Cloud Solutions Architect Jobs in California

INTRODUCTION

Would you call yourself cloud native and does cloud solutions architecture excite you? Do you love crafting elegant solutions to complex challenges? Do you understand the business aspects of building and operating cutting edge cloud services?

The Cloud Infrastructure Business Operations team sits at the intersection of business and technology and we enable Apple’s engineers to deliver incredible experiences to our customers. We collaborate with engineers and business partners from across Apple and provide cloud infrastructure guidance and decision support.

DESCRIPTION

In this role, you will help Apple engineering teams design and implement solutions for complex technical challenges. You will provide strategic direction, mitigate risks, and deliver solutions tailored to business needs. Whether migrating existing workloads or building advanced cloud-native architectures, you will play a critical role in improving agility, enhancing security, optimizing costs, and ensuring efficient cloud utilization.

You bring a balance of technical depth and strong interpersonal skills to drive collaboration across the organization. You will work closely with engineering, infrastructure, platform, and operations teams to align on architecture and best practices. Your focus will be on guiding teams through key architectural decisions and ensuring the effective use of cloud computing services to maximize business value.

Responsibilities

• Work on cloud solutions at Apple scale that back world-class services and be a consultant to service teams like iCloud, Siri, or Apple TV+.
• Work in a hybrid- and truly multi-cloud environment spanning Apple’s private cloud services and public cloud providers. Your career development will no longer be limited to a particular provider and there is no sales pressure.
• Help build services that see privacy as a fundamental right and protect user data at all cost.
• Engage with engineering teams and derive big picture guidance and best practices for cloud infrastructure use.
• Provide insights and guidance to engineering teams that help shape Apple’s cloud services.
• Join an emerging team of solution architects that grows and takes shape with you and appreciates your experience.
• Work with Apple engineering teams across the globe without requiring domestic or international travel.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience designing and deploying scalable solutions architectures, with a focus on distributed systems and cloud-native technologies.

Experience with major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and their core services, including security and cost optimization best practices.

Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) for pod-based service deployment and operations.

Experience with cloud migrations, including refactoring existing workloads and designing new cloud-native applications.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Advanced Degree (Master’s or PhD) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.

Strong problem-solving and risk mitigation skills, with the ability to assess trade-offs in architectural decisions.

Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple teams to drive alignment on architecture and operations.

Excellent communication and consulting skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Experience leading technical engagements and guiding teams through complex cloud transformations.

Experience as a solutions architect covering major cloud service providers and their infrastructure and platform service portfolios.

Experience optimizing cloud infrastructure to balance cost, security, and performance while meeting utilization targets.

Ability to analyze large data sets to provide insights that drive architectural and operational decisions.

Deep understanding of GPU acceleration and high-performance computing, including experience with NVIDIA GPUs like A100, H100, L40, and emerging architectures, as well as cloud-specific accelerators like AWS Inferentia, AWS Trainium, and Google TPUs.

Familiarity with large language models (LLMs), transformer architectures, and generative AI frameworks.

Understanding of data lake architectures and real-time analytics platforms, including open-source solutions like Apache Hadoop, Apache Iceberg, and Trino.

PAY & BENEFITS

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 $171,600 and $302,200, 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.