Senior Software Engineer, watchOS System Spaces

Apple Inc.; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Boulder, Colorado, is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for watchOS System Spaces. You will work on the always-running watchOS system behind notifications and alerts, shaping the experience millions of users rely on every day.

In this systems role, you will design, implement, and improve core watchOS capabilities within tight power and memory budgets, collaborating across Apple teams to deliver robust, scalable solutions.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of software development experience.
• Solid computer science fundamentals; a degree is not required.
• Experience building or maintaining systems software: daemons, services, IPC, 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

• Design, implement, and ship new capabilities in the watchOS system experience.
• Own the reliability of software that spans process and device boundaries.
• Improve the architecture of long-lived systems used by multiple teams.
• Profile and optimize for latency, memory, and power constraints on Apple Watch.
• Collaborate with engineers, designers, and product partners to keep watchOS coherent with platforms.

Skills

Swift

Objective-C

Systems programming

Concurrency

Job description

Senior Software Engineer, watchOS System Spaces

Boulder, Colorado, United States Software and Services

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.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and ship new capabilities in the watchOS system experience, and shape the interfaces other teams build on.
• Own the reliability of software that spans process and device boundaries, and root-cause failures from logs and traces on shipping hardware.
• Improve the architecture of long-lived systems that many teams depend on: state management, concurrency, and inter-process interfaces.
• Profile and optimize for the constraints unique to Apple Watch: latency, memory footprint, and power cost.
• Work with engineers, designers, and product partners across Apple to keep watchOS coherent with the rest of our platforms.
• Advocate for the unique needs and opportunities of the Apple Watch platform in cross-functional forums.

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.

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 $134,700 and $249,500, 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.

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