Machine Learning Research Engineer, App Store Search

Apple Inc.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 142,300 - 263,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Employee stock programs

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Seattle is seeking a Machine Learning Research Engineer for App Store Search.

You will contribute to the design and development of next-generation search and conversational discovery features across Apple's platforms, collaborating with engineers and researchers to push the boundaries of ML in production. The role requires advanced degrees and hands-on experience with generative AI, transformers, and ML frameworks.

Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related subject area.
• 2+ years of relevant industry experience in ML or data systems.
• Knowledge of generative AI systems including Large Language Models, Transformers, and techniques such as RAG and fine-tuning.
• Experience with one or more ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Familiarity with search, recommendation systems, conversational engines, or related domains.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to building experiences that shape how people search & discover on Apple devices worldwide.
• Stay current with research in search, information retrieval, and generative AI, and apply new techniques to improve our systems.
• Build and improve ML models and systems across surface areas such as retrieval, ranking, query understanding, and document understanding.
• Collaborate with engineers, researchers, and product teams to understand requirements and deliver high-quality solutions.
• Develop and iterate on ML models — from data preparation and training through evaluation and production deployment.
• Build components in large-scale distributed backend systems using high-performance programming languages such as Go, Java, Python, and Scala.
• Design and run A/B experiments to objectively measure the impact of changes.
• Write automated tests and contribute to monitoring and alerting for production systems.
• Present technical work to the team and participate in design and code reviews.

Skills

Generative AI

LLMs / Transformers

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Search / IR

Communication

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science

Tools

Scala

Python

Apache Spark

Kubernetes

Go

gRPC

Job description

Machine Learning Research Engineer, App Store Search

Seattle, Washington, United States Software and Services

The Apple Services Engineering (ASE) team is one of the most exciting examples of Apple's long-held passion for combining art and technology. People here create the experiences loved by users across App Store, Apple TV, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books. The scale is massive — delivering content and entertainment in over 35 languages to more than 150 countries, while meeting Apple's high bar on quality and performance. The team is responsible for building secure, robust, end-to-end solutions across server and client to solve challenging problems. Thanks to Apple's unique integration of hardware, software, and services, engineers here work with a single unified vision of deep commitment to strengthening Apple's core principles such as customer focus, privacy, and relentless innovation. Although services are a bigger part of Apple's business than ever before, these teams remain small, nimble, and cross-functional, offering an opportunity to work with passionate people, contribute ideas, and ship innovative software. Here, you'll do more than just join a team — you'll be creating positive impact in people's lives.

Description

The ASE Search team is a vital part of the Apple ecosystem, powering search for App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Podcasts, Books, iTunes and more, on a wide set of platforms such as iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, Safari, 3rd party devices, and Windows. Driven by passion for the extraordinary rather than the easy, our team of problem solvers is dedicated to helping users discover media and content in exciting new ways. We are looking for motivated machine learning engineers and researchers to join us in our journey. As an ML Research Engineer on the ASE Search team, you will contribute to the design and development of next-generation search and conversational discovery features for Apple's groundbreaking devices and platforms.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to building experiences that shape how people search & discover on Apple devices worldwide.
• Stay current with research in search, information retrieval, and generative AI, and apply new techniques to improve our systems.
• Build and improve ML models and systems across surface areas such as retrieval, ranking, query understanding, and document understanding.
• Collaborate with engineers, researchers, and product teams to understand requirements and deliver high-quality solutions.
• Develop and iterate on ML models — from data preparation and training through evaluation and production deployment.
• Build components in large-scale distributed backend systems using high-performance programming languages such as Go, Java, Python, and Scala.
• Design and run A/B experiments to objectively measure the impact of changes.
• Write automated tests and contribute to monitoring and alerting for production systems.
• Present technical work to the team and participate in design and code reviews.

Minimum Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related subject area
• 2+ years of relevant industry experience in ML or data systems
• Knowledge of generative AI systems including Large Language Models, Transformers, and techniques such as RAG and fine-tuning
• Experience with one or more ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
• Familiarity with search, recommendation systems, conversational engines, or related domains
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related subject area
• 4+ years of relevant industry experience in ML or data systems
• Experience in building search or conversational capabilities like query understanding, retrieval, ranking, or indexing
• Familiarity with big data pipelines using Scala, Python, or Apache Spark
• Exposure to distributed backend services, Kubernetes, or cloud infrastructure
• Experience with GoLang or gRPC services
• Familiarity with A/B experimentation and data-driven product development

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 $142,300 and $263,300, 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.