Senior Software Engineer, watchOS System Spaces

Socket.dev; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple is seeking a senior software engineer to help shape the future of the watchOS systems spaces. The role focuses on the always-running systems behind the watch experience, including notifications, alerts, and app launch, within strict power and memory budgets.

Ideal candidates have 6+ years in software development, strong background in systems software, and proficiency in Swift and Objective-C. Collaboration and clear communication are essential in this multidisciplinary team at Apple.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of software development experience.
• Experience building or maintaining systems software: daemons and services, inter-process communication, concurrency, or embedded environments.
• Experience diagnosing failures that cross process or device boundaries.
• Proficiency with Swift and Objective-C.
• Ability to work collaboratively and explain complex ideas clearly.

Responsibilities

• Work on the systems behind the watchOS experience, including notifications and app launch.
• Collaborate with Apple Watch team to design reliable, power-efficient system software that runs within tight constraints.

Skills

Swift

Objective-C

Systems software

Concurrency

Collaboration

Job description

The watchOS System Spaces group is seeking a new colleague to help us shape the future of Apple Watch. As a senior software engineer on the team, you will work on the systems behind the always-running watchOS experience, including notifications and alerts. You\'ll collaborate with talented and creative colleagues to meet ambitious goals in an environment that values curiosity, craft, and growth. Your work will be experienced by millions of Apple Watch users every day.

DESCRIPTION

This is a systems role at the center of the watchOS experience. The software in this group runs continuously and sits beneath most of what a user does on their watch, from notifications to app launch, and it works within a small power and memory budget. Designing well in that environment means treating reliability, power, and memory as part of a feature rather than as follow-up work, and being willing to follow a problem into code your team does not own. Systems experience transfers well here, whatever platform you have built on. The engineers who do well on this team enjoy working inside constraints rather than around them. Curious and resourceful people who take an expansive view of their role will thrive in this multidisciplinary environment, where you\'ll have the opportunity to collaborate with experts across Apple.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 6+ years of software development experience. Solid computer science fundamentals; a specific degree or concentration is not required.
• Experience building or maintaining systems software: daemons and services, inter-process communication, concurrency, or embedded environments.
• Experience diagnosing failures that cross process or device boundaries.
• Proficiency with Swift and Objective-C.
• Ability to work collaboratively and explain complex ideas clearly.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with low-level software on constrained hardware.
• Experience with multi-device or distributed systems.
• Familiarity with operating system internals, including process lifecycle and networking.
• Experience improving and expanding on existing complex projects.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and iterating toward solutions in a fast-moving environment.
• Thoughtful use of GenAI coding tools to accelerate development without compromising clarity or craft.
• Genuine enthusiasm for wearable technology, and for the work of defining what an Apple Watch can be.