Machine Learning Manager - AI, Search & Knowledge Platforms

Job description

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 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.

The AI, Search & Knowledge Platforms team builds amazing products and services for Apple's customers while serving as a foundational partner to teams across Apple. The team delivers world-class AI, search, and knowledge systems powering Siri, Apple Intelligence, Safari, and iMessage, and operates the foundational platforms and infrastructure that keep these intelligent experiences running at hyperscale.

We are seeking an execution-focused and collaborative Machine Learning Manager to lead our team. In this role, you will be accountable for delivering advanced world knowledge services that are fast, scalable, helpful, and highly reliable to serve user needs, particularly for Siri and other core products. You will guide your team and collaborate with global research, platform, and product teams to blend modern Large Language Models (LLMs) with robust software engineering to deliver seamless, production-grade solutions that solve real customer problems.

This position offers an opportunity to shape the landscape of Apple Intelligence at a critical moment in the AI field. We are looking for a leader who champions Customer Focus, Collaboration, and Accountability to drive meaningful product impact.
In this role, you will lead a hybrid team of machine learning engineers and backend software developers. Your focus will be not only on the technical capabilities of modern LLMs and ML, but also on how these technologies integrate into Apple's server stack to deliver real value to users. You will lead your team to understand user needs deeply, actively respond to user feedback, continuously iterate to improve service quality, and innovate to enrich people's lives.
As a manager, your team's success and growth is your number one priority. You will foster an inclusive environment built on open discussion and psychological safety, inspiring your team to take courageous technical risks. By recognizing achievements and connecting your engineers to the broader impact of their work, you will help them hold themselves to the highest Apple standards of craftsmanship. You are a hands-on, detail-oriented leader who is able to drive both your team and advanced AI agents to deliver exceptional product outcomes. You will act as a key collaborator across globally distributed organizations, bridging local initiatives with global platform, product, and research teams to deliver uniquely Apple experiences.

<h3>Minimum Qualifications</h3>10+ years of professional experience building hybrid systems that blend robust software engineering with machine learning, including 5+ years of technical leadership or engineering management experience.
Proficient in designing, building, and maintaining scalable, high-throughput, and highly reliable backend systems in modern languages (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or C++).
Strong practical understanding of how to integrate modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Jax) and LLMs into production server pipelines to build smart capabilities (e.g., retrieval-augmented generation, intent classification).
Proven track record of leveraging telemetry, behavioral data, and user feedback to shape engineering roadmaps and drive product evolution.
Extensive experience working in a multi-lingual work environment, fostering an open and inclusive culture, and leading cross-cultural communications with globally distributed teams.
Fluent in both English and Mandarin (written and verbal).

<h3>Preferred Qualifications</h3>M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, or related technical field.
Practical experience in designing, building, and deploying real-world AI agents, multi-agent orchestration frameworks, or task-oriented autonomous systems.
Experience in building or operating search engines, information retrieval platforms, or natural language understanding systems at scale.