Staff GenAI Engineer, Apple Data Platform

Apple; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 313,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Staff GenAI Engineer, where you will lead the development of innovative AI solutions that enhance user experiences across various platforms. This role involves architecting core capabilities for AI application development, working closely with cross-functional teams to evolve the platform for performance and flexibility. Your expertise in large language models and AI-driven solutions will be crucial in driving the success of transformative projects. If you are passionate about operational excellence and want to make a significant impact in the tech industry, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Discounted products and free services

Tuition reimbursement

Employee stock purchase plan

Discretionary bonuses

Relocation assistance

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software development experience with strong leadership skills.
• In-depth understanding of LLMs and AI-driven solutions.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical vision and roadmap for GenAI components.
• Collaborate with teams to ensure effective adoption of AI capabilities.

Skills

Software Development

Technical Leadership

Large Language Models (LLMs)

AI Application Development

Python

Java

Cross-functional Collaboration

Operational Excellence

Education

B.S. in Computer Science/Engineering

M.S. or PhD in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

Job description

Staff GenAI Engineer, Apple Data Platform

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

Summary

Posted: Apr 09, 2025

Role Number: 200579652

The Apple Data Platform team powers data analytics, exploration, and feature engineering that fuel Siri, Search, Music, Maps, iCloud and many other beloved products in the Apple ecosystem. Our mission is to provide engineers and data scientists with an innovative, reliable, secure, and user-friendly platform for ingesting, storing, processing, and interacting with data, ultimately helping teams derive insights that drive product success. As a Staff GenAI Engineer on the Apple Data Platform group’s GenAI Platform team, you’ll play a critical role in shaping and scaling the platform that powers AI application development across Apple. You’ll architect and build core capabilities such as agent orchestration, model selection, prompt and RAG configuration, and evaluation tooling enabling teams to rapidly create, iterate, and deploy GenAI applications. Your work will also support advanced initiatives like model fine-tuning workflows, and inference optimization, driving a seamless and flexible developer experience for users of the Apple Data Platform. Join us and be a part of the Data Platform journey at Apple, where your contributions will positively impact Apple's customers and countless teams within Apple.

Description

Join Apple’s Data Platform as a Staff GenAI Engineer, where you'll be at the forefront of delivering transformative AI experiences across Apple products, including Apple Music, TV, Sports and many more. You will play a pivotal role in defining and driving the roadmap for Apple Data Platform's GenAI Platform component, which powers the development, evaluation, and deployment of AI agents and applications. This includes building foundational capabilities such as agent orchestration, model configuration, prompt tooling, RAG integration, and inference optimization enabling teams across Apple to rapidly create scalable, context-aware GenAI solutions. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams of innovative software engineers, product managers, and engineering leaders to continuously evolve the platform for performance, flexibility, and ease of use.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

1. Define and drive the technical vision, roadmap, and strategy for Apple Data Platform’s GenAI components, enabling scalable development and deployment of AI applications powered by LLMs and agentic workflows.
2. Guide the design and development of platform capabilities such as agent orchestration, RAG integration, LLM model configuration, prompt tooling, and fine-tuning pipelines.
3. Drive efforts around LLM inference optimization, including caching, prompt tuning, and latency improvements, ensuring efficient and cost-effective model usage across applications.
4. Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations teams across Apple to ensure effective adoption of GenAI capabilities in high-impact workflows.
5. Partner with stakeholders to build reusable AI agents that enhance productivity, automate reasoning tasks, and integrate securely with internal systems and tools.
6. Mentor new hires and fellow engineers, fostering growth in technical depth and platform mindset.
7. Establish best practices and processes that ensure engineering excellence, operational sustainability, and a seamless developer experience.
8. Promote a healthy, inclusive, and innovation-driven team culture with a focus on experimentation, learning, and long-term platform impact.

Minimum Qualifications

1. 8+ years of software development experience.
2. 3+ years of experience as a technical lead, guiding teams through complex design decisions and setting high benchmarks for code quality, performance, and scalability.
3. In-depth understanding of large language models (LLMs) and their application in AI-driven solutions, including inferencing, embedding, and knowledge base integration (RAG) for improved data retrieval and contextualization.
4. Hands-on experience designing and building GenAI platforms that allow users to create, configure, and deploy AI applications supporting features like agent orchestration, prompt engineering, RAG integration, and model selection.
5. Experience building AI agents capable of complex multi-step reasoning and tool usage, with a focus on reliability, traceability, and composability.
6. Proven experience in fine-tuning and customizing foundation models to improve task-specific performance and domain alignment.
7. Deep knowledge of LLM inference optimization techniques, including prompt tuning, caching, quantization, and latency reduction across different model families.
8. Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or similar languages, with an emphasis on AI/ML systems development and platform engineering.
9. Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally and influence product development through a combination of technical leadership and user-centered thinking.
10. Passion for operational excellence, automation, and delivering scalable, developer-friendly AI infrastructure.
11. B.S, M.S. or PhD Degree in Computer Science/Engineering, or equivalent work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Expertise in AWS Cloud.
2. Hands-on experience in using Kubernetes as orchestration layer.

Pay & Benefits

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 $175,800 and $312,200, 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. (https://www.apple.com/careers/us/benefits.html)

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 take affirmative action to ensure 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. (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf)