Software Development Engineer (Distributed Systems) - Cloud

Apple Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 194,920 - 233,080; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Employee stock programs

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Apple is seeking an experienced software engineer to build and enhance internal cloud infrastructure for the Service Engineering Compute team in Cupertino. You will design, develop, and maintain features for a high‑performance compute control plane that scales across multiple sites and supports diverse workloads.

Join a team that collaborates with hardware and software groups, participates in production rollouts, and upholds a high quality standard across Apple products.

Qualifications

• Design, debug, and test complex software systems.
• Experience with distributed systems, critical internet services, and platform infrastructure.
• Understanding of distributed systems and database concepts.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Understanding of monitoring, alerting, and incident management.
• Knowledge of performance analysis methodologies.
• User-focused with attention to detail and quality.
• BS/MS/PhD with related years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain features of a compute control plane service.
• Contribute to scheduling, resource management, APIs, and high availability for a large-scale cloud platform.
• Write and review code; produce design documentation.
• Participate in production rollouts and platform incident response rotation.
• Collaborate with multiple engineering teams across Apple to meet compute needs.
• Engage with partners and customers to clarify compute requirements.
• Maintain high quality standards for Apple products.

Skills

Software design

Distributed systems

Communication

Performance analysis

Monitoring/Incident management

User-focused

Education

BS in Computer Science

MS in Computer Science

PhD

Tools

Kubernetes

PostgreSQL

Zookeeper

Etcd

Job description

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

People at Apple don’t just build products — they craft the kind of experience that has revolutionized entire industries. The diverse collection of our people and their ideas inspire innovation in everything we do. Imagine what you could do here! Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. The Apple Services Engineering (ASE) team builds and provides systems and infrastructure that power Apple’s services (such as iCloud, iTunes, Siri, and Maps). We are the foundation on which Apple’s software developers build the products that our customers love. Our services have to scale globally, stay highly available, and “just work.” If you love designing, engineering and running systems and infrastructure that will help millions of customers, then this is the place for you! Apple Service Engineering (ASE)’s Compute team is seeking an experienced software engineer to build and enhance internal cloud infrastructure offerings. You will be responsible for delivering critical features in the control plane of a cutting edge high performance compute platform, which improve the control plane’s scalability, the platform’s utilization and the types of workloads it can support, to meet the needs of our internal and external users.

Description

In this role, you will develop, debug, and maintain key features of a compute control plane service.

• Actively participate in the design and development of control plane components (scheduling, resource management, APIs, high‑availability) for a large‑scale multi‑site cloud compute platform.
• Write and review code, generate and review design documentation.
• Participate in software qualifications and rollouts to production clusters.
• Participate in a rotation where engineers respond to platform issues for same‑day resolution.
• Work with a wide range of software and hardware engineering teams across Apple to support their workflows or integrate their technology into our platform.
• Engage closely with partners and customers to drive clarity in Apple’s compute needs.
• Hold yourself and others to a high quality standard expected of Apple products.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to design, debug, and test complex software systems.
• Experience with software development in distributed systems, critical internet services and/ or platform infrastructure.
• Understanding of distributed systems and database concepts.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Understanding of core operational concepts - monitoring, alerting, incident management.
• Understanding of performance analysis methodologies.
• User‑focused: passion for quality, attention to details, and delivering outstanding user experiences.
• BS in Computer Science / related fields and 6+ years of experience or MS with 4+ years of experience or PhD with 2+ years of experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of operating systems concepts (process scheduling, disk and network I/O, performance).
• Knowledge of datacenter architecture (networking topologies, host placement strategies, and failure modes); design of multi‑datacenter systems; failure domains; and wide‑area networking.
• Comfort working with geographically distributed partners.
• Experience with Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, Zookeeper, etcd.

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 $150,400 and $277,600, 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.

Equal Opportunity and Inclusion

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.

Accessibility

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.

Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace.

Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants.

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.