Senior Machine Learning Engineering Manager, Responsible AI and Safety - AIML/SWE

Apple Inc.; Cupertino, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 206,000 - 356,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical and dental

retirement benefits

Discounted products and services

Education reimbursement

Relocation

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking an experienced Machine Learning Engineering Manager to lead a team shaping responsible AI for global generative features.

You will oversee the responsible AI lifecycle, from risk assessment to mitigation, ensuring safety and inclusivity across products, while collaborating with design, legal, and regulatory teams to align safety with product goals. The role requires mentoring engineers, delivering high-quality AI experiences, and guiding data and evaluation strategies to

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in machine learning with generative models (Transformers, LLMs, VLMs) and 2+ years managing engineering teams.
• Proven track record leading technical teams through ambiguity to deliver high-impact results.
• Strong Python and data-science library skills with data analysis and ML workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team shaping Responsible AI for generative features across Apple products.
• Define and enforce robust safety policies and mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners (design, engineering, legal, regulatory) to align safety with product goals.
• Oversee data set design, evaluation, and post-launch failure investigations to improve safety.

Skills

Machine learning

Team leadership

Python

Pandas

Communication

Analytical thinking

Evaluation interpretation

Multimodal data

Safety/robustness

Privacy/Censoring content

Education

BS/MS/PhD in CS/ML or related

Tools

Python

Pandas

Job description

Machine Learning Engineering Manager, Responsible AI and Safety - AIML/SWE

Cupertino, California, United States Machine Learning and AI

Join Us in Shaping the Future of Generative AI at AppleAre you passionate about building and leading teams that make AI systems safer, more inclusive, and globally representative? Apple is seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead a team shaping the future of responsible AI for the next generation of generative features.In this role, you will lead a team of machine learning engineers driving the responsible AI lifecycle end-to-end: assessing risks, defining policies, developing mitigation strategies, and driving continuous improvements. You and your team's work will directly influence how we evaluate, align, and monitor the safety of large language and multimodal models.As part of Apple’s Responsible AI group within the Human-Centered Machine Intelligence (HCMI) organization, you’ll collaborate with cross-functional partners to minimize unintended consequences across people, systems, and society while elevating feature capabilities and the overall user experience. You’ll set technical direction, anticipate safety risks, and develop a team to deliver trusted, high‑quality AI experiences to users around the globe.

Description

We are seeking a visionary Machine Learning Engineering Leader to build, mentor, and develop a high-performing team driving Responsible AI efforts for global generative AI products. In this highly cross-functional role, you will partner with leadership, design, engineering, legal, and regulatory teams to define robust safety policies that align with product goals. You will provide critical technical direction for dataset design and safety alignment strategies, while directly overseeing the implementation of end-to-end mitigation architectures in production. Pre and Post-launch, you will remain hands‑on—analyzing evaluation results, conducting failure investigations, and leveraging human and automated feedback to continuously improve feature safety and build user trust. As a champion for your team, you will foster a inclusive culture of technical excellence, empower senior leadership with safety recommendations, and systematically remove roadblocks to ensure team success.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in machine learning, including work with generative models (Transformers, LLMs, VLMs), NLP, or Computer Vision, with 2+ years directly managing engineering teams.
• Proven track record of leading technical teams through ambiguity to deliver high‑quality, high‑impact results.
• Proficiency in Python and data science libraries (e.g. Pandas) with strong skills in data analysis, visualization, and applied ML workflows.
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to translate complex technical insights for cross‑functional partners, senior leadership, and executives.
• Strong analytical and independent problem-solving skills, with ability to guide teams through ambiguity.
• Familiarity interpreting outputs from human and automated evaluations, particularly with complex, nuanced, or multi‑labeled data, to inform mitigation improvements and shipping decisions.
• Experience collecting and analyzing language, vision, or multimodal datasets.
• Background in failure analysis, quality engineering, or robustness testing for ML‑driven systems.
• Comfortable leading a team that works with sensitive or potentially offensive content.

Preferred Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated success building and leading a team in a highly cross‑functional environment.
• Experience shipping complex AI systems at global scale.
• Background in model explainability or interpretability.
• Curiosity and research interest in fairness, bias, and the societal impacts of generative AI.
• Passion for building innovative, high‑impact products and teams that draw upon interdisciplinary skills.

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 $206,200 and $356,400, 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.

• Comprehensive medical and dental coverage
• retirement benefits
• a range of discounted products and free services
• for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition.
• 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

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.