Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Apple Search & Knowledge Platforms

Apple Inc.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 212,000 - 386,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Educational reimbursement

Job summary

A leading technology company in Santa Clara is seeking a Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer to lead a team responsible for developing generative AI models and improving summarization technology across Apple’s ecosystem. This role requires extensive experience in machine learning and natural language processing, along with a strong track record in engineering leadership. Competitive compensation includes a salary range of $212,000 to $386,300, alongside various benefits such as medical coverage and stock programs. Applicants of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in engineering/applied research/ML in natural language processing.
• Proven record of consistent delivery of technology/products across the Machine Learning life cycle.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive R&D and engineering for high-quality summaries and experiences.
• Develop LLM-based generative models and safety models.
• Collaborate with various partners to impact billions of users.

Skills

Machine Learning

Natural Language Processing

Engineering Leadership

Generative AI Models

Communication Skills

Education

MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Apple Search & Knowledge Platforms

Santa Clara, California, United States Machine Learning and AI

Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, contributing to the values that lead to great work. Every The AI, Search & Knowledge Platforms team builds amazing products and services for Apple's customers while serving as a foundational partner to teams across Apple. The team delivers world-class AI, search, and knowledge systems powering Siri, Apple Intelligence, Safari, and iMessage, and operates the foundational platforms and infrastructure that keep these intelligent experiences running at hyperscale.You will lead the strong team of MLE, SWE, and data engineers responsible for delivering efficient and effective Generative AI models to build and improve the summarization capabilities across different data types.

Description

In this role, you'll drive E2E R&D and engineering to generate high-quality summaries and experiences for Apple users. This includes on-device LLM models for personal content summarization across 1P and 3P apps, and powerful summarization models on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. In addition, improve the summarization models’ quality for world knowledge-seeking questions and Safari pages to provide accurate answers and highlight web page gists in real-time. Lead the team to develop SOTA LLM-based generative models, groundedness models, and safety models for accurate, grounded, concise, and safe summaries. Develop sophisticated on-device and on-server software frameworks for context integration fast and cost-efficient LLM-based model inference. Integrate the Apple ecosystem with Apple’s LLM infrastructure and generative models to deliver delightful user experiences. Devise the product vision and strategy and execute the plan to deliver the highest quality end-user experience. Collaborate with various organizational partners to profoundly impact billions of Apple users worldwide.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in leading engineering/applied research/ML experiences in natural language processing, SOTA generative AI models
• Proven record of consistent delivery of technology/products across the full Machine Learning life cycle
• MS or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, information retrieval, data mining, or a related field

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong background and experience in Machine Learning, NLP, and RAG.
• Strong engineering and R&D experience in LLM post-training, advanced RL-based methods to improve LLM models’ safety and quality using RLHF/RLAIF, reward model, advanced RL policy optimization algorithms, cutting-edge hallucination reduction methods, and their engineering implementation, hands‑on experience to develop and ship RL based models with high availability, low latency, robustness, and stability.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to lead
• Excellent product vision and sound business acumen. Ability to manage long‑term strategy and short‑term deliverables.
• Strong engineering leadership and fundamentals.

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 $212,000 and $386,300, 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 .

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.