Director of Privacy Engineering

Summary

At Apple, privacy is a fundamental human right and one of our core values, and we treat it as an opportunity for innovation and design rather than an exercise in compliance. Where others see privacy as a constraint to satisfy, we see it as a problem worth inventing for, engineered into our products and services from the start. That mindset led Apple to pioneer Private Cloud Compute and to deploy differential privacy at scale, and it continues to raise the bar for what privacy engineering can achieve. Apple's Services Engineering organization is home to App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud, and more, touching hundreds of millions of lives every day, and privacy is a cornerstone of all of it. We are seeking an exceptional privacy engineering leader who sees privacy as an engine for innovation and is ready to be at the center of that commitment for Apple Services.

Minimum Qualifications

15+ years of software development experience, including 5+ years leading engineering organizations with multiple layers of management and 3+ years in privacy leadership. Proven track record of recruiting, developing leadership talent, and building high-performing engineering cultures at scale. Deep expertise designing, building, and operating large-scale privacy systems, tools, and infrastructure, with strong instincts for technical excellence and software development best practices. Command of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) such as differential privacy, federated learning, on-device processing, tokenization, and data de-identification. Ability to shift seamlessly between deep technical details and big-picture strategy, with the judgment to know when each is required. Exceptional communication skills: able to drive clarity in ambiguity, distill complex concepts concisely, and engage stakeholders at all levels. Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with a track record of influencing outcomes across diverse organizations without direct authority. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field

Preferred Qualifications

Proven ability to manage a broad set of stakeholders, balancing competing priorities and consistently delivering the systems and support each needs to succeed. Experience navigating privacy challenges specific to AI/ML, including training data governance and model inference privacy. Strong platform product sensibility: the ability to think holistically about developer experience, adoption, and business impact, not just technical or regulatory constraints. Experience developing privacy strategy collaboratively, balancing competing trade-offs, and influencing company-wide technical direction. Track record of building privacy programs from the ground up and scaling their impact across large organizations. Strong understanding of privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA. Experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams. Prior experience at a consumer technology company where privacy is treated as a product value, not just a compliance obligation.

Description

You will lead a talented group of engineers and specialists whose systems, tools, and techniques enable teams across Apple Services Engineering to deliver features and product measurement while meeting the highest privacy standards. You and your team will represent and champion Apple's privacy values alongside Engineering, Security, Compliance, Legal, Product, and other functions, educating product teams, guiding them to privacy-preserving solutions, and providing tools they can build on. In this high-visibility role, you will serve as a privacy authority and trusted advisor to leadership across the company, shaping product decisions, driving organization-wide privacy investments, and influencing programs that impact billions of users worldwide. As AI features grow rapidly, new privacy challenges emerge. You and your team will meet these challenges by working across disciplines to invent approaches that protect privacy on this new frontier. If you are energized by working at massive scale and turning privacy into an engine for innovation at one of the world's most influential companies, this role was made for you.

Responsibilities

Lead the privacy engineering organization, setting technical direction, defining team structure, and building a culture of ownership, craft, and continuous improvement. Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional talent. Direct the design, development, and operation of privacy-enabling services, tools, and platforms across Apple Services Engineering, upholding high standards for quality, reliability, and scale. Develop broad, foundational approaches that make privacy the default in product development, so the systems that teams build on are privacy-preserving by design. Build trusted relationships with the stakeholders and partners who depend on your organization, across Engineering, Security, Compliance, Legal, Product, and Apple's central privacy function, understanding their needs and consistently delivering the value they rely on. Establish privacy guidance and best practices suited to Apple Services Engineering, and scale them across the division through education and training. As AI features expand across Apple Services, lead your team in inventing rigorous privacy approaches that keep pace with new challenges and opportunities. Reliably operate the systems that maintain compliance with regulations such as GDPR across Apple Services.