Build high-quality ML datasets that power visible Apple experiences. Apple’s ML Data Team within the Intelligent System Experience (ISE) group is hiring a Senior ML Data Engineer in Cupertino, CA (onsite). In this role, you will acquire, synthesize, annotate, and quality-check large-scale data pipelines that support ML and AI-centric features across products such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods.
Our team produces datasets used for training ML and AI features every year, including experiences like iPhone Lock Screen wallpapers, personalized stickers in iMessage, and Apple Intelligence capabilities such as on-device Genmoji and other visual generative models. You will also help support models used in Photos for highlighting faces and memories of loved ones.
What you’ll do
- Build high-quality datasets at scale for critical Apple product features.
- Acquire, synthesize, annotate, and ensure ML data quality while partnering with R&D teams across Apple’s SWE organization.
- Continuously improve ML data pipelines to increase reliability, efficiency, and dataset readiness.
What we’re looking for
- 7+ years of industry experience as a data engineer supporting ML applications (vision domain preferred).
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.
- Proven experience designing, automating, and scaling large data pipelines (petabyte scale desired) using modern processing technologies (examples include Iceberg, BigQuery, Airflow, and Spark).
- Expertise in Python, Go, or another modern programming language, including producing high-quality, efficient code and participating in code reviews.
- Strong ability to design and lead a technical roadmap, collaborate with cross-functional teams and diverse profiles, and build alignment through influence.
- Demonstrated experience delivering large-scale multimodal datasets for foundation models.
- Comfort operating as a self-starter in ambiguous, fast-paced environments, with the ability to identify risks, mitigate them, and secure the right people and tools to execute.
- Proven track record mentoring and growing engineers, raising software engineering excellence in an ML data ops team with typically short-term delivery needs.
Tools you’ll work with
- Python, Go
- Iceberg, BigQuery
- Airflow, Spark
Compensation and benefits
Base pay range: USD 184,700 - 324,800 per year. Base pay depends on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
- Comprehensive medical and dental coverage
- Retirement benefits
- Discounted products and free services
- Educational expense reimbursement (including tuition)
- Discretionary employee stock programs: eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if participating in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Discretionary bonuses or commission payments and relocation (if eligible)
