Data Scientist

Join Apple's HID Quality Engineering team to ensure our products exceed our customers' expectations! You'll work with QE and Algorithm teams to build metrics around algorithm performance, turning user behavior into quality specifications and measurable standards that teams can consistently apply. You will make sure new customer facing algorithms are validated effectively using data and repeatable processes. This includes defining the right data, ensuring quality of data and labeling, and running tests on datasets. ## Description This role is focused on defining algorithm quality. Day-to-day work involves writing quality specifications, establishing benchmarks, developing test scenario frameworks, and partnering closely with algorithm, platform, and UX research teams to identify where quality standards are missing or misaligned with user outcomes. ## Responsibilities Write quality specifications that translate real user needs and device constraints into testable technical requirements Establish acceptance criteria and benchmarks for touch algorithm families, including clear definitions of meaningful regression versus noise Build structured test scenario libraries and coverage models reflecting the diversity of real-world touch interactions and user conditions Identify gaps between current validation approaches and user-relevant edge cases Design data collection, labeling, and analysis plans that enable effective validation and spec setting Embed with algorithm teams to understand their workflows and surface gaps where quality is undefined, inconsistently applied, or disconnected from user impact Translate user research and field data into concrete quality requirements, establishing shared language for what "validated" means at each stage of development Provide platform and automation teams with a prioritized set of automation requirements grounded in written quality specifications Drive adoption of quality frameworks and build consensus across teams with different algorithms, timelines, and constraints ## Minimum qualifications BS in EE, ECE, CS, Statistics, HCI, Cognitive Science, or a related field 3+ years of experience in quality engineering, test strategy, or algorithm/ML evaluation Experience writing quality specifications or test plans for complex technical systems adopted by multiple teams Experience with signal-level sensor algorithms Familiarity with statistical methods used in algorithm evaluation, such as A/B testing, regression analysis, and significance testing Working proficiency with Python for data exploration and analysis ## Preferred qualifications MS or PhD in EE, ECE, CS, Statistics, HCI, Cognitive Science, or a related field Strong understanding of ML and sensing system behavior, with the ability to reason about failure modes, edge cases, and the difference between a metric shifting and quality actually changing Experience defining test scenario coverage models and setting benchmarks for systems where ground truth is ambiguous or user-dependent Experience building consensus on quality standards across teams with competing priorities Ability to write specifications precise enough for engineers to implement automation directly, without ambiguity Background in UX research, HCI, or human factors, with experience grounding technical quality definitions in human behavior Familiarity with embedded platform constraints Experience with causal inference or advanced experimental design for algorithm evaluation