Business Operations Analyst — AIML

Apple Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 121,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. seeks an analytical Business Operations Analyst for the SWE Ops Infrastructure & Planning team in Cupertino.

You will drive strategic planning, budget forecasting, and cross-functional alignment with engineers, researchers, finance, and leadership to optimize resource allocation and execution against top priorities. The role emphasizes disciplined stewardship of financial and headcount resources, proactive forecasting, and vendor management, with a focus on reducing ambiguity and

Qualifications

• 5+ years in business operations or similar in a high-tech environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in an analytical or quantitative field or equivalent.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional programs with structured operating rhythms.
• Experience with operational forecasting, annual planning cycles, and portfolio health metrics.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, executive-ready storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Drive annual, quarterly, and ongoing strategic planning exercises with cross-functional leadership.
• Coordinate headcount tracking, budget forecasting, and vendor/procurement coordination.
• Build trust and manage dependencies across Finance, Operations, Legal, and Product teams.
• Establish operational rhythms and monitor initiatives to improve productivity and efficiency.
• Define and maintain metrics, dashboards, and reporting for portfolio health and milestones.

Skills

Business operations

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Forecasting

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in analytical discipline

Tools

SQL

Python

Excel

Tableau

Job description

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

The SWE Ops Infrastructure & Planning team is seeking an analytical, proactive, and collaborative Business Operations Analyst to bring structure, operational rigor, and standardization to our AIML organization.In this role, you will coordinate strategic planning cycles, steer quarterly fiscal planning activities, manage business rhythms, and partner closely with engineering, research, finance, EPMs, and cross-functional leadership. You will serve as a key operational partner in headcount tracking, budget forecasting, and vendor procurement, delivering the insights, processes, and frameworks that empower leaders to optimize resource allocation, make informed decisions, and execute seamlessly against our highest priorities.

Description

The SWE Ops Infrastructure & Planning team is committed to fostering a culture of technical excellence and operational discipline. As our research and engineering initiatives grow in scale and complexity, we are looking for an exceptional operations analyst who thrives in bringing structure to ambiguity, connecting the big picture to operational execution, and elevating how the entire organization operates.The ideal candidate pairs strong project management acumen and deep analytical capability with exceptional interpersonal skills. You will drive alignment across machine learning scientists, engineering leads, finance, and cross-functional partners—championing clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement while ensuring disciplined stewardship of our financial and headcount resources through proactive forecasting and vendor management. You embody a passion to fight for excellence (striving for exceptional outcomes without settling) and the foresight to see around corners (anticipating long-term organizational, technological, and strategic trajectories).

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Cadence: Drive annual, quarterly, and ongoing strategic planning exercises. Own end-to-end coordination, session planning, milestone tracking, and follow-through accountability across leadership and functional tracks.
• Resource & Financial Planning: Partner with Finance and Operations on headcount tracking, budget forecasting, and vendor/procurement coordination to ensure responsible resource allocation.
• Cross-Functional Influence & Alignment: Build trust and manage dependencies across diverse partner organizations (including Finance, Operations, Legal, and Product teams). Proactively identify risks, unblock bottlenecks, and ensure joint accountability across shared deliverables.
• Operational Execution & Rhythm of Business: Establish and manage the operational rhythms of the org. Monitor key initiatives, track dependencies, and drive execution across data science, ML research, engineering, and infrastructure teams to enhance overall productivity and efficiency.
• Organizational Standardization & Transformation: Identify opportunities to streamline how AIML plans, prioritizes, and delivers complex work. Design and roll out standardized operational frameworks, lightweight tooling, and best practices that scale with organizational growth.
• Executive Decision Support & Communication: Synthesize complex technical and operational tradeoffs into crisp executive briefs, strategic narratives, and actionable decision frameworks for senior leadership.
• Organizational Metrics & Business Insights: Define and maintain metrics, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms that provide clear visibility into team velocity, portfolio health, capacity utilization, and strategic milestone achievement.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of business operations, strategy & operations, program management, or business/financial analysis experience within a high-tech or software engineering environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in an analytical or quantitative discipline (such as Business, Finance, Operations, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics), or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated track record of leading complex, cross-functional programs and establishing structured operating rhythms in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing operational forecasting, annual planning cycles, or portfolio health metrics.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to distill complex technical/operational information into clear, executive-ready presentations and memos.
• Proven ability to operate with ambiguity, navigate organizational dynamics, and understand complex AI model building strategies by asking the appropriate probing questions
• Demonstrated soft-skills, ability to build strong, collaborative relationships across technical and non-technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience partnering with or supporting Machine Learning (ML), AI, or R&D research teams.
• Familiarity with data analysis, querying, and visualization tools (e.g., SQL, Python, Excel modeling, Tableau) to evaluate organizational metrics and build automated reporting.
• Experience supporting senior executive leadership teams (Chief of Staff or Strategy & Operations office).

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 $120,900 and $249,000, 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.

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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.