Engineering Manager, User & Content Intelligence
Apple
Software Engineering, Other Engineering
Seattle, WA, USA
USD 188,200-325,500 / year + Equity
Posted on Mar 20, 2026
Imagine shaping how millions of people discover content they love on the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple TV+. Our team is responsible for the intelligence that powers these deeply personal experiences. We are at a pivotal moment, defining the next generation of personalization. We build the foundational capabilities that empower product and research teams to deliver hyper-personalized experiences while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to user privacy. We believe that deep personalization shouldn't require compromising user trust, and we are pioneering the decentralized data systems to prove it.
We are looking for a visionary Engineering Manager to lead a team of pioneering ML engineers. Your team will build the systems that securely process, combine, and deliver the critical user and content features needed for personalization, spanning from edge devices to cloud backends. You will guide the development of high-performance stacks that transform raw data into governed, discoverable intelligence. As a leader, you will navigate the complex intersection of petabyte-scale data engineering, machine learning systems, and strict privacy compliance, ensuring your team delivers the foundational data layer that powers the next generation of intelligent experiences.
- Team Leadership & Growth: Hire, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of ML engineers. Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and deep respect for user privacy.
- Drive Technical Strategy: Define the roadmap and architectural vision for distributed feature access (spanning device and cloud), large-scale feature pipelines, and robust feature stores. Guide technical decisions around distributed data processing (Spark, Flink), production backend services (Java, Go), and model training integration (Python).
- Cross-Functional Execution: Act as the primary bridge between your team and key partners, including ML teams, Core Compute, Data Systems, and Privacy/Legal teams. Ensure seamless integration of data capabilities across device and cloud boundaries.
- Operational Excellence: Oversee the design, deployment, and operation of petabyte-scale pipelines and low-latency serving stacks. Establish rigorous standards for system reliability, data quality, and compliance-by-design.
- Champion Privacy: Advocate for and implement data minimization strategies and privacy-preserving architectures, ensuring that all data products meet the highest global standards for security and user trust.
- BS or MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- Leadership Experience: Proven track record of managing and scaling engineering teams focused on data platforms, machine learning systems, or large-scale backend stacks.
- Technical Foundation: Deep architectural understanding of distributed data processing (e.g., Spark, Flink), high-throughput backend engineering (e.g., Java, Go), and ML training environments (Python).
- Delivery & Execution: Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional projects from conception to production at massive scale.
- Strategic Thinking: Experience defining technical roadmaps, navigating ambiguity, and balancing short-term product needs with long-term architectural health.
- Hybrid/Edge Computing: Experience leading teams that build systems bridging cloud stacks with on-device or edge compute environments.
- ML Ecosystem Knowledge: Familiarity with the lifecycle of machine learning models, feature stores, vector search, and dense embeddings.
- Data Governance: Experience implementing feature stores, data catalogs, and automated compliance systems in heavily regulated environments.
- Privacy-Preserving Tech: Passion for privacy and an understanding of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs), secure enclaves, or decentralized data strategies.
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.