Senior Perception Algorithms Engineer - Special Project
Apple
Cupertino, CA, USA
USD 181,100-318,400 / year + Equity
Posted on Mar 22, 2026
Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other’s ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It’s the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something. At Apple, we strive to make great products that empower people and improve their lives. We believe recent breakthroughs in AI/ML and robotics have the potential to unlock new experiences that were never possible before, and we are looking for talented Perception Algorithm Engineers to realize that mission by expanding the capabilities of Apple products and platforms.
As a member of the team, you’ll have the opportunity to work with a team of highly skilled engineers and scientists to bring new experiences to Apple products. We are looking for a self-motivated algorithm engineer who is passionate about blending modern deep learning with robust classical techniques. This position requires strong technical and interpersonal skills to handle responsibilities including:
- Designing and implementing a robust, real-time multi-object tracking system to solve real-world computer vision problems.
- Leveraging multimodal estimates (vision, audio, etc.) to ensure robust, high-fidelity estimation across complex and challenging environments.
- Developing rigorous evaluation frameworks, curating datasets, and defining metrics to benchmark model performance, analyze edge cases, and continuously improve perception pipelines.
- Integrating perception systems into a larger software stack with real-world performance constraints.
- PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, or a related field with 3 years industry experience or MS with 5+ years industry experience.
- Proficiency in systems programming (C++/Swift) and writing performant, production-quality code.
- Fluency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX) with a solid foundation in machine learning and traditional perception and state-estimation pipelines.
- Ability to break down complex problems into testable solutions, prioritizing challenging edge cases and accessible experiences for all users.
- Curiosity about new technologies, flexibility, and an openness to ambiguity.
- Experience designing scalable evaluation pipelines for learning based and classical perception pipelines.
- Experience in building and/or deploying on-device computer vision models or multi-object tracking systems.
- An area of particular domain expertise, such as one of the following:
- Experience with machine learning approaches and architectures (e.g., VLMs, VLAs, foundation models, self-supervision, distillation, or data augmentation techniques).
- Experience with classical and modern computer vision approaches, reconstruction pipelines, image processing/camera systems and computational photography pipelines
- Experience with multimodal data fusion across a variety of inputs and sensors, including audio processing (e.g., DSP, echo cancellation, audio-visual diarization, speech recognition)
- Knowledge of the broader robotics software stack (e.g., kinematics, planning, controls) alongside state estimation methods (e.g., SLAM, factor graphs, filtering, sensor fusion) and reinforcement learning methods.
- Strong applied math background (e.g., numerical optimization, geometry, graphics).
- Familiarity with Swift and Apple developer tools.
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.