Program Manager, SWE Central Operations

Apple•Cupertino, CA

About The Position

Apple's Software Engineering (SWE) Central Operations team is seeking a Program Manager to drive operational excellence across resource planning, headcount strategy, budgeting, and business operations. This role partners closely with Engineering leadership, Engineering PMs, Finance, Recruiting, People Business Partners, and tools development teams to deliver data-driven insights, scalable processes, and technology solutions that enable informed business decisions. The ideal candidate combines exceptional analytical skills, strong business acumen, and a passion for operational excellence. You are equally comfortable diving deep into complex data and communicating executive-level insights, leveraging agentic AI tools—to improve planning, automate analytical workflows, and enhance decision-making across the organization. The SWE Central Operations team provides strategic and operational support to the global Software Engineering organization, including fiscal planning, headcount management, budgeting, organizational strategy, executive reporting, and operational excellence. In this role, you will lead programs that improve resource planning, reporting, and business operations by partnering with engineering leaders and cross-functional teams to develop scalable processes, analytics, and technology solutions. You will leverage data and agentic AI tools to streamline planning, automate analytical workflows, improve reporting quality, and generate actionable insights that support executive decision-making. Success in this role requires balancing strategic thinking with operational execution, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, and driving initiatives that enable the organization to scale effectively.

Requirements

Proven experience leading complex cross-functional programs within large organizations.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills with exceptional attention to detail and commitment to data integrity.
Proficient in leveraging agentic AI tools for strategic planning and analytical workflows.
Experience with resource planning, headcount management, budgeting, forecasting, and operational reporting.
Ability to influence stakeholders and build strong partnerships across Engineering, Finance, Recruiting, People Business Partners, Business Operations, and Tooling teams.
Strong communication and executive presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear business insights.
Experience partnering with engineering tools teams to define business requirements and deliver reporting or analytics solutions.
Proficiency in Excel and Keynote.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Workday, Tableau, or similar analytics platforms is a plus.

Responsibilities

Drive operational excellence across resource planning, headcount strategy, budgeting, and business operations.
Partner closely with Engineering leadership, Engineering PMs, Finance, Recruiting, People Business Partners, and tools development teams.
Deliver data-driven insights, scalable processes, and technology solutions that enable informed business decisions.
Lead programs that improve resource planning, reporting, and business operations.
Develop scalable processes, analytics, and technology solutions.
Leverage data and agentic AI tools to streamline planning, automate analytical workflows, improve reporting quality, and generate actionable insights that support executive decision-making.
Balance strategic thinking with operational execution.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
Drive initiatives that enable the organization to scale effectively.
Partner with engineering tools teams to define business requirements and deliver reporting or analytics solutions.