Senior System Engineer

Cupertino, California, United StatesSenior$150,400 - $277,6005+ years

Apple's Compositing, Color, and Display Software organization provides the graphics software foundation for all of Apple's innovative products, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Our goal is to enable developers and UI designers to create exceptional visual experiences by efficiently utilizing hardware acceleration and color technologies through compositing and display. We're a highly technical team working on critical compositing and windowing system components across Apple's platforms. Our mission is to maintain and evolve the compositing infrastructure that powers billions of devices. We tackle challenging problems in scheduler architecture, event processing, security rendering, hardware integration, and legacy system support while maintaining the high-quality standards our users expect. If you are passionate about building efficient compositing systems, optimizing for new hardware capabilities, and great battery life for millions of users worldwide, we want to hear from you. If you're excited about working across the full spectrum of compositing challenges—from scheduler design to event handling to security features—this role is for you.

We're seeking an exceptional senior software engineer who combines deep technical expertise with versatility and strong leadership to work across our UI Compositing team. You will contribute to the core compositing infrastructure that powers all Apple devices, working on challenges that span from low-level system optimization to cross-platform feature development. This role requires the ability to context-switch between different technical domains while maintaining the same high standards of quality and performance. As part of the UI Compositing team, you will play a central role within our graphics stack. Your work will span multiple areas of compositing infrastructure—optimizing how frames are scheduled and displayed, implementing visual security features, handling user input events, and maintaining critical system code. You'll work on problems that balance performance with battery life, ensure security and privacy, and maintain the reliability of systems that billions of users depend on daily. Partnering with GPU driver teams, Display teams, and Metal framework engineers, you'll help shape compositing infrastructure across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Our team values versatility, deep technical expertise, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. We work in complex codebases where autonomy, strong debugging skills, and the willingness to dive deep into intricate system-level code are essential. The ability to move fluidly between different technical challenges and work across the full compositing stack is critical to success in this role.

Contribute to core compositing infrastructure across multiple technical areas of the team
Work on performance optimization including frame scheduling and display synchronization across iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS
Design and implement compositing features that balance visual quality, battery life, and hardware capabilities
Build system features that ensure security and privacy for users
Work on input handling and event processing systems
Maintain and evolve critical system code, balancing modernization with stability and compatibility
Drive technical decisions on complex cross-platform compositing challenges
Work with new hardware capabilities including advanced display technologies
Identify and resolve compositing issues across the codebase through systematic debugging and root cause analysis
Collaborate with GPU driver teams, Display teams, and Metal framework engineers
Navigate seamlessly between different Apple platform codebases and technical domains
Champion clean, maintainable solutions and contribute to knowledge transfer initiatives
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance across compositing areas

5+ years of experience in software development with strong systems programming background
Deep familiarity with Unix environments, system programming, and low-level debugging
Proficiency in C/C++ with understanding of memory management, threading, and performance optimization
Strong debugging skills with ability to trace complex issues through multiple layers of abstraction using tools like lldb, dtrace, and Instruments
Experience with performance analysis and optimizations.
Understanding of compositing, frame timing, vsync, and display technologies
Proven track record of leading technical initiatives and driving projects from concept to completion
Demonstrated ability to work across multiple technical domains and context-switch effectively
Self-driven approach to testing, validation, and ensuring code quality
Demonstrated ability to mentor others and provide technical leadership
Bachelor's or Master's degree or equivalent in Computer Science or related field

Experience with compositing systems, scheduler design, or graphics infrastructure
Experience with GPU Programming, Metal, or modern graphics APIs
Familiarity with advanced display technologies and variable refresh rate systems
Understanding of display hardware and GPU architectures
Experience with event-driven systems and input handling
Experience working with large legacy codebases and incremental modernization strategies
Experience working across multiple Apple platforms (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS)
Experience integrating software with hardware capabilities
Proven ability to define processes and drive automation to increase productivity
Experience shipping consumer products at scale and working across hardware and software
Versatility to work across different technical areas and problem domains

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $150,400 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace

Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.

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