Senior Real-Time Rendering and Graphics Software Engineer
Software Engineering
Cupertino, CA, USA
USD 181,100-318,400 / year + Equity
Posted on Jun 17, 2026
Apple Maps offers a constantly evolving and increasingly detailed 3D world, and our team renders every frame of it. We develop the graphics engine that powers the mapping and navigation experiences across Apple's entire device ecosystem, from Watch to Vision Pro, as well as the Web. We're looking for a Senior Graphics Software Engineer who is excited by the challenge of rendering our planet beautifully and performantly in real time.
We are the Map Display team, and every day our work is used by hundreds of millions of people to explore and navigate the world. We own the 3D visual experience inside Apple Maps and the graphics engine that fuels a thriving ecosystem of first- and third-party applications. You'll work at the intersection of art and engineering, developing novel algorithms, pushing rendering techniques forward, and collaborating with world-class designers and cartographers to make every pixel perfect. Whether it's the 3D imagery and splats of Yosemite National Park, the historical landmarks of Rome, the streets of Paris, or the transit systems of Tokyo, you'll have a hand in how people interact with our world.
- Architect and implement Maps rendering features and technologies across all Apple platforms
- Optimize rendering performance and power efficiency across our diverse hardware ecosystem
- Collaborate with Metal, GPU, and Power teams to leverage and influence Apple’s graphics innovations
- Help drive long-term technical strategy and roadmaps for future rendering and Maps experiences
- Contribute to critical decisions balancing visual quality, implementation complexity, and platform constraints
- Partner with HI and Cartography teams to design new visual experiences
- Uphold and evolve team culture through architecture and code reviews, mentorship, and leadership by example
- BA/BS plus 5 years of hands-on experience building real-time 3D rendering applications
- Mastery of writing C++ that is safe, performant, readable, and built to last
- Deep understanding of the graphics pipeline, modern rendering techniques, and image processing
- Fluency with one or more modern graphics APIs (e.g., Metal, Vulkan, Direct3D 12, WebGPU) and shading languages (e.g., MSL, HLSL, GLSL, WGSL)
- Sharp instincts for 3D geometry and linear algebra
- Experience with multi-threaded rendering architectures
- Methodical debugging mindset and tenacious problem-solving instincts
- Communication skills to make complex ideas clear to leadership and the collaboration skills to focus teams’ efforts
- Deep ownership of the features you ship
- Track record of shipping interactive 3D engines at scale for mobile platforms such as iOS, Android, or Linux
- Experience navigating the entire lifecycle of software development, from whiteboarding designs to shipping quality, optimized code
- Proficiency with GPU profiling tools and performance optimization for mobile platforms
- Familiarity with AR/VR rendering technologies and the unique challenges of immersive environments