, including Siri, Spotlight, Music, TV, and Safari. You will play a key role in defining and driving the roadmap to develop AI-powered data solutions, accelerating data processing and analytics on our platform at Apple scale. This includes integrating large language models, advanced knowledge bases, and AI agents to enhance data interactions and insights. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams of innovative software engineers, product managers, and engineering leaders to continuously optimize our platform and it’s performance. Our team values the use of both proprietary and open-source technologies, including but not limited to Kubernetes, Ray, Spark, Flink, Trino, and Iceberg. RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: * Define and drive technical vision, roadmap, and strategy for Apple Data platform, with a focus on integrating AI-driven solutions and advanced data technologies * Guide the design and development of new data solutions that accelerate the use of Data & AI across Apple * Participate in product design reviews to ensure efficient and secure use of data in Apple * Collaborate with stakeholders and cross-functional leaders in engineering, product, and operations across Apple to ensure the correct adoption of Apple Data Platform * Lead and mentor new hires and fellow engineers * Provide guidance and establish processes to ensure engineering excellence, efficiency, and operational sustainability of our platform * Foster a healthy, inclusive, collaborative, and technology-driven culture

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of software development experience
• 3+ years of experience as a technical lead, guiding teams through complex design decisions and setting high benchmarks for code quality, performance, and scalability.
• In depth understanding of large language models (LLMs) and their application in AI-driven solutions, including inferencing, embedding and knowledge base integration (RAG) for improved data retrieval and contextualization.
• Proven ability to manage and optimize Big Data & AI platforms and infrastructure, with a focus on enhancing adoption through innovative value add solutions.
• Experience with large-scale data processing and storage frameworks such as Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Apache Iceberg and other similar frameworks.
• Experience with programming languages like Python, Java and Scala particularly in the context of data processing and AI integration.
• Strong organizational skills, capable of working effectively with large cross-functional teams to drive key product innovations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and drive product development across diverse teams, with a passion for operational excellence and automation.
• Superb problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• B.S, M.S. or PhD Degree in Computer Science/Engineering, or equivalent work experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of AI agents orchestration for the seamless integration of AI models, enabling automation and enhancing workflow efficiencies across diverse business use cases
• Understanding and experience with Large Language model training and fine tuning
• Expertise in AWS Cloud
• Hands on experience in using Kubernetes as orchestration layer
• Working with streaming data processing frameworks such as Apache Flink, Kafka Streams, Spark Streaming

Pay & Benefits

• At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $175,800 and $312,200, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
  
  Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits.
  
  Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.