Staff Software Engineer Jobs at Apple with Visa Sponsorship
Staff Software Engineer jobs at Apple sit at the intersection of deep systems work and massive-scale product impact, covering everything from silicon-level firmware to distributed cloud infrastructure. Apple has a strong track record of sponsoring international engineers across multiple visa categories, making it a realistic target for skilled candidates who need work authorization.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Apple Data Platform team, part of the Services organization, powers analytics and machine learning across Apple. Our mission is to deliver cutting-edge, reliable, and user-friendly infrastructure for data ingestion, storage, processing, and interaction, enabling teams to build data-intensive applications with ease and success.
This role sits within the Data Lakehouse team, a part of the Apple Data Platform. The team provides a fully managed Lakehouse solution powered by Apache Iceberg, Iceberg REST Catalog, and custom-built services to manage data at scale. Our platform supports both analytical and machine learning workloads across Apple, serving key products and organizations including Siri, Search, Media, iCloud, News, Apple Intelligence, and Maps. We continuously innovate to meet evolving customer needs and market trends.
We seek engineers passionate about building world-class infrastructure products. In this role, you will lead the data lakehouse team, guiding team members in both technical and professional growth. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to lead the planning, execution, and success of technical projects, with a focus on enhancing the experience for Apple’s internal customers.
DESCRIPTION
The ideal candidate will have outstanding communication skills, proven data infrastructure/platform design and implementation capabilities, strong business acumen, and an innate drive to deliver results. He/she will be a self-starter, comfortable with ambiguity and will enjoy working in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
Responsibilities
- Build and operate Apple’s largest data platform supporting exabyte scale.
- Scale and operationalize the largest custom build multi-tenant, highly secure, privacy enabled Data Lakehouse.
- Ensure data platform offers reliable high quality data with consistent SLAs with good monitoring, alerting and incident response and continual investment to reduce tech-debt.
- Write code, documentation, participate in code reviews, and mentor other engineers.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- 10+ years of experience in design and development of scaling, and operation of distributed systems, including technologies like Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink, and Iceberg, along with resource management systems like Kubernetes or AWS EKS.
- Proficient in Java or Scala.
- Proficient in Apache Iceberg and Iceberg Rest Catalog specification.
- Proven expertise in designing and developing scalable, reliable APIs.
- A hands-on approach with a willingness to engage in daily technical work.
- Contributions to Open-Source projects like Apache Iceberg are a plus.
- Skilled at debugging complex issues in large-scale distributed systems.
- Driven by a passion for building reliable, maintainable, and user-friendly products and services.
- Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple teams and functions.
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related technical discipline.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Expertise in public cloud platform’s like AWS, S3, EKS, IAM.
- Contributor to open source technologies like Spark or Iceberg.
- Expertise in building Lakehouse for large scale data platforms.
- Experience with development of Iceberg Rest Catalogs like Apache Polaris, Graviton etc.
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 $175,000 and $308,500, 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.
INTRODUCTION
The Apple Data Platform team, part of the Services organization, powers analytics and machine learning across Apple. Our mission is to deliver cutting-edge, reliable, and user-friendly infrastructure for data ingestion, storage, processing, and interaction, enabling teams to build data-intensive applications with ease and success.
This role sits within the Data Lakehouse team, a part of the Apple Data Platform. The team provides a fully managed Lakehouse solution powered by Apache Iceberg, Iceberg REST Catalog, and custom-built services to manage data at scale. Our platform supports both analytical and machine learning workloads across Apple, serving key products and organizations including Siri, Search, Media, iCloud, News, Apple Intelligence, and Maps. We continuously innovate to meet evolving customer needs and market trends.
We seek engineers passionate about building world-class infrastructure products. In this role, you will lead the data lakehouse team, guiding team members in both technical and professional growth. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to lead the planning, execution, and success of technical projects, with a focus on enhancing the experience for Apple’s internal customers.
DESCRIPTION
The ideal candidate will have outstanding communication skills, proven data infrastructure/platform design and implementation capabilities, strong business acumen, and an innate drive to deliver results. He/she will be a self-starter, comfortable with ambiguity and will enjoy working in a fast-paced dynamic environment.
Responsibilities
- Build and operate Apple’s largest data platform supporting exabyte scale.
- Scale and operationalize the largest custom build multi-tenant, highly secure, privacy enabled Data Lakehouse.
- Ensure data platform offers reliable high quality data with consistent SLAs with good monitoring, alerting and incident response and continual investment to reduce tech-debt.
- Write code, documentation, participate in code reviews, and mentor other engineers.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- 10+ years of experience in design and development of scaling, and operation of distributed systems, including technologies like Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink, and Iceberg, along with resource management systems like Kubernetes or AWS EKS.
- Proficient in Java or Scala.
- Proficient in Apache Iceberg and Iceberg Rest Catalog specification.
- Proven expertise in designing and developing scalable, reliable APIs.
