Software Engineering Manager, Apple Streaming Platform and Solutions

Apple • Seattle, WA

1d

About The Position

Apple is seeking an experienced software engineering leader for the Streaming Platform and Solutions team within the ASE Data Services organization. The team builds and operates reliable, scalable, low-latency data infrastructure supporting services including Apple Music, TV, and Podcasts. Its work includes real-time data streaming, large-scale data processing, and cross-datacenter replication to deliver user data to the edge with minimal latency. Apache Kafka is central to the streaming and replication infrastructure.

The manager will lead, mentor, and grow engineers working on internal platform needs and upstream open-source contributions. The role combines hands-on technical execution—including coding and design decisions—with responsibility for team development, technical standards, operational excellence, and delivery across globally distributed teams. The work supports infrastructure used by hundreds of millions of Apple users.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of software development experience, including at least 3 years in distributed systems or messaging platforms at scale.
• At least 2 years of technical leadership experience overseeing complex projects and multiple engineers.
• Proven ability to build and lead infrastructure teams with credibility and influence.
• Proficiency in Java, Scala, or another language used in Kafka development.
• Advanced understanding of algorithms, data structures, fault tolerance, and performance for large-scale messaging systems.
• Deep knowledge of Kafka broker internals, replication, partitioning, client libraries, and event delivery guarantees.
• Familiarity with distributed systems concepts, including consensus protocols, consistency models, and fault tolerance.
• Experience with multi-datacenter deployments, load balancing, quota management, and tenant isolation.
• Strong background in testing methodologies, including fault injection, property-based testing, and performance benchmarking.
• Ability to drive operational excellence, including monitoring, incident response, and long-term remediation strategies.
• Bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on expertise with Apache Kafka internals and distributed system design.

Nice To Haves

• Experience contributing to open-source projects, ideally Apache Kafka or related ecosystems.
• Familiarity with the Apache Kafka ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers; guide technical development and foster technical rigor, continuous learning, and inclusivity.
• Conduct design and code reviews and guide engineers through complex projects.
• Remain hands-on by writing code, reviewing pull requests, evaluating architectural trade-offs, and promoting best practices for performance, scalability, data consistency, and fault tolerance.
• Partner with distributed leadership and cross-functional teams across regions to translate business objectives into technical execution, unblock dependencies, and align team roadmaps with global initiatives.
• Participate in architectural reviews, incident management, and performance tuning to maintain high availability, low latency, and operational stability.
• Support engineers’ career growth and maintain high engineering standards while supporting a healthy work-life balance.
• Oversee technical execution and operational excellence across the Kafka ecosystem, including internal platform work and upstream open-source contributions.

What This Job Offers

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