Senior Machine Learning Engineer / Senior Applied Scientist, Search & AI

Apple Inc.; India; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer / Senior Applied Scientist to advance next-generation Search and QA experiences across Apple products.

You will collaborate with top engineers to push boundaries in retrieval, language models, and embeddings, handling vast data to improve answer accuracy and user satisfaction. The role requires 8+ years in shipping search/QA ML systems, strong coding in C++, Python, Scala, and Go, and a passion for building standout products with clear

Qualifications

• 8+ years shipping Search and Q&A ML systems.
• Strong programming skills in C++, Python, Scala and Go.
• Experience building tooling to evaluate components and end-to-end quality.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to explain complex topics.
• Collaborative, with strong teamwork and cross-functional skills.
• Passion for building phenomenal products and curiosity to learn.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Search and AI engineers on large-scale ML for query understanding, retrieval and ranking.
• Develop building blocks for AI-powered experiences, including embeddings and deep learning.
• Implement online learning and NLP for improved user query handling and answers.
• Work with petabytes of data from structured and unstructured sources to deliver accurate results.

Skills

C++

Python

Scala

Go

Query Understanding

Search/QA ML systems

Analytical thinking

Communication

Teamwork

Education

MS or PhD in AI/ML/IR/CS/Statistics

Tools

Retrieval frameworks

RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation)

ML evaluation tooling

Job description

Senior Machine Learning Engineer / Senior Applied Scientist, Search & AI

Apple is where individual imaginations come together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us strengthening each other’s ideas. That happens because every one of us believes that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better! Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something.The Information Intelligence team is at the forefront of revolutionizing how billions of people interact with their devices to search and find what they are looking for. As a Machine Learning Expert, you play a critical role in developing world-class Search and Q&A experiences for Apple customers with cutting-edge search technologies and large language models.

Description

Our team is responsible for delivering next-generation Search and Question Answering systems across Apple products including Siri, Safari, Spotlight, and more. This is your chance to shape how people get information by leveraging your Search and applied machine learning expertise along with robust software engineering skills.

Responsibilities

• You will collaborate with outstanding Search and AI engineers on large scale machine learning to improve Query Understanding, Retrieval, and Ranking, developing fundamental building blocks needed for AI powered experiences such as fine-tuning and reinforcement learning. This involves pushing the boundaries on document retrieval and ranking, developing sophisticated machine learning models, using embeddings and deep learning to understand the quality of matches. It also includes online learning to react quickly to change and natural language processing to understand queries. You will work with petabytes of data and combine information from multiple structured and unstructured sources to provide the best results and accurate answers to satisfy users' information-seeking needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years experience in shipping Search and Q&A technologies and ML systems
• Excellent programming skills in mainstream programming languages such as C++, Python, Scala, and Go
• Experience delivering tooling and frameworks to evaluate individual components and end-to-end quality
• Strong analytical skills to systematically identify opportunities to improve search relevance and answer accuracy
• Strong written and verbal communication with the ability to articulate complex topics
• Excellent interpersonal skills and teamwork; demonstrated ability to connect and collaborate with others
• Passion for building phenomenal products and curiosity to learn

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in Search Relevance and Ranking, Question Answering systems, Query Understanding, Personalization or Recommendation systems, or data-informed decision-making
• Hands‑on experience in Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), including developing, evaluating and enhancing for both retrievers and generative LLMs
• Experience presenting plans, progress, and results or demos regularly and concisely
• MS or Ph.D in AI, Machine Learning, Information Retrieval, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field

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