AI Data & Infrastructure Engineer

Apple Inc.; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 325,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking an AI Data & Infrastructure Engineer on the MSI team to design, build, and operate scalable AI data systems powering enterprise GenAI and agentic AI capabilities across global manufacturing sites.

You will lead data ingestion, retrieval-augmented generation pipelines, vector databases, and observable platforms, collaborating with AI/ML, software, and operations teams to deliver reliable, cost-aware solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years designing and building scalable data platforms and distributed systems.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL, with proficiency in Java or Scala preferred.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, and IaC.

Responsibilities

• Design robust, scalable data architectures for AI features and data orchestration.
• Build and maintain AI data platforms, services, and APIs for Agentic AI workflows.
• Develop data ingestion, transformation, and publishing pipelines for structured and unstructured data.
• Design and implement RAG pipelines, embedding workflows, and vector DB integrations.
• Collaborate with AI/ML engineers and domain teams to deliver production-grade data solutions.
• Optimize scalability, reliability, security, and cost across cloud-native environments.

Skills

Python

SQL

Java/Scala

Airflow

Spark

Kubernetes

Docker

Cloud Platforms

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Software/Data Eng

Tools

Airflow

Kubeflow

MLflow

Job description

Sunnyvale, California, United States Operations and Supply Chain

Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, we believe new insights have a way of becoming excellent products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there’s no telling what you could accomplish.The people here at Apple don’t just build products — they build the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it.Manufacturing Systems and Infrastructure (MSI) team is an engineering organization under the Product Operations org. MSI is responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of systems tools, services, and applications required to efficiently run manufacturing operations at scale across global factory sites.As an AI Data & Infrastructure Engineer with the MSI team, you will won the end to end design, build, and operation of scalable AI data systems that power enterprise GenAI and Agentic AI capabilities. Your work spans core platform services, data pipeline development and infrastructure provisioning, enabling manufacturing workflow automation through Agents and Agent skills.

Description

Create robust, scalable architectures for systems that handle data orchestration for AI featuresDesign, build, and maintain scalable AI data platforms, services, and APIs that support and enable Agentic AI workflow development & automation.Develop data ingestion, transformation, and publishing pipelines for structured, unstructured, and multimodal data.Design and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, embedding workflows, vector database integrations, and metadata services for enterprise AI applications.Be able to quickly build an idea so you and the team can work with hands-on products. Then iterate on the best of those prototypes.Build and integrate tools that help make complex AI systems observable, understandable and debuggableStrong understanding of distributed systems, parallel computing, and performance optimizationCollaborate with AI/ML engineers, software engineers, product teams, and domain experts to define AI data requirements and deliver production-ready data solutions.Optimize platform scalability, reliability, performance, security, and cost across cloud-native environments and Agentic systems.Ability to clearly communicate complex technical problems and collaborate with partners to develop solutions

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ Experience designing and building scalable data platforms and distributed systems.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL, with proficiency in Java or Scala preferred.
• Experience with Airflow, Kubeflow, or MLflow to build and orchestrate scalable AI data pipelines.
• Experience building scalable batch and streaming data pipelines using Spark (PySpark), Kafka, Airflow, and Ray, with proficiency in Pandas and modern data lake/lakehouse architectures (e.g., Iceberg, Delta Lake).
• Experience using modern development tools, including AI-assisted coding tools, while applying sound engineering judgment to review, validate, and improve generated code.
• Knowledge of RAG architectures, embedding generation, vector databases, and AI data preparation for LLMs and agentic AI.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, and Infrastructure as Code.
• Demonstrated ability to understand complex user workflows, translate them into practical technical solutions, and collaborate across teams to deliver measurable outcomes.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into clear, business focused insights.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with or a strong understanding of Generative AI, LLMs, Agentic Systems, or RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) workflows.
• Experience integrating LLMs into existing systems
• Experience with API design, both for other engineers to use, but also for AI systems.
• Experience working with manufacturing, operational, IoT, or industrial data platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineers.

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 $324,800, 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.