Software Engineer, Satellite Operations

Summary

At Apple, we strive every single day to craft products that enrich people’s lives. Our successes are the result of skilled domain experts working in an environment which encourages creativity, collaboration, and re-thinking of old problems in new ways! As a member of the Satellite Connectivity Group, you will work on the satellite network that enables connectivity to iPhone and Watch Ultra when off the grid without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. Every day, Apple customers use Emergency SOS, Roadside assistance, and Messages via satellite to stay connected when they have no other means to communicate. You will have the unique and rewarding opportunity to shape this and other critical services, to the benefit and safety of millions of Apple device users.

The Satellite Connectivity Group is hiring a software engineer to build automation and runtime infrastructure behind our communication satellite network. Our premise is that a satellite network should be run the way modern software services are run — through code, APIs, and instrumentation rather than manual console work. You will sit on the seam between the satellite network, the cloud services that connect to it, and our operations partners that control it.
You will partner with hardware, cloud, and operations teams on root-cause investigations. You will carry the pager for the systems you build. The software you write will be foundational for a connectivity service for millions of users worldwide.

Description

You will join the team responsible for developing, deploying, and keeping connectivity services healthy end-to-end. On a given week you might trace a telemetry discrepancy from a cloud service through the ground system, script a new network test case, extend the continuous delivery (CD) pipeline that ships system health tooling, and write the procedure that lets the on-call engineer resolve the same issue next time without paging you.
We expect the person in this seat to automate their own job continuously - to replace manual steps with tested code, and to leave behind procedures precise enough that someone else can execute correctly.
You will work from design documents and interface control documents (ICDs), and you will be expected to reason through large, unfamiliar codebases on your own.

Responsibilities

Architect and develop mission automation software alongside our operations partners that enables lights-out operation of a satellite constellation
Be part of a 24/7 on-call rotation for those services; lead anomaly response and drive post-incident review
Author clear operational procedures for the mission that will be used by an operations team, interacting daily with the systems you build
Reason across large codebases, tracing behavior end to end to implement new features and root-cause issues
Work from design documents and ICDs to define and validate operations automation
Own continuous integration (CI) and CD pipelines for mission automation software services

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering
5+ years of software engineering experience, including production Python
Experience with developing automation of (preferred) satellite constellations or fleets of autonomous vehicles/drones
Ability to independently navigate and reason about large, unfamiliar code repositories spanning both embedded and cloud-based software
Hands-on fluency with Linux and Mac OS, cloud service APIs, modern command-line usage and HTTP tooling
Experience working with CI and production CD pipelines for a software service
Experience using design documents and ICDs as foundations for an operational service

Preferred Qualifications

Experience operating a satellite constellation in production, serving real users
Embedded software development, and hands-on work with hardware in a lab environment
Working knowledge of RF and DSP concepts, sufficient to reason about satellite system behavior
Small, fast-moving space programs where operations engineers write and own the software they operate
Experience leading, or serving as a core member of, a 24/7 operations team
Building an SOP or runbook framework from scratch, not just executing an existing one
Experience leveraging AI tools to quicky reason about and prototype new systems

Pay & Benefits — San Jose, 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.

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 $142,300 and $263,300, 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.