Finder and Files Application Engineer

Summary

Looking to make a difference and shape the interface people use to manage their files on every Apple platform? Come join our collaborative, driven team!

Finder and Files are at the center of how people manage their digital life on all Apple platforms. As our UI architect, you will set the direction for an interface that must feel immediate on a Mac, a touch screen, and a spatial display. Your impact will extend well beyond Finder and Files, into how iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS present and sync that content.

Description

We build the Finder and Files applications on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS.
To provide an exceptional experience, we work closely with file systems, frameworks, and applications teams.
We are looking for a senior engineer who will own the UI architecture of our applications, and who is eager to build consensus across the team and across Apple.
As the Finder and Files UI architect, you will own the architecture of a UI used every day by hundreds of millions of people, and shape the data model that feeds it. You will decide where the platforms share one foundation, and where they should diverge.

In this position you will:
Own the UI architecture of the Finder and Files clients: the view layer, and the state and data flow beneath it.
Partner with design from the first sketch to the shipped pixel, and turn interaction concepts into an architecture that can carry them across four platforms.
Work with the file systems and frameworks teams to define what the UI needs from the layers beneath it.
Set the engineering bar through design review, code review, and prototypes that de-risk the hardest parts of a feature before the team commits to it.
Mentor engineers on the team, and raise the level of technical debate.
Champion the use of agentic coding tools, and define how the team adopts them for rapid prototyping and large-scale code changes.
Diagnose and resolve the problems no single feature team owns: responsiveness at scale, correctness, and state that drifts out of sync.
You will work through rapid development cycles, remain flexible and calm in the face of uncertainty, showing your drive to deliver dependable software.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors in Computer Science or equivalent work experience
8+ years of software engineering experience, including time as the technical lead for a large, shipping client application or framework
Deep object-oriented programming experience, and mastery of at least one Apple UI framework
Experience with leveraging agentic coding tools for high velocity prototyping and code changes

Preferred Qualifications

Experience architecting UI at scale: shared components, state, and data flow
Experience owning the architecture of a large, long-lived codebase
Excellent communication and collaborative skills in a highly collaborative environment
Ability to deeply analyze multi-client synchronization problems
Experience with file systems, cloud sync, or file provider architectures
Experience with building agentic harnesses
History of mentoring engineers and raising the technical depth of a team
Upbeat, adaptable, and results oriented with a positive attitude

Pay & Benefits — Cupertino, 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 $184,700 and $324,800, 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.