Aesthetics Science Manager, Look Development

Apple • Cupertino, CA

2d

About The Position

Apple is seeking an Aesthetics Science Manager to oversee the look development process within Software Engineering. The role leads a team of look developers and owns the end-to-end process for creating software features that require a defined aesthetic look and feel. It calls for a collaborative leader who can bring rigorous research and photographic principles into camera and visual-experience development, while working effectively across creative and technical disciplines.

The manager will hire, onboard, and direct a rotating roster of creative contractors, including colorists, retouchers, and photographic artists. These artists use proprietary internal software tools and work through fast-paced, iterative feedback loops with multiple stakeholder teams on engineering timelines. The role requires hands-on understanding of creative look development, artists’ workflows and needs, and the ability to recognize when a process supports or impedes strong work.

The manager will establish and run the process from scoping and initial briefings through creative discussions, prioritization, feedback, and reviews aligned with stakeholder needs and engineering milestones. They will create review structures that bring creative decision-makers, design leads, and engineering partners together; prepare materials; facilitate discussion; clarify trade-offs; and ensure decisions are recorded and acted upon. They will also foster an effective working environment for artists, designers, algorithm engineers, and scientists, and maintain relationships and documentation that build a sustainable team knowledge base over time.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in Photography, Film, Visual Arts, Color Science, Computer Science, Imaging Technology, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of experience leading creative processes or look development work in technical or engineering environments.
• Experience in computational photography, camera or imaging software, VFX/finishing, or creative software development.
• Experience leading and building creative teams.
• Experience directing artists using proprietary or in-development creative tools.
• Strong working knowledge of how high-end images are created and what artists need to do their best work.
• Proven experience hiring, scoping, and directing elite creative contractors on both short- and long-term engagements.
• A track record of managing multidisciplinary creative efforts from start to finish, including schedules, dependencies, iteration cycles, and deliverables.
• Experience designing and facilitating reviews with senior creative and technical stakeholders, bringing divergent views together, and driving clear decisions.
• Ability to describe images precisely and communicate what artists and reviewers are seeing and requesting.
• Strong portfolio supporting visual or art direction in editorial or commercial contexts.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with color science fundamentals, including tone curves, color spaces, gamut mapping, and LUTs.
• Familiarity with machine-learning-based imaging pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of look developers and own the end-to-end process for developing software features that require an aesthetic look and feel.
• Scope work and lead initial briefings, creative discussions, prioritization decisions, feedback loops, and reviews in alignment with stakeholders and engineering milestones.
• Build and run review structures that bring creative decision-makers, design leads, and engineering partners together.
• Prepare review materials, facilitate discussions, surface trade-offs, and ensure decisions are made, recorded, and acted upon.
• Source, onboard, and direct a rotating roster of creative contractors, including colorists, retouchers, and photographic artists.
• Foster strong, long-standing relationships with creative experts and maintain centralized documentation to develop a sustainable team knowledge base.
• Integrate artists, designers, algorithm engineers, and scientists into an efficient and healthy software development process.
• Translate between creative development needs and software development needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager