Principal Technical Lead, AI and Emerging Technology Partnerships

Summary

Imagine what you could do here. The people here at Apple don't just create products — they create the kind of wonder that has revolutionized entire industries. It is the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation running through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it!

Our Sales organization generates the revenue needed to fuel our ongoing development of products and services, enriching the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. In many ways, our sales team is the face of Apple to our largest enterprise customers.

We are seeking a skilled Principal Technical Lead to join our AI and Emerging Technology Partnerships team. You will act as the primary technical interface between Apple and the developers, architects, and product leaders at key strategic partners — world-leading AI and enterprise technology developers building on our platform. Working across Business Development, Product Marketing, Developer Relations, and Software and Hardware Engineering, you will evangelize Apple's platform technologies, including our latest AI/ML frameworks, to drive adoption, optimization, and deep integration. In this seat, you'll sit at the center of how the world's leading AI platforms and ISVs adopt Apple's technology — your technical judgment and partner relationships will directly shape the enterprise AI solutions the world runs on. This role suits a collaborative, technically fluent professional who thrives in ambiguity and enjoys solving hard integration problems alongside partner engineering teams.

Description

In this role, you will:

• Own Partner Technical Relationships — Serve as the named technical point of contact for a portfolio of strategic partners, guiding them through integrating Apple platform technologies into their products and advising on architecture, performance, and roadmap fit.

• Drive Platform Adoption — Evangelize Apple's AI/ML frameworks and core platform technologies to partner engineering teams, translating platform capabilities into integration paths that fit each partner's product and business model.

• Lead Technical Workshops & Architecture Reviews — Run hands-on technical workshops, architecture reviews, and performance evaluations with partner teams, applying Apple's reference architectures and standard methodologies to their specific integration efforts.

• Act as Trusted Technical Advisor — Build credibility with partner engineering and product executives as the authoritative voice on Apple development practices, system architecture, and platform capabilities — removing technical barriers and resolving issues in real time.

• Partner Across Business Development & Field Teams — Work alongside Business Development, Industry, Field Engineering, Developer Relations, and Product Marketing to align partner technical needs with business goals and ensure partners have the resources they need to succeed.

• Evaluate Pilots and Give Direct Feedback — Review partner proof-of-concepts, test flights, and new feature integrations, delivering technical feedback directly to partner developers, designers, and product managers.

• Build & Share Enablement Resources — Collaborate with internal teams to create technical training, documentation, and reference materials that help partners navigate Apple's platform and development environment.

• Drive Communications — Keep internal and external stakeholders aligned with clear, regular updates on partner project status and relevant Apple platform changes.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Approximately 7+ years of experience in a technical role spanning software development, systems integration, and solution architecture.

Proven experience partnering with multi-functional teams and leading complex, technical partner relationships.

Strong understanding of API integrations, cloud services, and the technical environments relevant to enterprise and partner ecosystems.

Deep understanding of generative AI and machine learning fundamentals, with the curiosity to track emerging AI and platform technologies as they evolve.

Ability to translate complex technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences.

Excellent presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the judgment to work independently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Willingness to travel as needed to meet with partners and internal teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Approximately 12+ years of experience in a technical role spanning software development, systems integration, and solution architecture.

Experience working with large ISVs, AI-native companies, or developers in a customer-facing technical role.

Knowledge of enterprise software, cloud platforms, and digital transformation strategy, and how Apple's platform fits into that landscape.

Familiarity with agile development methodologies and DevOps practices.

Strong analytical mentality, with the ability to use data to inform technical and business recommendations.