Senior Software Engineer - Photos Intelligence

Socket.dev; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple is seeking an outstanding software engineer to architect and develop innovative algorithms and infrastructure for the next generation of thoughtful and personal Photos experiences and Apple Intelligence features across iPhone, iPad, macOS, and Vision Pro.

You will ideate, prototype, build, and ship product features, collaborating across teams and disciplines with a strong emphasis on high-quality code and user-centric design. Excellent communication and ownership are required for success.

Qualifications

• Experience building applied machine learning or LLM-powered features in real-world software products.
• Expert knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented programming.
• Ability to optimize code to run in constrained environments.

Responsibilities

• Ideate, prototype, build, and ship new Photos experiences and Apple Intelligence features across Apple platforms (iPhone, iPad, macOS, Vision Pro).
• Collaborate across teams, demonstrate initiative, and own problems from definition to dissemination of findings.
• Deliver high-quality algorithms with a strong user-focused perspective.

Skills

Applied ML

LLM features

Data structures

Algorithms

OO programming

Resource optimization

Education

BS in CS

MS in CS

PhD in CS

Tools

Swift

Objective-C

C++

Apple APIs

Job description

iPhone is the most popular camera in the world. Seamless integration of software and hardware has delivered magnificent experiences like Photos Lock Screen, Photos Memories, Cinematic Video, and Portrait Mode. The Photos team creates privacy-respecting machine learning technologies to ship Apple Intelligence features and emotional experiences to hundreds of millions of users worldwide. We are looking for an outstanding software engineer to architect and develop innovative algorithms and infrastructure for the next generation of thoughtful and personal products we deliver. If you thrive on problems at the intersection of algorithms, applied machine learning, and user experience, this position will excite and inspire you.

iPhone is the most popular camera in the world. Seamless integration of software and hardware has delivered magnificent experiences like Photos Lock Screen, Photos Memories, Cinematic Video, and Portrait Mode. The Photos team creates privacy-respecting machine learning technologies to ship Apple Intelligence features and emotional experiences to hundreds of millions of users worldwide. We are looking for an outstanding software engineer to architect and develop innovative algorithms and infrastructure for the next generation of thoughtful and personal products we deliver. If you thrive on problems at the intersection of algorithms, applied machine learning, and user experience, this position will excite and inspire you.

Description

In this role you will ideate, prototype, build, and ship new Photos experiences and Apple Intelligence features on Apple platforms such the iPhone, iPad, macOS, and the visionPro. Candidates should have a proven track record that demonstrates building product features, strong collaboration, excellent interpersonal skills and a passion for designing high quality algorithms with the user experience in focus. The candidate needs to show initiative, take ownership of a problem and work cross-functionally to collect information, solve problems and disseminate findings.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience building applied machine learning or LLM-powered features, including agentic or assistant-driven experiences, in a real-world software product.
• Expert knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented programming
• Ability to develop and optimize code to run on a constrained environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency with agentic coding tools and AI-assisted development workflows, including when you choose not to trust them.
• Experience with Apple system level APIs and frameworks
• Experience developing mobile software products
• Demonstrated expertise with Objective-C / C++ / Swift
• B.S. / M.Sc. / Ph.D. in Computer Science or equivalent experience