Software Engineer, Infrastructure Services (Data Plane)

Apple Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 278,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. in San Francisco, CA is seeking a Software Engineer for Infrastructure Services (Data Plane) to design, build, and operate ultra-fast packet processing systems powering Apple’s cloud-scale network infrastructure.

You will work on dataplane architecture, high-performance coding, and API design, collaborating with control plane teams to deliver scalable, reliable services at global scale. Strong systems programming skills required.

Qualifications

• Strong proficiency in systems programming languages (C++, Go, or C) with Python as a valued addition.
• Solid CS fundamentals: advanced data structures, algorithms, memory management and concurrency.
• Deep knowledge of Networking Fundamentals and dataplane internals, TCP/IP, QoS, and packet processing.

Responsibilities

• Dataplane Architecture & Development: design and optimize high-throughput, low-latency packet processing systems.
• System Design & High-Performance Coding: build modular, resilient, and performant systems.
• Control Plane Integration: develop APIs (gRPC, REST) for state distribution and policy enforcement.
• Operational Excellence & Incident Triage: debug production issues with telemetry and logs.
• Automation & Delivery: use CI/CD, Git workflows, and config management for rapid releases.

Skills

C/C++/Go

Networking fundamentals

APIs (REST/gRPC)

Concurrency

System design

Troubleshooting

Tools

Git

DPDK/XDP

Kernel bypass

Job description

Software Engineer, Infrastructure Services (Data Plane)

San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States Software and Services

Do you want to help build some of the largest and most consequential enterprise and customer technology systems in the world? Join Apple’s Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) organization.IS&T is the engine behind everything Apple does for customers and for the people who build for them. It’s Apple’s central nervous system. Supporting 2.5 billion active Apple devices, processing billions of secure transactions, and keeping the technology that defines modern life running flawlessly, IS&T makes the impossible feel effortless.”Do you love building solutions to handle global complexity and immense scale? Imagine what you could do here.Infrastructure Services is part of IS&T and the foundation of Apple's global network operations — managing data center equipment and systems to deliver compute, storage, and networking services for teams across Apple, including its internal developer community. From individual facilities to a worldwide network, Infrastructure Services ensures the technology underneath everything works without question.

Description

We are looking for passionate engineers who love building super-scalable, reliable, and high-performance systems to support one of the world’s largest cloud infrastructures. In this role, you will design, build, and operate next‑generation services that power virtualized networks, computing, and storage. Operating at our global scale presents unique challenges that demand radical engineering innovations. If you are excited about working close to the packet, optimizing line-rate forwarding pipelines from scratch, and solving complex distributed systems problems, our team is the place for you.

Responsibilities

• Dataplane Architecture & Development: Design, implement, and optimize high-throughput, ultra-low-latency packet processing systems, forwarding engines, and overlay network services (e.g., VXLAN, Geneve, NAT, Load Balancing).
• System Design & High-Performance Coding: Build modular, resilient, and performant systems leveraging efficient data structures, lock-free concurrency, and hardware/software acceleration.
• Control Plane Integration: Collaborate closely with control plane and distributed systems teams to build clean, performant APIs (gRPC, REST) for state distribution and policy enforcement.
• Operational Excellence & Incident Triage: Maintain line-of-sight on production health; debug live incidents using packet captures, telemetry, metrics, and logs to identify root cause and implement long-term mitigations.
• Automation & Delivery: Utilize modern CI/CD, Git workflows, and configuration management tools to reliably deliver software against bold deadlines.

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong proficiency in systems programming languages such as C++, Go, or C (experience with Java or modern scripting languages like Python is also valued).
• Solid foundation in Computer Science fundamentals: advanced data structures, algorithms, memory management, and concurrency.
• Deep knowledge of Networking Fundamentals & Dataplane internals: L2–L4 protocols, TCP/IP stack behavior, packet framing/encapsulation, routing, MTU/MSS, flow tables, and QoS/traffic shaping.
• Experience with source control (Git) and modern build/configuration management tools.
• Experience designing and optimizing scalable network data plane components, packet forwarding paths, or kernel/userspace networking subsystems.
• Understanding of microservice architectures, asynchronous communication, and API design (REST, gRPC, Protobuf).
• Proven ability to analyze and debug complex live production incidents under pressure using metrics, traces, and system logs.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills with the drive to take ownership and lead projects to closure.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with kernel-bypass/accelerated packet processing technologies (e.g., DPDK, XDP, eBPF, VPP, OVS or P4).
• Familiarity with hardware offload architectures (SmartNICs, ASICs) and network virtualization.

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.

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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