UX Design Manager - Xcode & AI Developer Tools

Apple Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 206,000 - 356,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Employee stock programs

Tuition reimbursement

Relocation assistance

Discounted products and services

Career development resources

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Cupertino is seeking a UX Design Manager to lead a team shaping the user experience for Xcode and AI developer tools. You will define vision, mentor designers, and partner with engineering to ship high-impact experiences.

The role blends hands-on design with people leadership, requires deep collaboration across disciplines, and a passion for crafting products that empower developers to build and ship software using AI capabilities.

Qualifications

• Experienced in a highly technical domain.
• Actively engaged with AI dev tools and excited by what they make possible.
• Drives product vision that unites technical requirements with user focus.
• Ability to build strong partnerships, influence across organizations, and lead a team to deliver high quality outcomes.
• Portfolio demonstrating product design leadership, creative problem solving, and high quality visual design.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a small team of designers, providing creative direction grounded in your own expertise and mentorship that helps each person develop and deliver.
• Lead a team through a period of rapid change — building the design strategies, processes, and culture needed to navigate an industry that is shifting faster than any roadmap can predict.
• Carry your own design work on key projects while guiding direction across the broader team.
• Give substantive design feedback rooted in expertise — not just facilitation — deliver the difficult conversations when needed, and know when to draw on specialists on your team.
• Understand what motivates each designer on your team, pair people with work and partners where they can do their best, and drive their performance and career development over time.
• Build trusted partnerships with engineering managers and cross-functional leaders, navigating organizational complexity to get projects what they need to move forward.
• Communicate and influence across disciplines and levels, helping designers on your team advocate for user-focused outcomes while balancing real constraints.

Skills

Team leadership

UX design leadership

AI tools familiarity

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership portfolio

Job description

UX Design Manager - Xcode & AI Developer Tools

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

The Developer Experience Human Interface Design team conceptualizes and designs the user experience for Apple's developer tools. You will lead a team designing for Xcode and other tools used by millions of developers around the world to build, test, and ship software for Apple platforms. You'll work at the frontier of one of the most significant shifts in how software is authored, empowering developers to do the best work of their lives by leveraging artificial intelligence and large language models.

Description

We're looking for a design leader who is both a product thinker and a people builder — someone who can set a compelling vision, shape high-craft work, and create the conditions for a team to thrive. AI is changing what developer tools can do, and we want a leader who is actively engaged with that shift, bringing clarity and direction on how to leverage capabilities that are rapidly taking shape. This role requires range. You'll carry your own design work while guiding projects across multiple domain areas, give substantive expert feedback while knowing when to draw on others' expertise, and build deep trust with your team while navigating the organizational complexity of shipping at scale. We're looking for someone who can communicate and influence across disciplines and levels — who understands what motivates different people and knows how to make design's perspective land.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a small team of designers, providing creative direction grounded in your own expertise and mentorship that helps each person develop and deliver.
• Lead a team through a period of rapid change — building the design strategies, processes, and culture needed to navigate an industry that is shifting faster than any roadmap can predict.
• Carry your own design work on key projects while guiding direction across the broader team.
• Give substantive design feedback rooted in expertise — not just facilitation — deliver the difficult conversations when needed, and know when to draw on specialists on your team.
• Understand what motivates each designer on your team, pair people with work and partners where they can do their best, and drive their performance and career development over time.
• Build trusted partnerships with engineering managers and cross-functional leaders, navigating organizational complexity to get projects what they need to move forward.
• Communicate and influence across disciplines and levels, helping designers on your team advocate for user-focused outcomes while balancing real constraints.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experienced in a highly technical domain.
• Actively engaged with AI dev tools and excited by what they make possible.
• Drives product vision that unites technical requirements with user focus.
• Ability to build strong partnerships, influence across organizations, and lead a team to deliver high quality outcomes.
• Portfolio demonstrating product design leadership, creative problem solving, and high quality visual design.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience as a UX designer, Human Computer Interaction designer, or related role.
• 2+ years of design management experience.

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 $206,200 and $356,400, 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.

Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace

Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.