AI/ML Evaluation Specialist, Human Data

At Apple, we don’t just build products — we build experiences fueled by world-class data. The Human-centered AI team within Apple Services Engineering is looking for an ML Evaluation Specialist, Human Data to join our Data Quality and Operations division to spearhead complex, multi-stakeholder operations that specialize in data collection, curation, annotation, and human evaluation efforts across Apple Music, App Store, TV+, Podcasts, and Books. ## Description In this role, you will own the operational strategy and continuous improvement of large-scale, multilingual human data programs, from designing onboarding scaffolds that progressively build annotator calibration, to analyzing annotator behavior patterns to identify where automation can offload low-judgment decisions, to enforcing quality frameworks that close the loop between annotator struggle and task redesign. You will identify where human judgment is essential and where it could be better directed, then build the scaffolding, automation, and feedback systems that let annotators focus their cognitive energy where it matters most. Because this work cuts across engineering, data science, research, procurement, and legal, a critical part of the role is serving as the connective tissue between teams who each own a piece of this space, aligning on shared standards, surfacing gaps, and ensuring that insights from the annotation layer inform upstream decisions about task design and tooling. You will bring a point of view on human data best practices and translate it into scalable, human-centered approaches that make generative AI features safer and more reliable. The ideal candidate brings a rare combination of technical depth and program execution skills. You are comfortable designing and deploying sophisticated data pipelines in the morning, and then seamlessly transitioning to present comprehensive quality rectification strategies to stakeholders in the afternoon. You care deeply about data quality and human alignment, have a creative and systematic approach to finding and fixing problems, and find motivation in wide-ranging work whose impact shows up in everyday Apple experiences. ## Responsibilities Lead the end-to-end execution of human data collection programs for multilingual, multimodal, and multi-turn AI features, from intake and scoping, to delivery and retrospective Estimate and maintain project timelines, capacity needs, and cost while anticipating and proactively resolving bottlenecks to ensure timely execution Design and own the measurement framework for human data collection initiatives, defining key indicators such as spend, speed, inter-rater reliability, and volume, and building reporting systems that surface actionable insights to stakeholders Build and implement human data quality frameworks, including developing statistical process controls and behavioral signals to proactively detect and remediate quality degradation throughout the annotation lifecycle Apply human-centered AI principles to influence data collection task design, identifying and reducing sources of cognitive burden that impact human performance, consistency, and wellbeing Systematically analyze data collection workflows to identify inefficiencies and scalability gaps, then design and implement innovative workflows (e.g. agent- and machine-in-the-loop) and build the supporting data pipelines and ETL services to improve data quality and diversity while optimizing cost and lead time Partner with Legal, Privacy, and New Product Security to design and implement compliant data collection and user study programs, ensuring all human data workflows adhere to Apple's privacy, governance, and regulatory standards Design and own the data collection lifecycle with external and internal workforces, including building onboarding and calibration programs, performance frameworks, and quality audits that ensure reliable, high-quality deliverables Act as the connective tissue across engineering, product,…