Senior Manager, AI Data Operations

Apple • Austin, TX

10d

About The Position

Imagine what you could do here! The people here at Apple don’t just create
products — they build the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire
industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the
innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to
industry-leading environmental efforts. At Apple, inclusion is a shared
responsibility, and we work together to develop a culture where everyone belongs
and is inspired to do their best work. Here on the Apple Store Online team, we
are responsible for Apple’s largest store. Our main goal is to deliver a
magical, personal digital experience where customers can shop, buy and learn
everything Apple, wherever they are. Each customer should feel like they are our
only customer and our job is to set the bar for the experience they receive. To
run such an extraordinary store, it takes extraordinary people, and we are
looking for someone to help us do extraordinary things. Apple's Retail Decision
Automation team is looking for an outstanding and experienced Program Manager of
AI Data Operations who is passionate about delivering production-grade machine
learning and analytics solutions. You'll partner across technical and program
teams to manage an organization of data domain experts. Our work in decision
automation powers a broad portfolio of Retail initiatives, all with the common
goal of enriching and reimagining our customer experience.

You will lead an organization of internal domain experts, building scalable
annotation programs that balance accuracy and speed while maintaining quality
standards. You will partner closely with Engineering, Data Science, and Programs
to translate evolving system requirements into robust audit pipelines, tooling
strategies, and measurable performance lift.

Requirements

• MS in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Math or a related field 8+ years of people management of data scientists, statisticians, or other analysis-related teams.
• 10-12 Years in AI data operations or ML program leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale annotation or data operations teams.
• Skilled at attracting new talent, as well as developing talent within the team and planning for succession.
• Builds a culture where values guide decisions, people are put first, and innovation drives quality results.
• Communicates with humility and curiosity, creating an environment where people feel safe to share feedback openly.
• Strong understanding of ML lifecycle, model evaluation metrics, and feedback loops.
• Proven track record building scalable quality systems in high-growth environments.
• Ability to influence cross-functional technical leaders and executives.
• Deep analytical mindset with comfort in ambiguity and rapid iteration environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing RLHF or structured human feedback programs.
• Background in large language model evaluation and red-teaming.
• Familiarity with synthetic data strategies.
• Exposure to the software development lifecycle or internal tooling investments.
• Prior experience managing a data operations team.

Responsibilities

• Lead an organization of internal domain experts, building scalable annotation programs that balance accuracy and speed while maintaining quality standards.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Data Science, and Programs to translate evolving system requirements into robust audit pipelines, tooling strategies, and measurable performance lift.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager