Software Development Engineer, Vision Products Group

Software Development Engineer, Vision Products Group

Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other's ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It's the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you'll do more than join something — you'll add something. Join our Systems Software Architecture Team under VPG, where we're pioneering a revolutionary framework that's redefining how Apple products deliver real-time experiences. Our framework enables developers to express workloads as interconnected graphs, creating demand-driven systems that optimize for latency and enable zero-copy data access. Originally developed to help visionOS achieve its critical motion-to-photon latency targets—providing users with a seamless, realistic experience through Vision Pro—our technology is now expanding to iOS and macOS. As Apple deploys LLMs and other real-time features across platforms, our framework is becoming essential infrastructure that enables the next generation of Apple product experiences.

Description

As a Software Development Engineer, you will implement and improve framework features that power real-time experiences across Apple's product ecosystem. You'll work with cross-functional teams to build and optimize components for products like Vision Pro, iPhone, and Mac, contributing to systems that meet demanding performance requirements for latency, jitter, and user experience. This role requires solid technical skills in systems programming, a growing ability to evaluate architectural tradeoffs, and a passion for delivering technology that enables breakthrough product features.

Responsibilities

• Implement and optimize framework features that enable customer-facing capabilities on visionOS, iOS, and macOS platforms.
• Develop code using C/C++, Objective-C, and/or Swift.
• Contribute to architectural RFCs and technical documentation that guide the team in developing framework features.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to understand requirements and deliver optimized solutions.
• Triage and investigate incoming issues using metrics including MTBF, client team impact, user experience, and test coverage.
• Analyze tradeoffs between different technical approaches and contribute to discussions on optimal solutions for complex problems.
• Profile and optimize system performance to meet critical KPIs for latency, jitter, and resource utilization.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field, and 2 years of relevant industry experience; or Master's degree with 1 year of relevant experience.
• Understanding of operating systems fundamentals including process management, memory management, inter-process communication, concurrent programming, and synchronization primitives.
• Proficiency in C/C++ programming for systems-level development.
• Experience with debugging tools such as gdb or lldb.
• Ability to analyze system performance and identify bottlenecks.
• Familiarity with Gen AI coding tools. Demonstrated ability to use them for design, code generation, and debugging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of computer architecture and hardware-software interaction.
• Experience with or interest in resource-constrained Embedded Systems development.
• Familiarity with real-time systems design principles and scheduling algorithms.
• Exposure to performance-critical software development in production systems.
• Interest in or experience with AR/VR systems, spatial computing, or graphics pipelines.
• iOS or macOS development experience using system frameworks.
• Exposure to Objective-C or Swift for platform development.

Pay & Benefits

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 $126,800 and $220,900, 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. Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You'll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong. Learn about accessibility in Apple's workplace Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.