Senior Backend Systems Engineer, Sensing & Connectivity

Apple Inc.; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 263,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement benefits

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Apple Inc. in San Diego is seeking a backend systems engineer to build location intelligence platforms that scale to hundreds of millions of devices. You will craft systems that connect digital and physical experiences with high efficiency and reliability.

You will design, implement, and operate production-grade software for crowdsourced sensor data, apply ML techniques, and ship robust systems that support navigation and emergency response at global scale.

Qualifications

• Proficient in Java or Scala or equivalent backend languages.
• Strong foundation in object-oriented design, distributed systems, and real-time software architecture.
• Master's or PhD in Computer Science or related field, or a Bachelor's degree with proven experience architecting real production systems at scale.

Responsibilities

• Proficient in Java or equivalent backend languages.
• Strong foundation in object-oriented design, distributed systems, and real-time software architecture.
• Master's or PhD in Computer Science or related field, or a Bachelor's degree with proven experience architecting real production systems at scale.

Skills

Java

Scala

Distributed systems

Real-time software

Education

Master's or PhD in Computer Science

Bachelor's degree with proven production experience

Job description

San Diego, California, United States Software and Services

Build the backend systems that power location intelligence for billions of people. Craft the next generation of location-aware experiences by architecting systems that seamlessly connect people's digital and physical lives — at a scale few engineers ever get to work with. Are you passionate about solving hard problems in clever ways? Do you love digging into data and proposing bold ideas, not just implementing them? Do you want your work to have real impact — from someone's daily commute to a life-critical emergency? If so, we might just be the team for you.

Description

Here at Apple, we build devices and services that enrich our customers' lives. In the location technologies group, we power navigation, emergency response, fitness, and a rapidly expanding set of indoor and outdoor services across new and existing hardware — spanning the full stack from raw sensors to the application layer. We reach more than a billion people every day, and what we do makes a difference. Join our team, and we'll help you do the best work of your life.If you join our team, you'll architect and build backend systems that process crowdsourced sensor data from hundreds of millions of devices, fueling algorithms that solve problems from everyday navigation to life-critical emergencies. You'll propose ideas, crunch data, leverage modern AI tools, and ship systems that run under demanding real-world efficiency requirements at global scale.

Responsibilities

• If you join our team, you'll bring machine learning expertise and strong software engineering craft to bear on some of the hardest sensor data problems in the world. You'll design, build, and maintain high-quality, production-grade software systems — writing well-architected, testable, and performant code that others on your team rely on every day. You'll design and build signal processing pipelines and data infrastructure that ingest and interpret crowdsourced sensor data from hundreds of millions of devices — and apply ML to extract intelligence from those streams at scale. You'll own the full ML lifecycle: from problem formulation and feature engineering on raw sensor data, through model development and experimentation, to building the infrastructure that takes models reliably into production. You'll solve problems ranging from everyday navigation to life-critical emergencies, propose bold ideas, crunch data, leverage modern AI tools, and ship systems that run under demanding real-world efficiency requirements at global scale.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proficient in Java or equivalent backend languages such as Scala
• Strong foundation in object-oriented design, distributed systems, and real-time software architecture
• Master's or PhD in Computer Science or related field, or a Bachelor's degree with proven experience architecting real production systems at scale

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience architecting and operating high-scale production backend systems
• Experience with crowdsourced, sensor, or telemetry data systems
• Comfortable implementing complex mathematical or statistical algorithms
• Familiarity with AI/ML tools applied to accelerate development and analysis
• Familiar with Linux-based development environments
• Strong communication skills — you can explain complex systems clearly to any audience
• Curious and energized by problems that do not have obvious solutions yet

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.