Apple

Platform & Data Engineer

Apple$130K — $180K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
  • 3-5 years software engineering experience with production systems
  • Deep hands-on experience with Kubernetes operating at scale
  • Experience with MongoDB or similar databases
  • Proficiency in Python with production code ownership

Responsibilities

  • Lead scalability and debuggability of Kubernetes platform
  • Own and improve the observability stack including error tracking
  • Design and build internal APIs with versioning and capacity planning
  • Manage MongoDB performance, including query optimization and indexing
  • Develop self-service query layers for internal teams
  • Build tooling that enhances user experience and adoption
  • Collaborate across teams to unify platform and product initiatives

Benefits

  • Work within a small, high-trust team environment
  • Impact the company's internal tools at a foundational level
  • Opportunity to design and ship user-facing solutions
  • Engage in continuous improvement of core systems
  • Be part of evolving platform strategies toward self-service
Full Job Description
We are looking for a Platform & Data Engineer to own the systems that thousands of internal engineers rely on every day. This is a rare, broad role: you will operate at the intersection of Kubernetes platform engineering and large-scale data engineering, owning both the compute platform our internal tools run on and the data layer that makes them useful. You will not just keep these systems healthy - you will build the products and interfaces that let other teams move faster. If you are excited by ambiguity, take real ownership, and want your work to be felt across the company, we'd love to talk. Description You will be a foundational member of a small, high-trust team that builds and operates the platform behind Apple's internal automation and testing infrastructure. The role spans two deeply connected domains, and we expect genuine strength in both. On the platform side, you will lead the scalability and debuggability of our Kubernetes footprint at Apple-internal scale. You will take ownership of our observability stack - currently maintained on a volunteer basis - and put it on durable footing, including end-to-end error tracking and log aggregation across services. You will design and build internal-tools APIs that hold up under real load, partnering with teams on versioning, multi-tenancy, authentication, and capacity planning. You will also shape the adopter-facing surface of the platform: today that means working closely with the teams who depend on us; over time, as patterns stabilize, it means collaborating on the SDK and self-service experience that lets the next wave of teams onboard themselves. On the data side, you will lead our MongoDB estate ingesting millions of records per day and growing. You will be responsible for query optimization, indexing strategy, and sharding as the dataset scales, working with data teams on these decisions. You will own and improve the ETL pipelines that feed it. And - this is the part that distinguishes a builder from a DBA - you will design and ship the self-service query layer that lets client teams answer their own aggregation questions instead of routing one-off requests through chat. You will be designing user-facing tooling, so product instinct matters as much as performance tuning. We have early building blocks in place, including MCP wrappers you can build on, and we are genuinely interested in candidates who have explored query builders, query templates, or LLM-assisted query construction. We care about people who are unusually thoughtful about the systems they build, who default to ownership, and who can move between a deep performance problem and a user-facing design decision in the same afternoon. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 3-5 years of professional software engineering experience (or equivalent), with hands-on time operating production systems in at least one of: Kubernetes, large-scale data systems, or internal platform infrastructure. Deep, hands-on production experience operating Kubernetes at scale, including scaling, debugging, and operating clusters under real load, with a track record of improving scalability and debuggability of large clusters. Experience with MongoDB or similar document databases, with familiarity of aggregation patterns and practices for maintaining performance at scale; deep knowledge of the aggregation pipeline is a plus but not required. Professional fluency in Python, and comfort owning code in production. Experience navigating and building within large-scale internal infrastructure environments. Preferred Qualifications Hands-on experience with production observability systems - error tracking, log aggregation, understanding how to keep on-call sustainable. Solid experience designing or contributing to APIs, ideally with exposure to versioning, multi-tenancy, authentication, or capacity planning at scale. Experience building or maintaining ETL / data pipelines, including ingestion, transformation, and reliability considerations. Strong product instinct: you have built tooling that other engineers actually adopt, and you can reason about the user, not just the query plan. Prior experience building or contributing to self-service data products - such as query builders, templates, or interfaces designed for non-experts. Exposure to LLM-assisted query construction or tooling built on Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar wrappers. Interest in or experience evolving a platform from curated partnerships toward self-service as adoption patterns mature. A bias toward sustainable operations: you understand the value of replacing heroics with systems, and prefer instrumentation over guesswork. Comfort with or interest in working in a small team where ownership is broad and the line between "platform" and "product" is intentionally blurry.

