Senior Computer Vision Architect

Summary

The Video Computer Vision and Video Engineering teams are centralized applied research and engineering organizations responsible for developing real-time on-device Computer Vision, Machine Perception, and Image Quality technologies for Apple products. We balance research and product development to deliver Apple quality, state-of-the-art experiences. We innovate across the full stack and partner with hardware and software teams to influence SW architecture, sensors, silicon, and PD/ID roadmaps that bring our vision to life.

Description

The Architecture team within our organization is responsible for bringing together computer vision algorithms, firmware, and low-level software teams to drive some of the most exciting programs across many Apple products! We do this by enabling the co-design of computer vision algorithms and systems through a deep understanding of the complexities and trade-offs between algorithm performance, imaging pipeline, system resources, and real-time constraints. To be successful in this role, you not only have to be an excellent engineer, but also a phenomenal collaborator—comfortable communicating with a wide range of experts and leaders across many different domains, from firmware and OS to feature and experience. Are you ready to be a part of the next big thing at Apple?

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional initiatives that turn computer vision research into production-ready features.
• Make architecture decisions that balance algorithm performance against imaging pipeline, system resources, and real-time constraints.
• Find creative solutions within system constraints that unlock new perception capabilities and maximize user value.
• Partner with hardware, software, and machine learning teams to influence their roadmaps.
• Present technical recommendations and results to senior and executive Apple leadership.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical direction across algorithm design, ISP, and embedded systems.
• Assess emerging techniques such as vision transformers, foundation models, and vision-language models for use in resource-constrained products.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, coupled with a minimum of 20 years of relevant, proven experience.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional initiatives that have successfully transformed state-of-the-art computer vision research into production-ready features.
• Deep product mindset focused on architecting technical solutions that solve real business problems and deliver high customer value.
• Deep understanding of multi-modal perception systems, sensor fusion, and diverse imaging technologies is crucial.
• Depth of expertise in one or more computer vision specialty areas that this role assesses for. These areas may include SLAM, tracking, classification, calibration, PnP-based pose estimation, scene understanding, human representation, and image enhancement.
• Strong leadership skills to drive large cross-functional efforts, resolve conflicts, and present results to the highest levels of Apple leadership. This includes demonstrating the ability to bridge the gap between high-level algorithm design and low-level system optimization, particularly in the challenging environment of optimizing image signal processing (ISP) performance under tight power and latency constraints.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record of designing custom silicon, sensors, or optics.
• Ideal candidates will have exposure to modern, innovative techniques such as vision transformers, foundation models, and vision-language models, with a strong focus on integrating these methods into resource-constrained environments.
• Experience leading real-time computer vision projects (e.g., SLAM, tracking, classification, calibration, PnP-based pose estimation, scene understanding, human representation, and image enhancement) or low-level software development for ISP organizations.