Machine Learning Manager - AI, Search & Knowledge Platforms

This position offers an opportunity to shape the landscape of Apple Intelligence at a critical moment in the AI field. We are looking for a leader who champions Customer Focus, Collaboration, and Accountability to drive meaningful product impact. In this role, you will lead a hybrid team of machine learning engineers and backend software developers. Your focus will be not only on the technical capabilities of modern LLMs and ML, but also on how these technologies integrate into Apple's server stack to deliver real value to users. You will lead your team to understand user needs deeply, actively respond to user feedback, continuously iterate to improve service quality, and innovate to enrich people's lives. As a manager, your team's success and growth is your number one priority. You will foster an inclusive environment built on open discussion and psychological safety, inspiring your team to take courageous technical risks. By recognizing achievements and connecting your engineers to the broader impact of their work, you will help them hold themselves to the highest Apple standards of craftsmanship. You are a hands-on, detail-oriented leader who is able to drive both your team and advanced AI agents to deliver exceptional product outcomes. You will act as a key collaborator across globally distributed organizations, bridging local initiatives with global platform, product, and research teams to deliver uniquely Apple experiences. Minimum Qualifications 10+ years of professional experience building hybrid systems that blend robust software engineering with machine learning, including 5+ years of technical leadership or engineering management experience. Proficient in designing, building, and maintaining scalable, high-throughput, and highly reliable backend systems in modern languages (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or C++). Strong practical understanding of how to integrate modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Jax) and LLMs into production server pipelines to build smart capabilities (e.g., retrieval-augmented generation, intent classification). Proven track record of leveraging telemetry, behavioral data, and user feedback to shape engineering roadmaps and drive product evolution. Extensive experience working in a multi-lingual work environment, fostering an open and inclusive culture, and leading cross-cultural communications with globally distributed teams. Fluent in both English and Mandarin (written and verbal). Preferred Qualifications M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, or related technical field. Practical experience in designing, building, and deploying real-world AI agents, multi-agent orchestration frameworks, or task-oriented autonomous systems. Experience in building or operating search engines, information retrieval platforms, or natural language understanding systems at scale.