Sr. Machine Learning Engineer - Answers, Knowledge & Information (AKI)

Apple Inc.; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Employee stock plans

Relocation assistance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Apple Inc. is seeking an experienced ML engineer to join the Maps/Local search domain in Santa Clara, CA. You will own the ML development lifecycle, build retrieval and ranking models, and lead experiments to improve local search quality.

The role emphasizes applying ML techniques such as embedding models and learning-to-rank, mentoring engineers, and translating product needs into ML tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in information retrieval, NLP, ML or deep learning.
• Deep understanding of ML theory, including supervised learning, ranking models, embeddings and evaluation metrics.
• Proven ability to apply advanced ML techniques to improve search relevance and retrieval quality at scale.
• Comfortable leading experimentation, offline evaluation and online A/B testing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work both independently and in a team.

Responsibilities

• Own the entire ML development cycle from opportunity analysis to data collection and deployment.
• Lead the development of ML models to improve search quality across retrieval, ranking, reranking and query understanding.
• Improve search quality using learning-to-rank, embeddings, contrastive learning and related methods.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership in ML systems and models.
• Translate product requirements into modeling and engineering tasks.

Skills

Information retrieval

Natural Language Processing

Machine Learning

Deep Learning

Experimentation leadership

Education

Master's Degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Advanced diploma in AI/ML/CS/Mathematics

Job description

Santa Clara, California, United States Machine Learning and AI

Siri helps hundreds of millions of people find the information they are looking for. A critical part of that mission is helping them quickly find and discover local businesses, places of interest, and addresses. Users rely on us for relevant and easy access to local information like finding a favorite or romantic restaurant, business hours, nearby coffee shop addresses, and directions to prominent locations.The Geo domain team is redefining how hundreds of millions of people use their devices to navigate and explore the physical world around them. We are part of a wider effort to power search across a variety of Apple products – including Siri, Spotlight, Safari, Messages, and more. As part of our team, you will be using innovative machine learning techniques and LLMs in order to understand queries, rank documents, and find useful answers to users’ questions.We are looking for an experienced ML engineer with hands‑on experience in search and recommendation and deploying powerful machine learning models at scale. You will join a team that combines strong technical skills, product vision, and a love of all things local to bring together the pieces needed to deliver an extraordinary Maps experience in Siri and Spotlight.

Description

As a member of our fast‑paced group, you’ll have the unique and rewarding opportunity to shape upcoming products from Apple. Our team includes a diversity of backgrounds from applied scientists with a focus in NLP to experienced distributed systems. We are looking for candidates with both applied machine learning experience and strong engineering skills.

The role will have the following responsibilities:

• Own the entire ML development cycle from opportunity analysis, exploration, and prototyping to data collection, feature engineering, training, evaluation, and deployment in production.
• Lead the development of machine learning models to improve search quality across retrieval, ranking, reranking, and query understanding.
• Improve search quality and experience by leveraging techniques such as learning‑to‑rank, embedding models, contrastive learning, multi‑task learning, and reinforcement learning where appropriate.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership in architecting ML systems and designing ML models.
• Understand product requirements, then translate them into modeling tasks and engineering tasks.

Minimum Qualifications

• You have 8+ years of experience in information retrieval, natural language processing, machine learning, or deep learning.
• You have a deep understanding of machine learning theory, including supervised learning, ranking models, embeddings, representation learning, and evaluation metrics.
• You have proven ability to apply advanced ML techniques to improve search relevance and retrieval quality at scale.
• You are comfortable leading experimentation, offline evaluation, and online A/B testing for iterative improvements in search quality.
• You have excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently as well as as part of a team.
• You have a Master’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience in machine learning or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced diploma in AI, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or Mathematics

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 $184,700 and $324,800, 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.