Agent Development Engineer, Customer Systems

Apple, Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 278,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonuses/commissions

Relocation assistance

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Apple, Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA seeks an Agent Development Engineer to design and deploy autonomous AI agents that reason, plan, and act using large language models.

You will build systems that leverage tools, manage memory, and enable robust, scalable automation across AppleCare and customer support platforms. The role requires strong backend/AI/ML expertise, TypeScript proficiency, and experience with AI agent frameworks, Docker/Kubernetes, and cloud platforms.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of professional software development experience.
• 2+ years backend or AI/ML-focused software development experience.
• Strong TypeScript proficiency for robust, scalable apps.
• Experience with AI Agent frameworks such as LangChain, AutoGen, LangGraph, or Semantic Kernel.
• Deep understanding of LLMs and practical applications.
• Experience with RAG and LLM fine-tuning techniques.
• Experience with vector databases and SQL/NoSQL databases.
• Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) and Docker/Kubernetes for deployment.

Responsibilities

• Design foundational architecture for AI agents and reasoning engines.
• Develop autonomous agents using cutting-edge frameworks.
• Integrate agents with external tools, APIs, and business systems.
• Implement memory/context management for long-running tasks.
• Author complex prompts and design chain-of-thought workflows.
• Establish human-in-the-loop evaluation and safety guardrails.
• Deploy agents to production with scalable, reliable infrastructure.

Skills

Backend development

AI/ML applications

Team collaboration

Education

B.S. in Computer Science or related field

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

AutoGen

Semantic Kernel

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

GCP

Pinecone

Milvus

Qdrant

Job description

Agent Development Engineer, Customer Systems

Sunnyvale, California, United States Software and Services

Customer Systems is part of IS&T and drives the technology behind Apple's customer support experience — from contact center operations to the software powering the iconic Genius Bar. The team also builds and operates AppleCare's online support platform, which handles 6 billion visits per year, delivering seamless, high-quality support to Apple customers around the globe.There are jobs and then there are opportunities! This is your opportunity to do the best work of your life. Join us, the team that serves as Apple’s nerve center: Apple Information Systems and Technology group!We are seeking a highly innovative and specialized Agent Development Engineer to design, build, and deploy autonomous AI systems. Unlike traditional software or chatbot developers, you will create intelligent agents that leverage Large Language Models (LLMs) to reason, plan, use tools, and execute multi-step actions independently to achieve specific goals, fundamentally transforming how Apple operates and delivers customer experiences.When you join IS&T, you’ll help design and manage systems, frameworks, and apps that countless Apple customers and employees rely on every day. Together, we’ll explore all the ways to improve how Apple operates, freeing our employees to do what they do best, and crafting magical experiences for our customers!

Description

As an Agent Development Engineer, you will be at the forefront of building the next generation of intelligent automation. Your core responsibilities will include:

• Design & Architecture: Creating the foundational architecture for AI agents, including sophisticated reasoning engines that break down complex problems and robust decision-making workflows.
• Agent Development: Building autonomous agents using cutting-edge frameworks like LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, or CrewAI.
• Tool Integration & API Usage: Connecting agents to external tools, databases, APIs, and critical business systems to enable seamless action-taking and interaction with the broader ecosystem.
• Memory & Context Management: Implementing advanced short- and long-term memory systems (e.g., using vector databases, RAG) so agents can remember past interactions, learn from experience, and maintain context across complex tasks.
• Prompt Engineering & Optimization: Authoring complex, domain-specific prompts and designing sophisticated chain-of-thought workflows to guide agent reasoning and ensure optimal performance.
• Testing & Reliability: Implementing “human-in-the-loop” systems, developing comprehensive evaluation frameworks (evals), and establishing safety guardrails to ensure agents behave reliably, ethically, and predictably in production environments.
• Deployment & Scaling: Deploying agents into production environments, often leveraging Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms like AWS/Azure/GCP, ensuring scalability and high availability.

The ideal candidate will possess a unique blend of software engineering rigor and AI innovation. You will thrive in an environment where systems are non-deterministic, requiring continuous testing, monitoring, and adaptation. A strong focus on the end-to-end behavior of goal-driven systems, rather than just isolated model optimization, is crucial. You should be passionate about process automation and understand how AI agents can replace or augment traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA), requiring a keen understanding of business workflows. Excellent communication and collaboration skills are essential for working with diverse teams across Apple.

Minimum Qualifications

• B.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional work experience.
• 7+ years proven experience developing software in a professional capacity. Longer experience preferred.
• 2+ years of professional software development experience, with a strong focus on backend systems or AI/ML applications.
• Strong proficiency in TypeScript, with experience in developing robust, scalable applications.
• Experience with at least one major AI Agent framework such as LangChain, AutoGen, LangGraph, or Semantic Kernel.
• Deep understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs), including their capabilities, limitations, and practical application (e.g., GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini).
• Practical experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and fine-tuning techniques for LLMs.
• Experience with vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Milvus, Qdrant) and traditional SQL/NoSQL databases.
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes) for deployment and management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in AI, machine learning, or automation systems beyond basic scripting.
• Background as a Machine Learning Engineer or Full-Stack Developer with a strong interest in autonomous systems.
• Experience designing and implementing complex multi-agent systems or agentic workflows.
• Understanding of ethical AI principles, bias detection, and mitigation strategies in agent design.
• Contributions to open-source AI agent frameworks or relevant research.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex business problems into agent-based solutions.

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 $184,700 and $277,600, 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.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace
Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.