Senior/Staff Applied ML Engineer - AI/ML Evaluation & Simulation

Senior/Staff Applied ML Engineer – AI/ML Evaluation & Simulation

We're building the next generation of AI evaluation systems — and we're looking for a hands-on engineer who can bridge ML, software, and product to make AI systems more measurable, testable, and trustworthy. We're part of the AI/ML Evaluation organization, seeking a Senior or Staff-level Applied ML Engineer with strong software engineering skills and a solid understanding of machine learning. In this hands-on role, you'll help design and build intelligent systems that simulate complex interactions (including agentic workflows powered by LLMs), develop tools for extracting structured insights, and create robust evaluation datasets. You'll also contribute to building scalable platforms for simulation and behavior analysis. This role sits at the intersection of ML, engineering, and product — ideal for someone passionate about bringing clarity and rigor to real-world AI performance.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement systems that simulate user-like interactions and workflows
• Build tools and infrastructure to generate, manage, and analyze evaluation data
• Develop scalable pipelines to extract structured insights from simulation outputs
• Collaborate with scientists and engineers to instrument and assess model performance
• Engineer reusable, testable components for experimentation and evaluation workflows
• Help define and operationalize success metrics aligned with product and research goals

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, ML engineering, or applied ML roles
• Proficiency in Python or another modern programming language (e.g., Java, Go, Swift)
• Experience building and maintaining production-grade systems
• Solid understanding of machine learning concepts, especially LLMs and their applications
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with cross-functional partners

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on AI evaluation systems, LLM-based simulations, or agentic AI frameworks
• Background in building tools for data analysis, model evaluation, or synthetic data generation
• Familiarity with metrics instrumentation and observability in ML systems
• Experience designing pipelines for AI/ML workflows
• Exposure to applied research, generative models, or real-time systems
• Understanding of how model quality connects to product outcomes and user experience

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 $171,600 and $302,200, 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.