This role pays more than
89%
of similar roles. Most pay
$168,550–$243,600
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$290k
versus about
$206k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About Apple Inc
Apple Inc. is a multinational technology company known for designing and manufacturing consumer electronics, software, and online services, including the iPhone, Mac, iPad, and App Store. Industry: Consumer Electronics & Software
Apple Inc currently has
1984 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$175,000–$277,600
across 1590 roles with salary data.
As the Senior Engineering Program Manager, Lead - Service Special Projects, you will serve as the connective tissue across engineering, research, design, and business functions to drive a multi-year, large-scale initiative. You will own the end-to-end program management for cross-functional efforts spanning client software, backend services, data systems, applied machine learning, evaluation, tooling, and platform engineering. Your daily work involves building plans of record, managing roadmaps, identifying risks, and translating complex technical discussions into executive narratives. You must possess deep technical literacy in the modern AI stack, including model training, evaluation lifecycles, and data pipelines to move systems from research prototypes to production-ready capabilities. Additionally, you will mentor other program managers and standardize tracking processes while navigating ambiguity to align senior stakeholders on critical path milestones and high-stakes architectural trade-offs.
Create and own the plan of record, including roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, and critical paths for large-scale programs.
Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of AI/ML capabilities from research prototypes through production hardening and launch.
Identify project risks early and develop mitigation strategies while resolving conflicts among senior technical stakeholders.
Translate complex technical discussions into concise summaries and executive narratives for leadership.
Establish durable operating rhythms, including planning cycles, review cadences, and escalation paths.
Influence and align cross-functional teams across engineering, research, design, and business functions without direct authority.
Mentor other program managers and standardize how progress is tracked and communicated across the organization.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree required.
At least 15 years of experience developing program plans and managing complex, cross-functional engineering programs in a technical product environment.
At least 3 years of experience in a lead or principal-level capacity.
Experience leading end-to-end AI-first programs involving machine learning or large language model systems.
Experience running programs spanning multiple disciplines including client, services, data, applied ML, platform, and tooling.
Technical depth to read design documents, follow architectural discussions, and reason about trade-offs and risks.
Literacy with the modern AI stack, including training/evaluation lifecycles, data pipelines, and latency/cost trade-offs.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for delivering technical narratives to executive leadership.