Senior Machine Learning Manager, Generative

Santa Clara, California, United States Machine Learning and AI

At Apple, we are committed to crafting products that provide an exceptional user experience. The Generative Experiences team is at the forefront of this mission, dedicated to revolutionizing how users discover and engage with information on Siri, Spotlight, and Safari platforms. Our objective is to create experiences that transcend the traditional role of tools, fostering more akin to conversations with knowledgeable experts.

We are a deeply collaborative group of engineers, scientists, designers, and product managers who are passionate about solving some of the most challenging and exciting problems in AI today .

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Machine Learning Manager to lead a core team of engineers developing the next generation of our generative AI-powered search and discovery products. As a leader passionate about the intersection of machine learning, user experience, and product innovation, you will be a critical partner to Product and Design in defining an exceptional generative experience. You will guide your team through the complexities of a rapidly evolving field, establishing a clear technical vision and roadmap to transform ambitious ideas into reliable, scalable, and captivating products for millions of users.

• Recruitment, Management, and Growth:
  Oversee the recruitment, management, and development of a high-performing team of machine learning engineers, ensuring their technical proficiency and career advancement.
• Product Shaping:
  Collaborate closely with Product Management and Design leaders to define the product vision, strategy and user experience for our generative AI features. Champion a user-centric approach in all technical decisions.
• Technical Roadmap Development:
  Develop and execute a comprehensive long-term technical roadmap for your team, translating ambiguous business objectives into tangible milestones and guiding the transition from research to production.
• Excellence in Execution:
  Lead cross-functional initiatives, fostering alignment across engineering, research, and infrastructure teams to deliver complex, high-impact projects on time and within budget.
• Innovation and Exploration:
  Stay at the forefront of generative AI research, including areas such as RAG, fine-tuning, agentic systems, and evaluation, identify and prototype novel techniques and technologies that can enhance product experiences.
• ML Lifecycle Management:
  Oversee the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle, encompassing data strategy , prototyping, system development, deployment, and monitoring of production-scale systems. Define and implement robust evaluation frameworks to assess model quality , user satisfaction, and business impact.

• 6+ years of experience in a formal management role, leading teams of machine learning engineers or research scientists.
• Experience building and shipping production-level ML systems related to Natural Language Processing (NLP), Search, or Information Retrieval.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects, with a history of successful collaboration with Product Management, Design, and other engineering leadership.
• Proven ability to take ambiguous, high-level product goals and define a clear vision, strategy , and actionable roadmap for a technical team.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• Direct, hands-on experience building and deploying systems using Large Language Models (LLMs), such as retrieval- augmented generation (RAG), fine-tuning, or agent-based systems.
• A strong portfolio or demonstrated history of influencing product direction by championing user experience, especially in the context of generative AI or search products.
• Deep expertise in designing novel evaluation methodologies and metrics for generative models, encompassing both offline analysis and online A/B testing for user-facing experiences.
• A track record of staying current with…