Software Engineering Manager (Watch Faces) - Watch Software

Socket.dev; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple is seeking a software engineering manager to lead the watch faces platform for Apple Watch. You will guide a team of engineers in creating, optimizing, and maintaining watch faces with emphasis on UI, graphics, animation, and performance.

You will work closely with design and product marketing to ensure visual style aligns with Apple standards and product vision while delivering high-quality, scalable software for watchOS.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a software team of senior and junior engineers.
• Strong background in building customer-facing user interfaces.
• Expertise in UI layout, animation, and interaction systems such as SwiftUI, UIKit, Metal.

Responsibilities

• Lead a software engineering team to design and build watch faces.
• Collaborate with design partners and product marketing to align with brand aesthetic.
• Drive performance optimization and lifecycle management for watch faces.

Skills

Team leadership

UI development

SwiftUI

CoreAnimation

Metal

Communication

Tools

Swift

UIKit

Shader programming

Job description

Join the team creating Apple’s most personal product. Apple Watch continues to blur the boundary between physical object and user interface. Watch Faces are at the forefront of this personalized user experience. Part art, part utility, always innovative. Help us build the next generation of human‑computer interaction. The watchOS Platform group is seeking an energetic and ambitious software engineering manager to lead a team of highly skilled and experienced engineers in creation, optimization, and maintenance of watch faces for the Apple Watch. This role demands a deep expertise in UI development, with a strong focus on computer graphics, animation, and performance optimization. You’ll collaborate closely with design and product marketing teams, ensuring that watch faces not only meet technical standards but also align with Apple's design aesthetics and product vision.

Description

The position requires strong communication and problem-solving skills as well as an ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment with changing priorities. The ability to work as a teammate is significant, as this hands‑on position requires multi-functional collaboration with engineers and leaders across domains. Experience leading a software development team, as well as a consistent track record of bringing products to market, are critical to this role.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience building and leading a team of senior and junior engineers
• Strong background building customer‑facing User Interfaces
• Expertise in UI layout, animation and user interaction systems, such as CoreAnimation, UIKIt, SwiftUI, or Metal
• Experience working closely with design partners and familiarity with design practices
• Deep technical understanding and hands‑on experience with software development and lifecycle management
• Solid computer science fundamentals
• Strong product sense and the ability to balance technical feasibility with user experience
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience defining and driving application or systems architecture
• Expertise in low level computer graphics languages such as Metal or OpenGL
• Ability to work with technology partners at all levels of the stack, from hardware, sensors, and firmware to frameworks and applications
• Strong problem‑solving and debugging skills