Senior Software Engineer, AI Tools – Special Projects

Apple; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple is seeking a Senior Tools Engineer to develop scalable applications and tools for next-gen AI experiences. You will work across disciplines to create data visualization and content creation tools that empower teams.

The role requires expertise in Swift, Python, and familiarity with 3D content creation. You will participate in architecture reviews and collaborate with design and robotics teams to shape Apple’s AI tooling ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Proven experience developing high-quality tools with intuitive workflows.
• 5+ years of industry experience in a technical role.
• Strong understanding of system architecture and multi-device workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design and build interactive tools for data visualization and analysis.
• Develop content creation workflow tools for animators and designers.
• Create data collection systems that support user studies.

Skills

Proficiency in Swift

SwiftUI

Objective-C

C++

Python

Experience with 3D content creation tools

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science

Tools

Maya

Unity

Unreal

Metal

Job description

Summary

Apple’s next generation of intelligent experiences requires new ways for engineers, designers, animators, roboticists, and researchers to explore, visualize, and shape how AI systems behave. We’re looking for a senior tools engineer who can build the applications, pipelines, and creative workflows that make this possible — from interactive data visualization tools to content creation utilities, user-study data collection systems, and annotation platforms. You will develop the software that empowers Apple teams to understand complex, multi-modal data, prototype intelligent behaviors, and craft delightful user experiences. Your work will directly influence how Apple builds, evaluates, and iterates on AI-driven features across devices and platforms.

Description

Our team works at the intersection of hardware, software, and intelligence. We design the systems, infrastructure, and tools that enable Apple’s next generation of AI-driven experiences — from on-device middleware and distributed inference platforms to large-scale data pipelines, interactive analytics, and advanced developer tooling. We collaborate closely with hardware, robotics, ML, design, and platform teams to build end-to-end solutions that are performant, intuitive, and deeply integrated into Apple’s ecosystem. The work is hands‑on, highly cross‑disciplinary, and central to shaping how Apple’s intelligent systems evolve.

Responsibilities

• Design and build interactive tools for data visualization, analysis, introspection, and scenario replay across multi‑modal datasets
• Develop content creation and workflow tools for animators, designers, and roboticists, including standalone macOS/iOS/visionOS applications or integrations/plugins for 3D authoring environments
• Create data collection systems that support user studies, multi‑device interactions, and experiment workflows
• Develop annotation and labeling tools that support large‑scale dataset creation and evaluation
• Architect scalable applications that interact with real‑time data pipelines and cloud‑backed services
• Define and refine creative and technical workflows, enabling teams across product development to ideate, experiment, and iterate more effectively
• Work closely with AI, robotics, design, and platform teams to gather requirements, propose architectural approaches, and deliver scalable solutions
• Participate in architecture reviews, establish best practices, and help ensure quality, maintainability, and performance
• Prototype novel ideas, explore emerging technologies, and guide the evolution of Apple’s AI tooling ecosystem

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience developing high‑quality tools with intuitive workflows for technical or creative professionals
• Proficiency in Swift, SwiftUI, Objective‑C, or C++, with strong experience developing for macOS and iOS (visionOS experience strongly preferred)
• Experience developing software in Python, including scripting, pipelines, or backend integrations
• Experience working with 3D content creation tools or environments (e.g. Maya, Unity, or Unreal)
• Understanding of system architecture, including multi‑device workflows, real‑time data handling, and cloud‑connected applications
• Strong grasp of Apple development tools and frameworks
• Ability to design modular, maintainable architectures and decompose complex requirements into practical, high‑impact features
• Demonstrated success collaborating with cross‑functional teams
• Excellent problem‑solving, debugging, and communication skills
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field, and 5+ years of industry experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with 3D animation workflows, including rigged characters, blendshape systems, or runtime animation frameworks (e.g. RealityKit or game‑engine animation systems)
• Experience with 3D content creation pipelines and familiarity with common formats such as USD
• Knowledge of modern rendering techniques, including Metal
• Experience developing connected applications backed by large‑scale data storage and cloud services
• Experience with data visualization, data mining, or analytics tooling
• Familiarity with creative pipelines in animation, simulation, robotics, or game development
• Experience building annotation tools, labeling systems, or user‑study data pipelines
• Experience with game engines or spatial computing environments (e.g. Unity, Unreal, or RealityKit)
• Understanding of interaction paradigms for spatial interfaces or AR/VR workflows