Systems Engineer - Camera & Edit, Apple Reference Image

About the job

Help build the system that proves a photo is real.

Imagine a photo that carries cryptographic proof it came from an Apple device sensor and hasn’t been altered. We’re building that. This is one of Apple’s most ambitious security, cryptography, and imaging initiatives. The system reaches from the image sensor, through on-device capture and RAW pipelines, into Private Cloud Compute (PCC) for processing and signing. It ends in the viewing and sharing experiences on iOS and macOS. Newsrooms, wire services, and everyday users will rely on it.

We’re looking for a Systems Engineer to own key parts of the architecture and the integration across the stack. You’ll work across hardware security, cloud infrastructure, and application behavior. You’ll partner with the project DRI and own specific systems-level work streams. You’ll also help several teams stay aligned on a system that is secure, coherent, and shippable.

In this role you’ll be expected to:

• Contribute to and help maintain the systems architecture for Reference Image, spanning sensor-level signing, on-device RAW capture pipelines, and cloud-based development in PCC.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of cryptographic key rotation, certificate lifecycle management, and revocation frameworks.
• Work closely with Security and Privacy teams to help threat-model end-to-end media authenticity workflows, evaluating cryptographic integrity, data privacy, and downstream non-destructive edit handling.
• Help evaluate and advance standard and extended image container formats to support secure provenance and authenticity metadata.
• Coordinate with PCC/Cloud infrastructure teams on specific integration points to ensure the signing and certificate infrastructure scales and meets the security bar.
• Represent your work stream's technical tradeoffs in cross-functional forums (Photos, Camera Capture, ISP/hardware, QA, Privacy, Legal, Marketing), proactively identifying and resolving cross-team technical dependencies and blockers.
• Contribute to scoping and planning for future hardware generations under the direction of the DRI.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, and 5+ years of industry experience
• Working knowledge of cryptographic signing and verification: certificates, secure boot, key management, and revocation
• Comfort working closely with Security and Privacy teams
• Ability to work with many stakeholder teams (hardware, platform software, cloud, privacy, legal, QA) on ambiguous, changing requirements, and to keep the DRI informed of key tradeoffs and risks
• Strong communication skills. You can explain deep technical tradeoffs clearly to engineers and to non-engineers such as Legal, Marketing, and Support.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with image and media pipelines, including RAW processing, ISP behavior, and DNG, JPEG, and HEIF formats
• Experience with distributed cloud infrastructure and confidential compute environments (PCC or similar)
• Familiarity with trusted time stamping and its role in chain of custody for signed data
• Hands-on experience with certificate issuance, validation, and revocation workflows
• Experience shipping flagship security or trust features across multiple operating systems
• Familiarity with international privacy and regulatory requirements that affect feature availability by region
• Experience building or evolving third-party applications that use sensitive capabilities
• Willingness to write code to fill gaps on the team
• Comfort in a fast-moving, evolving system with real security stakes and public visibility, such as newsroom and wire-service use cases

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 $184,700 and $324,800, 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.

EEO Statement

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote 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

Accessibility

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

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Application Deadline

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.