Director, Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance

Apple Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 416,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Stock programs

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA, seeks a Director of Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance to lead a global quality organization across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies.

Define and execute enterprise-wide testing strategies, modernize QA infrastructure, and partner with engineering and product leaders to embed quality. The role emphasizes scalable automation, metrics-driven quality gates, and strategic leadership to raise engineering excellence across multiple domains including

Qualifications

• 15+ years in software portfolio management, quality engineering, test strategy, or related disciplines.
• 7+ years leading large, globally distributed quality or engineering organisations.

Responsibilities

• Lead a large, globally distributed quality organization including SDETs, QA managers, and performance specialists.
• Establish a unified testing strategy spanning automation, performance, security, and manual validation across cloud, mobile, legacy, and AI/ML tech.
• Drive QA infrastructure modernization with scalable automation and shift-left practices.
• Define testing standards, processes, and metrics across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies.
• Oversee testing across a broad portfolio of applications and internal systems.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines with senior engineering and DevOps teams.
• Adapt quality processes across multi-stack environments for web, cloud-native SaaS, legacy cores, and AI/ML pipelines.
• Establish best practices for QA, QE, IT, and UAT test execution and proper release sign-offs.
• Develop and track KPIs like defect escape rate, test coverage, and MTTR.

Skills

Automation expertise

Cross-functional leadership

Quality engineering

Testing strategy

Executive communication

SDETs leadership

AI/ML pipelines

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Software Engineering

Tools

Cypress

Playwright

Selenium

Postman

RestAssured

Job description

Director, Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance

Sunnyvale, California, United States Operations and Supply Chain

At Apple, the systems and technology that power our internal operations, supply chain, and customer support are just as important as the products we build. The IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies organizations are essential to how Apple delivers at scale, enabling everything from global logistics and enterprise infrastructure to the world-class support experiences our customers depend on every day. Spanning three of Apple's most mission-critical domains and a diverse technology landscape that includes cloud, mobile, legacy, and emerging AI/ML systems, this organization is responsible for ensuring that every application, system, and process that powers Apple's internal and customer-facing operations meets the highest standards of quality, reliability, and performance.As the Director of Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance, you will lead a unified, global quality organization responsible for defining and executing Apple's enterprise-wide software validation vision, bringing together a world-class team under a single, cohesive testing approach that raises the bar on engineering excellence across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies.

Description

This leader owns the end-to-end testing strategy across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies, ensuring that every application, system, and process meets Apple's exceptionally high bar for quality before it reaches the people who depend on it. Leading a global organization, this leader defines and executes a unified, enterprise-wide testing strategy, modernizes QA infrastructure by replacing manual overhead with scalable automation frameworks, and partners closely with engineering, product, and operations leaders to embed quality throughout the software development and systems lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a large, globally distributed quality organization, including SDETs, QA managers, and performance specialists, spanning multiple disciplines, geographies, and functions
• Establish and execute a unified testing strategy spanning automation, performance, security, and manual validation, tailored across cloud, mobile, legacy, and AI/ML technology paradigms
• Drive the modernization of QA infrastructure, replacing manual testing pipelines with scalable, shift-left automation frameworks such as Selenium, Playwright, and Appium, minimizing regression cycles and establishing metrics-driven quality gates across the entire software development lifecycle
• Define testing standards, tools, processes, and metrics that drive consistency, efficiency, and quality at scale across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies
• Oversee testing across a broad portfolio of applications, internal systems, enterprise platforms, and customer-facing support technologies
• Partner with senior engineering, product, and DevOps leaders across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare to tightly integrate continuous automated testing within CI/CD pipelines and align testing priorities with business objectives and release timelines
• Adapt quality processes across multi-stack environments, balancing high-velocity deployments for web and cloud-native SaaS applications with structured, risk-mitigated cycles for legacy core systems and AI/ML pipelines
• Establish and execute best practices for QA, QE, IT, and UAT test execution, ensuring proper testing at each gate and the appropriate sign-off across all release stages
• Develop and track high-impact quality KPIs, including defect escape rate, test coverage, code churn, and MTTR, to systematically isolate bottlenecks and provide executive stakeholders with transparent quality readouts
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, that reduce defect rates, accelerate release cycles, and improve system reliability
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative team culture** that attracts, develops, and retains top talent globally
• Serve as a thought leader and advocate for quality engineering across Apple's enterprise and operational technology ecosystem

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in software portfolio management, quality engineering, test strategy, and/or related technical disciplines, with 7+ years leading large, globally distributed quality or engineering organizations.
• Proven track record of building, scaling, or transforming BPR, engineering or testing functions across multiple geographies and distinct technology domains
• Expertise in testing methodologies** across enterprise applications, cloud-native systems, mobile platforms, legacy architectures, and AI/ML pipelines in large-scale technology environments.
• Strong automation acumen, with a demonstrated ability to replace manual testing pipelines with scalable automation frameworks such as Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium, and robust API testing methodologies including Postman and RestAssured
• Demonstrated ability to lead through organizational transformation, including team integrations, functional consolidations, or the establishment of shared services functions
• Exceptional cross-functional influence, with a proven ability to drive alignment across engineering, product, DevOps, and operations stakeholders and engage confidently at the senior executive level
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading testing functions across multiple distinct domains simultaneously, such as enterprise IT, supply chain and operations, and customer support technologies
• Experience managing quality across multi-stack environments, including cloud-native SaaS, mobile, legacy core systems, and emerging AI/ML pipelines
• Familiarity with enterprise platforms and systems commonly used in IS&T, operational, or customer support environments
• Demonstrated success consolidating or standing up large-scale quality organizations or shared services functions
• Ability to operate with both strategic vision and operational rigor, equally comfortable setting long-term direction and driving day-to-day execution
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technical quality concepts for non-technical executive audiences
• Proven ability to hire and develop senior technical leaders, including SDETs and performance engineering specialists, across global, multicultural teams

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 $259,900 and $416,200, 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.

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