About Apple

Apple is a corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Apple provides many products and services, including iPhone; iPad; iPod; Mac; Apple TV; a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications; the iOS and OS X operating systems; iCloud; and accessories, service, and support offerings. It sells its products worldwide through its retail stores, online stores, direct sales force and third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers to the consumer and also sells third-party iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod compatible products, including application software and accessories through its online and retail stores. Introduced in 1984, the Macintosh was the first widely sold personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI). That feature and others such as an improved floppy drive design and a low-cost hard drive that made data retrieval faster helped Apple cultivate a reputation for innovation. Apple was named as the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and in the world from 2008 to 2012 by the Fortune magazine. The company was founded by Steven Paul Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Gerald Wayne on April 1, 1976, and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Apple Careers

Join Apple, a place where extraordinary people gather to do their best work. Our ever-expanding global team is at the forefront of innovation and leadership in the tech industry. At Apple, we're not just building products—we're crafting the kind of wonder that revolutionizes entire industries. It's the diversity of our people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Work You’ll Do Embark on a journey with Apple’s market-leading team to help some of the world’s most influential companies navigate their path to digital mastery with cutting-edge technology and services. Transform industries and touch lives with your unique ideas at Apple. Here, you’ll lead through a unique position at the intersection of technology, creativity, and robust industry expertise. Collaborate with a global team of professionals who are at the top of their game in technology and design. Apple isn’t just a company, it’s a community of innovators and passionate thinkers. Introducing the Apple Innovation and Leadership Initiative We are building a market-leading team to drive our efforts in delivering groundbreaking solutions and services. At Apple, job opportunities are abundant, offering you the chance to explore diverse roles from engineering to marketing, all designed to empower your career growth. Do Innovative Work Join the largest group of creative and technical experts in the world—professionals dedicated to redefining what’s possible through technology and innovation. Deliver targeted solutions through a depth and breadth of expertise that’s unmatched, driving forward our commitment to excellence and leadership in every project we undertake. Be Part of a Great Team Engage in a wide range of projects utilizing Apple’s technology and resources. Harness the unparalleled capabilities, global scale, and joint solution development that only Apple can offer. Future-Proof Your Career Advance your career with limitless opportunities at Apple. Go as far as your ambition takes you with unmatched training, development, and certification support. Explore Discover how Apple is leading the way in tech innovation: [With iOS] Businesses can streamline operations and enhance customer interactions... READ MORE Smart home technology integration that sets the standard for convenience and security... READ MORE The Apple Experience Our combined service capabilities, global scale, and joint solution development help clients overcome challenges and lead transformation in their industries. Clients worldwide look to Apple for new strategies and solutions that drive growth and innovation in the digital era. Stay Connected Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players. Whether you’re seeking a professional role, an internship, or a leadership position, Apple offers a variety of employment opportunities. SEARCH APPLE JOBS Keep Up to Date Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here. READ CAREERS BLOG Job Alert Emails Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. See what exciting and rewarding opportunities await at Apple, a company committed to diversity, innovation, and leadership. Explore job opportunities, employment benefits, and the culture of growth and innovation at Apple. Prepare your resume, hone your interview skills, and ready yourself for a career at one of the most prestigious companies in the world. Join us in pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Learn more about Apple
Size
154,000 employees
Market Cap
$2,074.3 billion
Industry
Net Income
$63.9 billion
Founded
1976
5 Year Trend
+11.5%
Revenue
$294.1 billion
NASDAQ

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