- A hands-on approach with a willingness to engage in daily technical work.
- Contributions to Open-Source projects like Apache Iceberg are a plus.
- Skilled at debugging complex issues in large-scale distributed systems.
- Driven by a passion for building reliable, maintainable, and user-friendly products and services.
- Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple teams and functions.
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related technical discipline.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Expertise in public cloud platform’s like AWS, S3, EKS, IAM.
- Contributor to open source technologies like Spark or Iceberg.
- Expertise in building Lakehouse for large scale data platforms.
- Experience with development of Iceberg Rest Catalogs like Apache Polaris, Graviton etc.
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 $175,000 and $308,500, 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.
See all 129+ Staff Software Engineer Jobs at Apple
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Staff Software Engineer Jobs at Apple.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Staff Software Engineer Jobs at Apple
Tailor your resume to Apple's engineering domains
Apple's Staff Software Engineer roles cluster around specific pillars: OS frameworks, silicon performance, Maps, Siri, and iCloud infrastructure. Align your resume to one of these tracks rather than presenting a generalist profile. Hiring teams evaluate depth, not breadth.
Verify your degree meets specialty occupation standards
USCIS requires a direct relationship between your degree field and the role. For Apple's Staff-level positions, a computer science, electrical engineering, or closely related degree strengthens your petition. A mismatched degree can trigger an H-1B request for evidence even after an offer is extended.
Identify Apple teams that match your visa category
Apple sponsors H-1B1 visa for Singaporean and Chilean nationals and E-3 for Australians alongside standard H-1B. If you qualify for one of these cap-exempt or lower-competition categories, target Apple teams actively recruiting in your specialty so the role-to-visa fit is clear from the first conversation.
Time your application around Apple's fiscal hiring cycles
Apple's engineering headcount approvals typically accelerate in Q1 and Q4 of its fiscal year. Starting your outreach in September through November positions you well ahead of H-1B cap-subject filing in April, giving your employer time to prepare the Labor Condition Application with DOL.
Clarify sponsorship scope before your final interview round
Apple's recruiting process for Staff engineers includes a system design and coding loop. Before your final loop, confirm with your recruiter whether the role supports your specific visa type. Some teams have headcount approved only for transfer cases, which affects whether a new H-1B petition or an H-1B transfer applies to you.
Use Migrate Mate to find open Staff Software Engineer roles at Apple
Filtering for roles by employer and visa type saves significant time during your search. Migrate Mate lets you browse Staff Software Engineer openings at Apple verified for sponsorship, so you're targeting positions where authorization is already part of the hiring process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Apple sponsor H-1B visas for Staff Software Engineers?
Yes, Apple sponsors H-1B visas for Staff Software Engineers. Apple participates in the annual H-1B cap lottery for new applicants and also files H-1B transfers for engineers moving from other sponsoring employers. Staff-level roles typically involve specialized technical work that meets USCIS specialty occupation criteria, which supports a stronger petition. Your offer letter and job description should clearly reflect the technical depth required at this level.
How do I apply for Staff Software Engineer jobs at Apple?
Applications go through Apple's careers portal, where Staff Software Engineer roles are listed by team and location. The interview process involves an initial recruiter screen, a technical phone interview, and an onsite or virtual loop covering coding, system design, and a behavioral round. You can also find Apple's open roles filtered by visa sponsorship eligibility on Migrate Mate, which simplifies identifying positions where sponsorship is part of the hiring process.
Which visa types does Apple commonly sponsor for Staff Software Engineer roles?
Apple sponsors H-1B, H-1B1 visa (for Singapore and Chile nationals), E-3 visa (for Australian citizens), and TN visas for Staff Software Engineers, along with F-1 OPT and CPT for recent graduates. For longer-term work authorization, Apple also supports EB-2 and EB-3 Green Card sponsorship. The right category depends on your nationality, degree, and whether you're already in the U.S. on a current status.
What qualifications does Apple expect for a Staff Software Engineer?
Staff Software Engineer is a senior individual contributor level at Apple, typically requiring substantial industry experience building production systems at scale. Apple's job descriptions at this level emphasize deep expertise in a specific domain, such as operating systems, distributed systems, compiler infrastructure, or hardware-software interfaces. A relevant bachelor's degree is the baseline requirement for H-1B sponsorship, but most candidates at this level hold advanced degrees or have equivalent experience Apple can document for USCIS.
How do I think about timing if I'm on F-1 OPT and targeting Apple?
If you're on F-1 OPT, your authorization window matters. Standard OPT gives you 12 months of work authorization, while STEM OPT extends that by 24 months, giving you up to three H-1B lottery cycles to get selected. Apple routinely sponsors H-1B cap-subject petitions for OPT employees, but you need your OPT start date to align with an April filing and an October 1 start. Apply to Apple well before your OPT end date to allow time for the Labor Condition Application and USCIS processing.