Machine Learning Engineer, Natural Language Generation

On the Input Experience NLP team, we build the language models that underpin intelligent text input and composition across Apple platforms, from keyboard autocorrection to the Writing Tools and Smart Reply features announced at WWDC 2024. We believe that generative AI is an incredibly promising technology that can help people communicate effectively and express themselves clearly, and we have only just begun to incorporate this technology into our products. On our team, you will help build the future and have a voice in what shape it takes. We are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to help our ML models better serve the full range of our customers, across languages, writing styles, and other personal context, in a privacy-preserving way. You will build and refine the training and evaluation pipelines that define our slice of Apple Intelligence, driving the focused iteration that makes the user experience magical. You will join an ambitious, organized, and collaborative team in a unique position to integrate the latest innovations from the ML community and work on features that reach everyday users, including your family and friends. You'll work closely with teams across Apple, collaborating on human interfaces, user studies, internationalization, ML technologies, system integration, and more. Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other's ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It's the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you'll do more than join something-you'll add something.

Description As a Machine Learning Engineer on our team, you will enable next-generation AI applications by building toolkits and workflows that scale to increasingly sophisticated modeling tasks. You will design the abstractions and implement the algorithms that facilitate efficient data synthesis, data curation, prompt engineering, and model evaluation. You will contribute to a company-wide effort to build robust modeling pipelines that optimize our ability to iterate rapidly and continuously deliver improvements to our customers. Finally, you will help define and refine new features that expand both the depth of Apple Intelligence's capabilities and the breadth of its support for the full spectrum of Apple customers. Key responsibilities: * Development and maintenance of data and model pipelines that scale to deployment in production * Building toolkits for iterating on model quality via data synthesis and prompt engineering * Definition of robust automated evaluation mechanisms to facilitate hillclimbing on model quality * Failure analysis from user feedback to understand shortcomings of our models and evaluation data * Research into state-of-the-art techniques for improving model quality and robustness * Implementation of experiments and simulations to assess the value of model changes

Minimum Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Computer Science or related field with at least 2 years of industry experience
• Strong Python programming skills, with experience developing production-quality Python modules
• Experience building and maintaining model pipelines end-to-end, from data curation to evaluation
• Solid background in machine learning, data science, natural language processing, or statistics

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in MLOps and a passion for software quality, based on CI/CD principles
• Familiarity with LLMs, such as SFT, RHLF, prompt engineering, data synthesis, automatic evaluation, and RAG
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• History of developing Python packages and supporting users and other teams
• Background in linguistics, fluency in multiple languages, or a passion for scaling NLP features for global audiences

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 $135,400 and $250,600, 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 take affirmative action to ensure 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.