Sr. iOS Engineer - Apple, Inc.

Apple, Inc.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 263,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Seattle is seeking a Senior iOS Engineer to architect and implement advanced media playback features using AVFoundation, CoreMedia, and AVKit across iOS, macOS, and tvOS. You will craft production Swift/SwiftUI components and diagnose complex media issues to deliver world-class streaming experiences.

You will collaborate with framework, QA, and product teams to ensure performance, correctness, and platform craftsmanship while extending capabilities to multiple Apple platforms.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of iOS development with media frameworks AVFoundation, CoreMedia, AVKit.
• Deep expertise in Swift, protocol-oriented design, async/await, and performance-sensitive patterns.
• Proven experience shipping real-time media playback or streaming pipelines.
• Diagnose complex, multi-layered bugs involving media synchronization, codec behavior, or buffering.
• Strong profiling using Instruments: Time Profiler, Allocations, Core Animation.
• Bachelor's degree in CS/EE or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Track record of maintainable, well-tested Swift code at scale.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-performance media playback features on iOS.
• Build production Swift and SwiftUI components integrated with media pipelines.
• Diagnose and resolve bugs in decoding, synchronization, buffering, and rendering.
• Profile and optimize CPU, GPU, and memory in media-heavy code paths.
• Collaborate with framework engineers, QA, and product managers to define requirements.
• Extend features across macOS and tvOS with consistent behavior.
• Conduct code reviews and contribute to internal technical documentation.
• Participate in architecture discussions balancing correctness, performance, and maintainability.

Skills

iOS development (media)

Swift

Performance profiling

Debugging media pipelines

Real-time media playback

Swift code maintainability

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE or related field

Tools

AVFoundation

CoreMedia

AVKit

SwiftUI

Objective-C

HLS

Metal

Job description

Seattle, Washington, United States Software and Services

Apple's media engineering team pushes the boundaries of what's possible on iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV, delivering world-class playback experiences to hundreds of millions of users. We are looking for a Senior iOS Engineer with deep expertise in Apple's media frameworks to help shape the next generation of streaming, playback, and media pipeline technologies. If you thrive in a technically demanding environment and care deeply about performance, correctness, and platform craftsmanship, this role is for you.

Description

In this role, you will architect and implement sophisticated media playback features using AVFoundation, CoreMedia, and AVKit across iOS and related Apple platforms. You will collaborate closely with framework, platform, and product teams to diagnose hard problems at the intersection of media pipelines, rendering, and system performance. Your work will directly influence the media experience on devices used by people around the world.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement high-performance media playback features using AVFoundation, CoreMedia, and AVKit on iOS
• Build production-quality Swift and SwiftUI components that integrate seamlessly with underlying media pipelines
• Diagnose and resolve complex bugs spanning media decoding, synchronization, buffering, and AV rendering layers
• Profile and optimize CPU, GPU, and memory usage within media-heavy code paths using Instruments and low-level system tools
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including framework engineers, QA, and product managers, to define technical requirements and deliver robust solutions
• Extend and adapt media features across macOS and tvOS, ensuring consistent behavior and platform-idiomatic implementations
• Conduct rigorous code reviews, enforce engineering best practices, and contribute to internal technical documentation
• Participate in architecture discussions and drive technical decisions that balance correctness, performance, and long-term maintainability

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional iOS development with a strong focus on media frameworks including AVFoundation, CoreMedia, and AVKit
• Deep expertise in Swift, including protocol-oriented design, concurrency (async/await, structured concurrency), and performance-sensitive programming patterns
• Proven experience building and shipping production applications that depend on real-time media playback, streaming pipelines, or AV capture
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose complex, multi-layered bugs involving media synchronization, codec behavior, or buffering anomalies
• Strong background in performance profiling using Instruments, including Time Profiler, Allocations, and Core Animation tooling
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience
• Track record of writing maintainable, well-tested Swift code at scale in a professional engineering environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with SwiftUI for building declarative media-integrated user interfaces across Apple platforms
• Familiarity with macOS and tvOS platform differences as they relate to media playback, window management, and HID input handling
• Proficiency in Objective-C for interfacing with legacy or lower-level C-based media APIs within mixed-language codebases
• Experience with HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) internals, including manifest parsing, variant stream selection, and segment delivery optimization
• Exposure to Metal or Core Image for GPU-accelerated video post-processing or custom rendering pass integration

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 $142,300 and $263,300, 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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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.