Machine Learning Systems Engineer – Video Computer Vision

Summary

The incredible potential of multimodal foundation models and large language models has unlocked machine learning applications that were previously thought infeasible. The Video Computer Vision (VCV) group is looking for a highly motivated and skilled Machine Learning Systems Engineer to help us ship cutting-edge computer vision technology on Apple devices.

The VCV organization has pioneered groundbreaking features like FaceID/FaceKit, Gaze/Hand Gesture Control, Body Tracking, and 2D/3D Scene Understanding fundamentally changing how millions of users interact with technology. We seamlessly balance research and product requirements to deliver pioneering, Apple-quality experiences. By innovating across the full stack and partnering closely with hardware, software, and AI teams, we shape future products and bring our architectural vision to life.

Description

As a member of the Video Computer Vision team, you will work across the stack to transform promising research projects into refined products that ship to our customers. You will build software infrastructure to deliver multimodal context to models and optimize the software harness and the model for efficient on-device deployment. Partnering closely with algorithm researchers, you will also participate in post-training model alignment and evaluation.

Responsibilities

Develop on-device software that bridges multimodal AI models and computer vision technologies with production systems deployed across Apple devices.
Optimize on-device inference latency, memory footprint, and computational efficiency of CV/ML models.
Benchmark, profile, and evaluate the power consumption and thermal performance of models running on Apple silicon.
Engage with cross-functional teams to understand and influence requirements, brainstorm the solution space, and propose, design and implement debuggable and maintainable Computer Vision systems meeting requirements.
Design experiments and evaluations to understand quality and on-device deployment tradeoffs, driving informed system design decisions.
Debug concurrent systems on embedded devices via a variety of existing tools and techniques; develop innovative debug tools and visualizations when existing ones don't fit the bill.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related discipline, and 3+ years of relevant industry experience.
Strong ML fundamentals.
Proven track record of writing high-quality production code for shipped on-device CV/ML features deployed on embedded platforms
Solid understanding of operating system fundamentals and extensive programming experience in Python and C++.
Hands-on experience with PyTorch and familiarity with the end-to-end ML lifecycle (data preprocessing, training, evaluation, and edge deployment).
Experience with Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) pipelines to adapt vision and multimodal foundation models for specialized, on-device downstream tasks.
Robust foundational understanding of machine learning architectures, specifically Multimodal LLMs and the integration of ML components into complex production systems.

Preferred Qualifications

Programming experience with Swift and familiarity with CoreML, CoreFoundation, and RealityKit frameworks.
Fundamental knowledge of real-time video pipelines, image transformations, and rendering loops.
Experience optimizing models for neural network accelerators (e.g., Apple Neural Engine or mobile GPUs).

Pay & Benefits — Sunnyvale, 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 $150,400 and $277,600, 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.