Cartography and Display Tools Engineer

Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services

We are looking for a Cartography & Display Tools Engineer to join Apple Maps. This role will empower you to build creative and innovative cartography and visualization solutions which will contribute to Apple's overall Maps and other ecosystems.

Your work will directly shape how millions of users experience Maps across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Car Play.

As a Cartography & Display Tools Engineer on the Apple Maps team, you will build cartography pipeline, visualization tools, and authoring environments that leverage Apple's map rendering engine. Through partnerships with many other Apple teams along with Carto and Tools teams, your work will contribute to the next generation of Apple Maps and other Apple ecosystems.

• Build internal visualization and authoring tools that expose and extend Apple's map rendering engine capabilities
• Develop style editors, layer inspectors, and real-time preview tools for cartographers, designers, production teams, and marketing stakeholders
• Create tools for visual debugging, render state inspection, and shader visualization
• Enhance cartographic style compiler and optimize map data pipelines
• Prototype and validate new rendering capabilities in close partnership with the core Rendering Engine team, translating engine features into intuitive tool interfaces
• Expose rendering parameters — lighting, materials, LOD, and tile styling — through intuitive tool interfaces
• Engage regularly with cartographers, designers, and production teams to understand requests and gather feature requirements
• Translate diverse user needs into actionable technical specifications
• Champion tool adoption through documentation, training, and user advocacy
• Drive continuous improvement of tools based on user feedback and evolving creative workflows
• Build tooling for geospatial data ingestion, transformation, and tile generation
• Work with vector tiles, GeoJSON, and Protobuf formats
• Automate map content validation within CI/CD pipelines

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or GIS with 5 years of experience
• Strong proficiency in C++, Python, and Swift
• Experience with Metal, OpenGL, or Vulkan rendering APIs
• Experience building developer-facing or content creator tools
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills — ability to work across engineering, design, and production teams

• Familiarity with MSL shader development and GPU architecture
• Experience with Map Kit, Apple Maps, or similar mapping SDKs
• Understanding of cartographic principles and geospatial data formats
• Background in real-time 3D rendering or game engine tooling
• Knowledge of domain specific language (DSL), spatial data formats, SQLite, Bison/Lex parsers
• Experience translating complex rendering concepts into accessible tool interfaces for non-engineering users

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. Learn more about Apple Benefits.

Note:

Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

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. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant .

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.