Senior Network Planning Engineer, Infrastructure Services

Summary

Do you want to help build some of the largest and most consequential enterprise and customer technology systems in the world? Join Apple’s Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) organization.

IS&T is the engine behind everything Apple does for customers and for the people who build for them. It’s Apple’s central nervous system. Supporting 2.5 billion active Apple devices, processing billions of secure transactions, and keeping the technology that defines modern life running flawlessly, IS&T makes the impossible feel effortless.

Do you love building solutions to handle global complexity and immense scale? Imagine what you could do here.

Infrastructure Services is part of IS&T and the foundation of Apple's global network operations — managing data center equipment and systems to deliver compute, storage, and networking services for teams across Apple, including its internal developer community. From individual facilities to a worldwide network, Infrastructure Services ensures the technology underneath everything works without question.

Description

We are seeking a technically skilled Senior Network Planning Engineer to join our global network infrastructure organization. This role serves as the critical operational and planning link between Network Architecture, IP Engineering, Optical Engineering, and Datacenter Strategy, owning the end-to-end capacity planning and infrastructure lifecycle across our Global Backbone, edge, and core datacenters. The successful candidate will combine strong foundational knowledge of both IP and Optical networking with predictive analytics, capacity modeling, and tactical/strategic business planning.

In this role, you will evaluate and plan investments across metro and long-haul Dark Fiber (DF), Submarine cable systems, and datacenter colocation (colo) facilities. You will translate architectural designs and traffic growth trends into scoped deployment packages, build multi-year capacity forecasts for optical transport and IP router chassis/ports, manage global carrier delivery, and drive cross-functional project management from scoping through in-service turn-up. This is a high-impact role requiring technical breadth across Layer 1–3 infrastructure, deep market awareness of global telco providers, advanced analytics capability, and rigorous program coordination.

Responsibilities

As part of the planning group for capacity related items between Network Architecture, IP Routing, Data Modelling teamand Optical Engineering, you will take infrastructure initiatives from demand forecasting to supply decisions through site readiness and deployment. Core responsibilities include:

End-to-End Capacity Planning & Design Translation: Convert architectural concepts and traffic demands into actionable, hop-level deployment packages spanning both IP and Optical domains. Plan end-to-end capacity lifecycles across Layer 1 transport (DWDM/optical lines), Layer 2/3 IP routing (chassis, line cards, router port exhaust), peering/transit interconnections, and fiber spans.

Strategic Business Case Development & Investments: Build and formalize tactical and strategic business cases that transition projects from concept to funded deployment. Model Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), ROI, and financial scenarios for long-term investments in metro and long-haul Dark Fiber (10–20 year IRUs vs. leases), Submarine cable systems (spectrum, fractional fiber pairs, consortium capacity), and colocation space and power.

Predictive Capacity Modeling & Analytics: Develop and utilize planning models and data analytics to predict and forecast bandwidth demands, interface growth, and router capacity requirements. Analyze network telemetry, traffic flow shifts, and historical trends to model N-1 / N-2 contingency scenarios and establish proactive trigger points for network augmentations.

Infrastructure Readiness & Datacenter Architecture: Serve as an expert on core and edge datacenter/netpop architectures and facility requirements. Perform and document span- and facility-level validations across internal tooling: site code verification, space and power availability, Meet-Me-Room (MMR) design, optical distribution frame (ODF) patch management, cabling, Point-of-Entry (POE) diversity, and shared-fate/route-diversity

Project Delivery & Capacity Management: Project manage the end-to-end capacity planning and deployment lifecycle. Serve as the infrastructure team point of contact closely working with procurement teams, through design, ordering, provisioning, delivery tracking, and in-service handover. Run recurring span- and market-level status reviews, align IP and Optical stakeholders, and proactively manage priority shifts against infrastructure lead times.

Carrier Market Engagement & Inventory Governance: Leverage deep technical and market knowledge of global telcos, dark fiber operators, and subsea providers across the Globe. Maintain source-of-truth accuracy across circuit/asset inventory systems, expense management and OSS/BSS platforms to ensure lit, dark, and planned capacity is tracked accurately.

Minimum Qualifications

Hands-on experience in network planning, network procurement, or network infrastructure operations, with demonstrated ownership of capacity planning and provisioning workflows across enterprise/carrier-scale networks.

Strong working knowledge of both IP and Optical network planning concepts, including Layer 1–3 infrastructure, DWDM/OTN transport, IP routing topologies, interface/port sizing, and traffic engineering.

Demonstrated experience building business cases, TCO models, and investment justifications for Dark Fiber (IRU/lease), Submarine systems, and datacenter colocation facilities.

Deep technical understanding of core and edge datacenter facility environments, including space, power redundancy, Meet-Me-Rooms, cabling topologies, and physical path diversity.
Experience with predictive analytics, capacity forecasting models, and inventory management systems, using telemetry data and trends to project optical, IP, and router hardware requirements.

Strong technical project management skills, with a proven ability to lead complex, multi-region infrastructure programs from scoping through in-service delivery.

Demonstrated ability to maintain cross-functional project tracking and effectively communicate technical, financial, and schedule status to engineering, operations, and executive leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

Familiarity with Apple internal infrastructure tooling or equivalent network inventory and operational source-of-truth platforms (OSS/BSS, circuit management, expense management systems).

Strong market knowledge of global telecom operators, subsea cable consortiums, and dark fiber providers across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

Experience working with data analysis and automation tools (e.g., Python, SQL, Tableau, or data modeling pipelines) to build network forecasting and capacity planning models.

Experience with commercial carrier engagement, including RFQ/quote solicitation, SOW review, SLA evaluation, and contract coordination for IRU, leased wave, and transit/peering agreements.

Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end carrier delivery workflows, including FOC tracking, target delivery date management, testing/acceptance (OTDR/RFC), and carrier handover review.

Project management certification (such as PMP) or equivalent practical experience managing multi-stakeholder technical projects.

Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Data Analytics, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

Pay & Benefits — Sacramento Metro Area, California, United States

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 $130,200 and $237,600, 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.

Application Deadline

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.