Apple · 1 month ago
Database Engineer - RAG Platform Developer
Cupertino, California, United States
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$181K/yr - $318K/yr
10+ years expApple is seeking a Database Engineer to architect and optimize their large-scale RAG platform that serves users across the Hardware Tech group. This role combines deep database expertise with modern AI/ML infrastructure, focusing on database architecture, optimization, and full-stack GenAI application development.
AppsArtificial Intelligence (AI)BroadcastingDigital EntertainmentFoundational AIMedia and EntertainmentMobile DevicesOperating SystemsTVWearables
Responsibilities
Architect and optimize SQL and vector database infrastructure supporting enterprise-scale design data
Lead technical decisions on database architecture, scaling patterns, and technology selection for RAG platform
Design comprehensive strategies to ensure optimal performance
Build and refine data ingestion pipelines that enable design teams to seamlessly onboard their data
Collaborate with DevOps/SRE teams to ensure quality of service, proper resource allocation, and system scalability
Improve RAG retrieval performance through hybrid search strategies, index tuning, and embedding optimization
Contribute to full-stack development using Python and JavaScript
Monitor database health and performance metrics for multi-tenant system
Develop and maintain database operations procedures, monitoring, and disaster recovery strategies
Drive continuous improvement of retrieval quality, search latency, and overall system reliability
Provide mentorship to other engineers on database best practices and scalable design patterns
Qualification
Required
Proficiency in Python or Javascript
Production experience deploying and managing vector databases (Milvus, Qdrant, or Weaviate) at scale
Experience with PostgreSQL or MySQL in production environments
Understanding of RAG pipelines, including embedding strategies, chunking, and retrieval optimization
Minimum requirement of BS + 10 years of relevant industry experience
Preferred
Understanding of Vector database indexing strategies and tradeoffs
Strong SQL proficiency with deep understanding of query planning, indexing strategies, and optimization techniques
Postgres advanced features (extensions, replication, sharding)
Experience managing large-scale databases serving high-concurrency workloads
Experience with embedding models and LLM integration patterns
Demonstrated experience building or optimizing RAG systems in production environments
Collaborative mindset with ability to mentor engineers and work closely with DevOps/SRE teams
Monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana)
Kubernetes experience, particularly with stateful applications and database deployments
Proven ability to make architectural decisions for scalable database systems
Benefits
Comprehensive medical and dental coverage
Retirement benefits
A range of discounted products and free services
Reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition
Discretionary bonuses or commission payments
Relocation
Company
Apple
Apple is a technology company that designs, manufactures, and markets consumer electronics, personal computers, and software.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Apple has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (6998)
2024 (3766)
2023 (3939)
2022 (4822)
2021 (4060)
2020 (3656)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$5.67BKey Investors
Berkshire HathawayMicrosoftSequoia Capital
2025-05-05Post Ipo Debt· $4.5B
2025-01-16Post Ipo Debt· $0.31M
2021-04-30Post Ipo Equity
Leadership Team
Tim Cook
CEO
Craig Federighi
SVP, Software Engineering
Recent News
Venrock
2025-12-01
2025-09-25
Mac Daily News
2025-09-25
Company data provided by crunchbase