Software Engineer, Music Search

Apple Inc.; Culver City (CA); On-site; USD 205,000 - 309,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Employee stock programs

Relocation assistance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking a Software Engineer for the Music Search team within the Apple Services Engineering division. You will design and deploy large-scale ML systems powering search across Apple platforms, translating cutting-edge research into production features while maintaining user privacy and performance.

You will collaborate with cross-functional partners to build retrieval pipelines, ranking models, and advanced search capabilities that help users discover music they love at scale.

Qualifications

• Strong programming skills in Python, Java and Go for building scalable distributed and ML systems.
• Experience in machine learning, NLP, IR, or more recently Large Language Model ( LLMs).
• Ability to translate product goals into technical solutions, improving user experience.

Responsibilities

• Solve complex problems and implement solutions from concept to execution.
• Design and implement retrieval and ranking systems using semantics and user context.
• Analyze system and model performance to identify opportunities for search quality and performance enhancement.
• Develop automated tests for continuous integration and ensure successful production deployment.
• Conduct A/B tests to measure search improvements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to innovate intelligent Music catalog and library search.
• Enhance search recall and ranking for global Apple devices across all platforms and languages.
• Utilize big data tech to evaluate content discovery features.
• Ensure systems meet Apple’s privacy, efficiency, and user experience standards.

Skills

Python

Java

Go

Machine Learning

NLP

IR

LLMs

Distributed systems

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in CS/ML/AI/NLP

Tools

Hadoop

Scala

Spark

Job description

Culver City, California, United States Software and Services

The Apple Services Engineering AI/ML organization is hiring a Software Engineer to join the Music Search team.Our team builds the core intelligence that powers search discovery experiences in the Apple Music, Siri, Spotlight, 3p, and beyond, helping users effortlessly find and enjoy the content they love. We are a collaborative, high-impact team that values innovation, craftsmanship, and end-to-end ownership from idea to launch. Our systems combine large-scale data, modern retrieval and ranking models, and a deep commitment to user privacy.Join us, you’ll develop scalable systems and machine learning models that drive search relevance, personalization, and understanding of content at scale. Working closely with cross-functional partners in product and design, you’ll translate cutting-edge research in advanced machine learning and generative AI into secure and delightful production features used by millions every day.

Description

As a Software Engineer on the Music Search team, within the Apple Services Engineering Media Search organization, you will design and deploy large-scale ML systems that power search and discovery across Apple platforms.You’ll apply complex distributed systems engineering, machine learning, natural language understanding, and generative AI to model user intent and deliver relevant, personalized results. Your work will involve building and optimizing complex multi-team systems including systems that process large data, rapid query execution, data processing, ML models, retrieval pipelines, and ranking systems that operate at global scale and under strict privacy standards.This is a hands-on role where you will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to bring advanced Searchtechnologies into production—shaping how users find music they love.

Responsibilities

• Solve complex problems and implement solutions from concept to execution.
• Design and implement retrieval and ranking systems using semantics and user context.
• Analyze system and model performance to identify opportunities for search quality and performance enhancement.
• Develop automated tests for continuous integration and ensure successful production deployment.
• Conduct A/B tests to measure search improvements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to innovate intelligent Music catalog and library search.
• Enhance search recall and ranking for global Apple devices across all platforms and languages.
• Utilize big data tech to evaluate content discovery features.
• Ensure systems meet Apple’s privacy, efficiency, and user experience standards.

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong programming skills in Python, Java and Go for building scalable distributed and ML systems.
• Experience in machine learning, NLP, IR, or more recently Large Language Model ( LLMs).
• Ability to translate product goals into technical solutions, improving user experience.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and analytical problem-solving skills.
• In-depth knowledge of search and information retrieval fundamentals, including indexing and ranking. Experience with retrieval and ranking algorithms and building big data pipelines using Hadoop, Java, Scala, Spark and more.
• Industrial experience in search, classification, recommendation systems, or related fields.
• Familiarity with A/B testing and data-driven product development.
• Passionate about creating products loved by customers at Apple.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher (or equivalent practical experience) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with search or recommendation systems, and semantic retrieval or vector databases.
• Expertise in large scale distributed and client-server systems.
• Passion for developing intelligent, human-centered experiences to enhance content discovery.

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 $205,400 and $308,500, 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. We’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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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.