Systems Software Engineer, Core OS

San Diego Until 10/8/2026 1+ years exp First posted August 9, 2026 Last posted August 9, 2026
Job description

Join the Core Platform & Systems Technology team and help build the code that drives our operating systems on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. You’ll deliver a unified solution used across the entire company — daemons, frameworks, certification test suites, command line tools, and even bits of UI. Your code will run on every device we ship. This role offers a rare view into true cross-functional engineering, where your work touches nearly every part of the system.

Description

As a Systems Software Engineer on this team, you’ll contribute to Apple’s firmware update solutions, working primarily on middleware — frameworks and daemons that keep devices current and reliable. The programming languages we use on this team are C, Objective-C, and Swift, with C being the primary language. A working knowledge of low-level programming and the kernel is a plus, as is familiarity with I/O protocols — USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and Inductive — since these are how accessories connect to our devices.

Minimum Qualifications

Programming experience in C
Knowledge of OS fundamentals
Experience designing and developing production-level software
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

Programming experience in Objective-C or Swift
Analytical thinking skills
Ability to work independently
Spoken and written communication skills

About this role

Summary

Develop firmware and middleware for Apple devices using C, Objective-C, and Swift.

Job title

Systems Software Engineer, Core OS

Experience level

entry level

Minimum experience

1+ years exp

Industry

technology

Location requirements

San Diego, on-site only

Salary

Not specified

Management role

No

Skills & keywords

Required skills

COS fundamentalssoftware developmentBachelor’s in CS or related

Preferred skills

Objective-CSwiftanalytical thinkingindependent workcommunication

Specializations

firmwaremiddlewarekernelI/O protocols
Locations

Structured locations inferred from the posting.

San Diego, CA, USA

On-site City