Software Development Manager, Device Services

Apple Inc.; San Diego, California (CA, MO); On-site; USD 206,000 - 356,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking a Software Development Manager to lead a nine-person team across software, systems, and production services.

You will drive predictable delivery, oversee the health of our device-testing infrastructure, and coordinate cross-team programs across multiple sites. The role emphasizes people leadership, execution discipline, and strategic infrastructure initiatives to scale Apple’s device services and testing capabilities.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of experience managing software or systems engineering teams.
• Strong foundation in distributed systems and infrastructure at scale.
• Ability to engage in system design and architectural trade-offs.
• Proven track record delivering predictable execution under heavy load.
• Experience applying AI/LLM tools to engineering workflows.
• Experience leading concurrent programs with cross-team dependencies.
• Excellent communication and collaborative leadership.
• BS/MS in Computer Science or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Leads and develops a nine-person team across software, systems, and production services.
• Establishes predictable delivery through planning, prioritization, and on-call discipline.
• Owns the operational health of the shared device-testing infrastructure.
• Drives cross-team infrastructure programs to completion with clear scope and dependencies.
• Builds a collaborative culture reducing silos and single points of failure.
• Guides technical and architectural trade-offs and mentors senior engineers.
• Represents the team to partners and leadership and advocates for their needs.

Skills

Distributed systems

Incident management

CI/CD

Observability

Automation

AI and LLM tools

Leadership

Cross-team collaboration

Architecture decisions

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science

Tools

Python

Go

Ruby on Rails

Linux

macOS

Virtualization

Observability tools

NoSQL databases

Relational databases

Job description

Software Development Manager, Device Services

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

Every Apple operating system, app, and service is proven on real hardware before it reaches a customer, and Device Services makes that possible at scale. We own and operate critical portions of Apple’s shared device-testing infrastructure: the physical labs, a fleet of tens of thousands of devices, and the software that supports them. Improvements to this infrastructure allow every software team at Apple to move faster and to ship with greater confidence.We are looking for a seasoned engineering manager to lead an established nine-person team - spanning software development, systems engineering, and production services - across our San Diego, Santa Clara Valley, and Munich sites. This is a leadership role focused on people, execution, and cross-team delivery. You will bring predictability to a team that carries significant operational load, help a group of strong individual engineers work as a collaborative team, and steer strategic infrastructure programs to completion.

Description

As the team's manager, you are accountable for its people, its delivery, and the health of the systems it runs. Your focus is to make execution predictable, strengthen collaboration, and drive a portfolio of concurrent, time-sensitive programs, new initiatives, improvements, and simplifications to completion.

Responsibilities

• Leads and develops a nine-person team of software, systems, and production-services engineers, supporting their performance and career growth.
• Establishes predictable delivery through planning, prioritization, and on-call and incident discipline.
• Owns the operational health of the shared device-testing infrastructure that Apple engineers depend on.
• Drives cross-team infrastructure programs to completion, managing scope, dependencies, and coordination with partner teams.
• Builds a collaborative team culture that reduces siloed work and single points of failure.
• Guides technical and architectural trade-offs and coaches senior engineers.
• Represents the team to partners and leadership and advocates for their needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience managing software or systems engineering teams, with a track record of developing engineers and growing their scope and careers.
• Strong technical foundation in distributed systems and infrastructure at scale - reliability and fault tolerance, automation, and the operational practices (CI/CD, monitoring and observability, incident response) that keep large fleets and services healthy.
• Able to engage at a low level on system design, architecture, and operational trade-offs - contributing to and challenging technical decisions (APIs, reliability, testing strategy, security) while keeping a strategic view.
• Proven ability to bring predictable execution to a team with heavy operational/on-call load - instituting planning, prioritization, incident and runbook discipline, and turning reactive work into committed, scheduled work.
• Experience applying AI and LLM-based tools to improve engineering and operational workflows, and helping a team adopt them.
• Experience leading a portfolio of concurrent programs with real cross-team dependencies - holding scope, sequencing dependencies, and surfacing hard architectural, technical, and risk questions early.
• Excellent communication and a collaborative leadership style that builds shared ownership and knowledge-sharing across a team.
• BS/MS in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading a team through significant change, such as retiring operational toil through consolidation or automation and growing operations-focused engineers into higher-leverage systems and software-development work.
• Comfort guiding full-stack teams that own their systems end to end, including the data and database layers.
• Success leading distributed teams.
• History of building strong relationships with partners, understanding and advocating for their needs.
• Familiarity with the team's technology areas, e.g. Linux and macOS, virtualization, configuration management, observability, relational and NoSQL databases, and services written in Python, Go, or Ruby/Rails.

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 $206,200 and $356,400, 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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