Senior Systems Engineer, Watch Software

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

The watchOS Systems team is looking for a creative senior software engineer to help define the future of Apple Watch. Your core responsibility will be to build and optimize the foundational software that drives the device's performance and power efficiency. You will also have the unique opportunity to conduct investigative research, prototyping new technologies that will help define future hardware and software features. This role is perfect for a collaborative engineer who is passionate about the intersection of hardware and software and thrives on solving complex, open-ended problems.

Description

As a key engineer on this team, you will tackle a wide range of complex challenges and collaborate closely with Performance, Power, OS, and Hardware experts across Apple. Your responsibilities will be dynamic, ranging from architecting core OS features to acting as a performance specialist for other teams. This includes defining and implementing critical system-level functionality, such as new systems to manage the process lifecycle, reclaim memory, or lead the transition to a 64-bit OS architecture. You will also dive into other teams' code to diagnose and resolve significant power issues, and will build and maintain tools to help all engineers model and analyze performance and memory.

Responsibilities

• As a Senior Systems Engineer on this team you will:
• Work at many layers of the system software stack, from firmware or kernel layers up to application layers, to create new experiences by leveraging hardware in new ways.
• Establish SW’s needs for future hardware, i.e. by modeling and projecting memory demand over the whole lifetime of a new SoC
• Engage in investigative and research-like projects to explore and prototype solutions for complex, open-ended problems.
• Diagnose and address functional and performance issues at the language, runtime, and kernel layers as well as in application and system daemons.
• Implement new software components, frameworks, and applications.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and ship new features.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years industry experience.
• Deep technical understanding and hands‑on experience with software development and lifecycle management.
• Experience with low-level OS systems, i.e. kernel, Darwin or drivers.
• Deep experience with power and performance measurement and investigation techniques.
• Solid computer science fundamentals.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for collaborating with a technical team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience defining and contributing to application or systems architecture.
• Ability to work with technology partners at all levels of the stack, from hardware, sensors, and firmware to frameworks and applications.
• Experience in additional technical areas, like Graphics, UI or networking.
• Strong problem‑solving and debugging skills, especially with ambiguous or undefined problems.

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 $184,700 and $324,800, 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.

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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.