Senior Designer (Cupertino)

Interaction Architecture (IA) is a design and prototyping team within the larger Apple Design Team. We are a diverse team of designers, hardware engineers, software engineers, and makers who explore future experiences for Apple’s existing and speculative products. We apply technical expertise and product thinking to early‑stage concepts, most often doing work that incorporates multiple modalities in both hardware and software.

Description

IA is looking for a Senior Designer with excellent interaction design sensibilities and strong technical and interpersonal skills. You will help us “learn by doing”, working rapidly and cross‑functionally to understand and express key capabilities of future products and technologies by creating interactive prototypes to guide decision‑making and build intuition across the company. The work balances craft and perspective – shaping direction in ambiguous spaces, connecting ideas across disciplines, and designing experiences that feel effortless and grounded. You will collaborate with peers in a design‑led environment where critique is constructive and frequent, briefs are intentionally open‑ended, and the end goal is the human experience rather than technical perfection. Your work will be instrumental in helping Apple to understand the promises and pitfalls of technologies that may not even exist yet, and will help guide the incubation of those technologies towards product. The ideal candidate builds alignment across teams with different priorities and personalities, is self‑motivated and proactive, works both independently and collaboratively, and can effectively engage on ambiguous briefs as well as on specific, directed work. A Senior Designer would be expected to both produce their own work and to direct the work of others.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience organizing, directing, and motivating project teams
• A wide range of prototyping skills ranging from scrappy to polished
• Technical fluency in both hardware and software prototyping
• Strong product sensibility and ability to advocate for the end user experience
• A mentor to others and dedicated to raising the overall quality of design across the group
• Cross‑disciplinary, exploratory and collaborative, with an ego‑less working style that brings colleagues and their contributions together
• A clear communicator, able to deliver coherent stories and documentation that frames the work in the appropriate context
• Able to connect people to ideas in a way that generates excitement
• Adept at sharing work and rationale with senior leadership
• Comfortable with ambiguity, open‑ended exploration, and receiving design critique
• Link to portfolio required to apply

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing cross‑functional teams
• Significant technical depth in hardware or software prototyping
• Deep technical understanding of AI/ML technology
• Experience working with and building coalitions from diverse teams across a large company

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 $172,100 and $305,600, 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.

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.

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.