Network Systems Integration Engineer - Data Center Hardware

Network Systems Integration Engineer - Data Center Hardware

As a Network Systems Integration Engineer, you will build and maintain the critical infrastructure that enables our hardware innovation. Your primary mission is to provide robust, hands-on support for our data center development labs, ensuring our electrical, validation, and cross-functional hardware engineering teams have a reliable and performant environment. This requires a strong foundation in systems integration and network architecture, applied through daily tasks such as configuring switches, provisioning systems, and automating operational workflows with custom scripts. Come join us!

Leveraging your deep expertise in server platform integration and high-performance networking, you will architect, deploy, and sustain the complex lab infrastructure essential for validating next-generation compute platforms. Your responsibilities will include the end-to-end management of high-bandwidth fabrics, lossless interconnects, and out-of-band networks. In this highly collaborative role, you will partner with cross-functional organizations—including Hardware Engineering, Operations, Security, and Systems Validation—to guarantee the readiness, performance, and reliability of our dynamic R&D environment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS Degree in engineering with 4-8 years relevant work experience
• Strong command of network design principles and engineering practices, including the implementation and management of core L2/L3, routing protocols, VLAN segmentation, and Quality of Service (QoS) in high-bandwidth Ethernet environments.
• Hands-on experience architecting and stress-testing high-performance, lossless fabrics. Proven ability to validate and benchmark network behavior, meticulously analyzing throughput, latency, and congestion patterns within complex, multi-rack deployments.
• Proficient in optimizing Linux systems through kernel tuning and NIC driver configuration. Leverages Python, Bash, and Ansible to automate infrastructure provisioning, configuration management, and validation workflows, enhancing efficiency and repeatability.
• Acknowledged for exceptional troubleshooting acumen, with a demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve multifaceted performance, connectivity, and integration challenges by systematically isolating faults across the entire hardware and software stack.

Preferred Qualifications:

• M.S. Degree with minimum 3-5 years experience.
• Proven experience designing, configuring, and validating RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) fabrics. This must include hands-on work with Priority Flow Control (PFC) and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) on data center switches.
• Deep expertise in configuring and tuning the Linux network stack for high-performance workloads, including direct experience with RDMA drivers (e.g., NVIDIA OFED), kernel bypass methods, and optimizing network performance through CPU affinity and interrupt handling.
• Demonstrated ability to root-cause performance bottlenecks across the entire stack. This includes using tools to measure and analyze application-level throughput, RDMA-level latency and correlating it with system metrics (CPU, memory) and network-level statistics (packet drops, PFC pause frames).
• Experience troubleshooting elusive integration issues that manifest as network problems, but originate in server hardware or firmware. This includes debugging interactions between BIOS/UEFI settings, PCIe lane allocation, NIC firmware, and OS driver behavior.
• Experience using Ansible or Python to configure multi-vendor switch fabrics, deploy custom OS images via PXE, and run automated test suites to validate fabric health and performance.

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $181,100 and $318,400, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.