Senior Engineering Program Manager, Lead , Service Special Projects

Apple • Cupertino, CA

9h

About The Position

Lead the launch and delivery of an ambitious, multi-year engineering program. Own end-to-end program management for a large, cross-functional initiative spanning client software, backend services, large-scale data systems, applied machine learning, evaluation, tooling, and platform engineering. Build and maintain the plan of record—including the roadmap, milestones, dependencies, risks, and executive narrative—and establish the operating cadence that keeps teams aligned and accountable.

The role requires technical fluency to engage in architectural reviews and scoping discussions, read engineering designs, assess trade-offs, and translate technical discussions into clear leadership updates. Identify program drift early and drive corrective action. As a lead, shape program-management practices, mentor junior EPMs, standardize progress tracking, and improve planning and communication. The role is not expected to write production code.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience developing program plans and managing complex, cross-functional engineering programs in a technical product environment.
• At least 3 years in a lead- or principal-level capacity.
• 5+ years leading AI-first programs end to end, where machine-learning or large-language-model systems deliver core product value and planning, scoping, and quality depend on model behavior and evaluation.
• Demonstrated experience managing programs end to end across multiple engineering disciplines, including client, services, data, applied ML, platform, and tooling.
• Strong technical depth, including the ability to read engineering design documents, follow architectural discussions across disciplines, and reason independently about trade-offs, dependencies, and risks.
• Working knowledge of the modern AI stack, including model training and evaluation lifecycles, offline and online metrics, model data pipelines, latency/cost trade-offs, and the distinction between research results and production-ready capabilities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience writing concise executive updates and presenting technical narratives to senior leadership.
• BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree.

Responsibilities

• Create and own the plan of record, including roadmap, milestones, dependencies, and critical path, for a program involving dozens of engineers and multiple partner teams.
• Manage a cross-functional engineering initiative spanning client, services, data, applied ML, platform, and tooling disciplines.
• Drive AI/ML capabilities from research prototype through evaluation, hardening, and production launch, with explicit quality bars and rollback criteria.
• Identify risks early, develop mitigation strategies, and resolve conflicts across senior technical stakeholders.
• Navigate ambiguity and create clarity as scope, requirements, and priorities evolve.
• Track parallel workstreams and maintain visibility into program progress.
• Influence and align teams without direct authority, including engineers, architects, applied researchers, and cross-functional leaders.
• Establish scalable operating rhythms, including planning cycles, review cadences, escalation paths, and post-mortems.
• Present technical status, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly and honestly to executive audiences.
• Mentor junior EPMs, standardize progress tracking, and raise the bar for program planning and communication.
• Identify program drift and drive corrective action.

What This Job Offers

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