Apple

Senior Distributed Systems Engineer - Services Special Projects

Apple$162K — $195K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field
  • 8+ years of professional software development experience with scalable, distributed systems
  • Experience with large-scale multi-tiered distributed systems and web services
  • Strong expertise in Java and familiarity with a second systems language (Go or C++)
  • Proficient in application frameworks, specifically Spring Boot
  • Experience with JVM performance tuning and profiling for low-latency services
  • Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipeline creation and management.

Responsibilities

  • Build and operate high-throughput, low-latency backend services
  • Evolve a multi-tenant platform including AI/ML-powered services
  • Ship new capabilities and scale existing services
  • Apply distributed-systems best practices from design through production
  • Manage transactional consistency models and database technologies
  • Implement security measures for production services
  • Optimize large-scale production-grade AI services.

Benefits

  • Flexible work environment with options for remote work
  • Opportunities for professional development and training
  • Involvement in cutting-edge technology projects
  • Access to modern tools and resources for innovation
  • Dynamic team culture that values collaboration.
Full Job Description
As a senior member of the Services Engineering Team, You'll build and operate high-throughput, low-latency backend services that ingest, process, and serve data at scale across a range of mission-critical workloads - from real-time transactions to analytics and content delivery. You'll also help evolve a multi-tenant platform, including AI/ML-powered services, by shipping new capabilities, scaling what exists, and applying distributed-systems best practices from design through production.

Minimum Qualifications

Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field

8+ years of professional software development experience building scalable, distributed systems in production

Experience building, authoring, and operating large-scale, multi-tiered distributed systems and customer-facing web services: including API design, authentication, authorization, scaling for high availability, concurrency, and reliability.

Strong understanding of concurrency and multi-threaded programming, fundamental data structures, and efficient algorithm design

Strong proficiency in Java; working knowledge of a second systems language (Go, C++) is a plus. Solid OO analysis and design skills.

Strong proficiency in application frameworks (Spring boot)

Hands on experience with JVM performance tuning and profiling - GC selection/tuning, JFR, async-profiler, heap/thread-dump analysis for low-latency services.

Hands-on with async and reactive JVM stacks: Netty, Project Reactor, RxJava, Vert.x, or Micronaut/Quarkus.

Rigorous testing discipline with JUnit 5, Mockito, AssertJ, Testcontainers, and contract testing.

Hands on experience with build and dependency management with Gradle

Deep understanding of transactional consistency models - ACID semantics, with deep knowledge of tradeoffs between relational and NoSQL database technologies

Expertise with synchronous and asynchronous network I/O and RPC frameworks (gRPC)

Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or similar) for automated testing, build, and deployment of production services.

Experience with AWS or GCP and cloud-native tooling (Docker, Kubernetes) in the context of deploying scalable production grade services.

Experience with event streaming and queueing systems (specifically Kafka) and stream processing frameworks and high-throughput, append-only write paths for durable, queryable historical records.

Hands on Experience of leveraging data storage (Iceberg, Cassandra) and caching technologies (Redis) in Production services

Hands on experience with Serialization/schema tooling: Jackson, Protobuf, Avro, and Schema Registry

Experience identifying, triaging, and remediating security vulnerabilities in production services (dependency management, secure code review, threat modeling).

Preferred Qualifications

Self-motivated, with strong collaboration and communication skills, and experience in a fast-paced, agile environment

Experience with machine learning systems, ML frameworks, libraries and algorithms

Familiarity with deployment and optimization of Large scale Production grade AI Services that require GPUs in the path of the transaction.

Hands-on experience deploying, serving, and optimizing LLMs or ML models directly in the transaction/request path

Experience with security and cryptography (e.g., TLS, X.509 certificates) identity and access management protocols (OAuth2/OIDC/SAML), and secure token/session lifecycle management.

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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