Software Engineer - Distributed Build Systems

Summary

Apple's distributed build platform is central to the development and delivery of every operating system and app we ship. Tens of thousands of engineers rely on it daily to develop software that ships to billions of customers — a scale that has few peers in the industry.

This role is part of the Software Engineering Developer Productivity team that builds and operates that platform, working at the intersection of developer productivity and systems engineering to solve complex distributed systems and build automation challenges. Every performance improvement and correctness fix translates directly into faster, more reliable software development for thousands of engineers across Apple, and ultimately into better products for billions of people.

The challenges here go well beyond routine development. They demand creative thinking, strong fundamentals, and a drive to build solutions where none exist yet.

Description

We're looking for software engineers who are ready to take on large, complex systems problems and deliver high-quality solutions within Apple's Build System. Previous background with systems engineering experience, a drive to solve hard distributed systems problems, and the ability to develop depth of expertise in the complexity of builds at Apple will ensure your success.

You'll work as part of a collaborative team and partner with other teams across Apple to optimize distributed scheduling, ensure build correctness, develop caching strategies, and continuously improve build performance.

From conception through to delivery and operation, you'll tackle intricate problems, build new features, develop testing strategies, measure outcomes, and deliver highly-available solutions that run on large-scale infrastructure. Once delivered, you will drive continued improvements through data analytics that will measure impact of your feature and drive up reliability of the system. This will also ensure minimal interruption during your time on call supporting our production systems. Ultimately, this will drive what matters: Improving Apple's build pipelines and Software development at Apple.

Minimum Qualifications

2+ years of software engineering experience in developer tooling, backend, infrastructure, or systems contexts
Experience developing testing strategies and operating software in production environments using metrics, telemetry, and performance data to evaluate system behavior, identify bottlenecks, and drive iteration on systems

Preferred Qualifications

Distributed systems, scheduling, or caching at scale
Observability, monitoring, or SRE practices
Leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve personal and team productivity
Build systems (Swift Build, Bazel, Buck, etc.)

Pay & Benefits — San Diego, 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 $122,700 and $214,300, 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.

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 $129,300 and $225,300, 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.