What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance position at Apple, Inc.?
At Apple, the systems and technology that power our internal operations, supply chain, and customer support are just as important as the products we build. The IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies organizations are essential to how Apple delivers at scale, enabling everything from global logistics and enterprise infrastructure to the world-class support experiences our customers depend on every day. Spanning three of Apple's most mission-critical domains and a diverse technology landscape that includes cloud, mobile, legacy, and emerging AI/ML systems, this organization is responsible for ensuring that every application, system, and process that powers Apple's internal and customer-facing operations meets the highest standards of quality, reliability, and performance.
As the Director of Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance, you will lead a unified, global quality organization responsible for defining and executing Apple's enterprise-wide software validation vision, bringing together a world-class team under a single, cohesive testing approach that raises the bar on engineering excellence across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies.
Description
This leader owns the end-to-end testing strategy across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies, ensuring that every application, system, and process meets Apple's exceptionally high bar for quality before it reaches the people who depend on it. Leading a global organization, this leader defines and executes a unified, enterprise-wide testing strategy, modernizes QA infrastructure by replacing manual overhead with scalable automation frameworks, and partners closely with engineering, product, and operations leaders to embed quality throughout the software development and systems lifecycle.
Minimum Qualifications
15 years of experience in software portfolio management, quality engineering, test strategy, and/or related technical disciplines, with 7 years leading large, globally distributed quality or engineering organizations.
Proven track record of building, scaling, or transforming BPR, engineering or testing functions across multiple geographies and distinct technology domains
Expertise in testing methodologies** across enterprise applications, cloud-native systems, mobile platforms, legacy architectures, and AI/ML pipelines in large-scale technology environments.
Strong automation acumen, with a demonstrated ability to replace manual testing pipelines with scalable automation frameworks such as Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium, and robust API testing methodologies including Postman and RestAssured
Demonstrated ability to lead through organizational transformation, including team integrations, functional consolidations, or the establishment of shared services functions
Exceptional cross-functional influence, with a proven ability to drive alignment across engineering, product, DevOps, and operations stakeholders and engage confidently at the senior executive level
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience
Preferred Qualifications
Experience leading testing functions across multiple distinct domains simultaneously, such as enterprise IT, supply chain and operations, and customer support technologies
Experience managing quality across multi-stack environments, including cloud-native SaaS, mobile, legacy core systems, and emerging AI/ML pipelines
Familiarity with enterprise platforms and systems commonly used in IS&T, operational, or customer support environments
Demonstrated success consolidating or standing up large-scale quality organizations or shared services functions
Ability to operate with both strategic vision and operational rigor, equally comfortable setting long-term direction and driving day-to-day execution
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technical quality concepts for non-technical executive audiences
Proven ability to hire and develop senior technical leaders, including SDETs and performance engineering specialists, across global, multicultural teams
As the Director of Software Test Engineering & Quality Assurance, you will lead a unified, global quality organization responsible for defining and executing Apple's enterprise-wide software validation vision, bringing together a world-class team under a single, cohesive testing approach that raises the bar on engineering excellence across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies.
Description
This leader owns the end-to-end testing strategy across IS&T, Operations, and AppleCare Technologies, ensuring that every application, system, and process meets Apple's exceptionally high bar for quality before it reaches the people who depend on it. Leading a global organization, this leader defines and executes a unified, enterprise-wide testing strategy, modernizes QA infrastructure by replacing manual overhead with scalable automation frameworks, and partners closely with engineering, product, and operations leaders to embed quality throughout the software development and systems lifecycle.
Minimum Qualifications
15 years of experience in software portfolio management, quality engineering, test strategy, and/or related technical disciplines, with 7 years leading large, globally distributed quality or engineering organizations.
Proven track record of building, scaling, or transforming BPR, engineering or testing functions across multiple geographies and distinct technology domains
Expertise in testing methodologies** across enterprise applications, cloud-native systems, mobile platforms, legacy architectures, and AI/ML pipelines in large-scale technology environments.
Strong automation acumen, with a demonstrated ability to replace manual testing pipelines with scalable automation frameworks such as Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium, and robust API testing methodologies including Postman and RestAssured
Demonstrated ability to lead through organizational transformation, including team integrations, functional consolidations, or the establishment of shared services functions
Exceptional cross-functional influence, with a proven ability to drive alignment across engineering, product, DevOps, and operations stakeholders and engage confidently at the senior executive level
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience
Preferred Qualifications
Experience leading testing functions across multiple distinct domains simultaneously, such as enterprise IT, supply chain and operations, and customer support technologies
Experience managing quality across multi-stack environments, including cloud-native SaaS, mobile, legacy core systems, and emerging AI/ML pipelines
Familiarity with enterprise platforms and systems commonly used in IS&T, operational, or customer support environments
Demonstrated success consolidating or standing up large-scale quality organizations or shared services functions
Ability to operate with both strategic vision and operational rigor, equally comfortable setting long-term direction and driving day-to-day execution
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex technical quality concepts for non-technical executive audiences
Proven ability to hire and develop senior technical leaders, including SDETs and performance engineering specialists, across global, multicultural teams