Apple, one of the most successful companies in the world, has not always provided a competitive salary for their employees. Starting from the late 80s, Apple made a strategic decision to become the premium alternative to Microsoft. This strategy led the company to succeed and grow, but it also came with a cost. Apple had been criticized for not providing competitive salary packages when compared to other large tech companies. Keeping it small was part of the company’s strategy to be different from Microsoft even if that meant less cash for employees’ pockets. In 2016 Apple has reversed its policy by increasing salaries by 30%. As we approached 2017, there were many rumors about how much a CEO of a tech company is worth on an annual basis. The annual salary of Tim Cook at the beginning of 2017 has been estimated at $10 million without incentives. However, this is a very low number when you compare it to another top-level executive at search engine giant Google who earns $200 million every year, as well as thousands of dollars that are at stake as bonuses.
Apple, one of the most successful companies in the world, has not always provided a competitive salary for their employees. Starting from the late 80s, Apple made a strategic decision to become the premium alternative to Microsoft. This strategy led the company to succeed and grow, but it also came with a cost. Apple had been criticized for not providing competitive salary packages when compared to other large tech companies. Keeping it small was part of the company’s strategy to be different from Microsoft even if that meant less cash for employees’ pockets. In 2016 Apple has reversed its policy by increasing salaries by 30%. As we approached 2017, there were many rumors about how much a CEO of a tech company is worth on an annual basis. The annual salary of Tim Cook at the beginning of 2017 has been estimated at $10 million without incentives. However, this is a very low number when you compare it to another top-level executive at search engine giant Google who earns $200 million every year, as well as thousands of dollars that are at stake as bonuses.
Salary for apple employees
Working at Apple may be demanding, but it certainly has its rewards.
Using data from Glassdoor, we’ve compiled the highest-paying jobs at Apple by average base salary, which does not include bonuses or other additional pay. In order to avoid extreme outliers, we’ve only included the Glassdoor listings that had five or more employee reviews.
Since Glassdoor salaries are based on employee feedback, salaries are subject to change over time as the website receives new reviews. The salaries listed below reflect the reported salaries at the time of writing.
At Apple, as at many other tech companies, most job titles come with a numerical level, denoted here by a Roman numeral. Which is to say, a Software Engineer V at Apple would make more and have more responsibilities than a Software Engineer I.
24. ASIC Design Engineer IV
Salary: $167,867
ASIC design engineers are responsible for helping design the system-on-a-chip components that power Apple’s products.
23. Senior Physical Design Engineer
Salary: $169,724
A senior physical design engineer may lead the team as they plan “prototype, construct, modify and evaluate” physical mock-ups of new devices so that they fit design specifications, according to the job description found on PayScale.
22. Senior Engineering Program Manager
Salary: $170,075
Senior engineering program managers are required to drive and execute long-term projects, and usually require at least five years of experience, according to an Apple job description. You’ll likely be responsible for driving the scope, requirements, time management, and resource allocation aspects of a given project
21. Procurement Manager
Salary: $175,064
Procurement managers, more commonly known as purchasing managers, work in the finance or logistics department managing requests from suppliers and create purchasing strategies to keep the team within budget.
20. Senior Product Manager
Salary: $178,280
As a product manager, you’d have to create and manage product roadmaps, set milestones for your team, and communicate product initiatives to other departments across Apple, as well as stakeholders.
19. Software Engineering Manager
Salary: $184,101
Depending on the team you’re overseeing, this job will likely require you to have prior knowledge of coding languages like C and Java as well as experience working in database technology, according to one Apple job listing.
18. Applications Software Engineer V
Salary: $185,157
Apple requires strong design and programming skills for its software-engineering job candidates. The Roman numeral “V” indicates that this is a higher-level title for a more experienced engineer.
17. Senior Finance Manager
Salary: $185,951
A senior finance manager is responsible for capital-related decisions, and gathers information about assets and sales to communicates those numbers to executives. In the most basic sense, senior finance managers decide how the money will be spent, or — in a large company like Apple’s case — how their department’s portion of the money will be spent.
16. Software Development Manager
Salary: $190,639
Apple employs a ton of developers to work on its various products, so it’s important to hire talented leaders to manage them. Senior positions in Apple’s software-engineering departments may require 10 years or more of experience.
15. Software Engineer V
Salary: $191,471
A person in this position typically designs and develops software applications. The job could entail coding, debugging, testing, and troubleshooting, and may require 10 years of experience, according to Salary.com.
14. Senior Software Engineering Manager
Salary: $192,457
This type of job could require five years of experience in software development, and three years of experience in engineering management, according to an Apple job description.
13. Engineering Manager
Salary: $192,656
As is the case with every job on this list, the duties will likely change depending on the department and projects you’re working in. But one Apple job description suggests the Engineering Manager role requires you to provide technical leadership to key projects and manage a team of engineers. A minimum of 10 years of experience in hands-on development of systems is required, as well as four years of experience in leading a team of engineers.
12. Industrial Designer
Salary: $198,315
Industrial design at Apple requires rigorous attention to detail and an obsession with how things are made and how they work, as the company said in an open call for portfolio submissions.
11. Senior Operations Manager
Salary: $199,068
A senior operations manager is responsible for ensuring that a company is running as one cohesive team. They create processes and procedures to ensure peak company productivity (e.g. onboarding, company guidelines for best practices, monitoring budgets) that help meet efficiency goals.
10. Software Engineering Manager II
Salary: $205,164
This type of job at Apple would require a proven ability to lead high-performing engineering teams, a strong track record of leading multiple projects at a time, and experience in writing detailed specification, among many other qualifications, says an Apple job description for a lower-level version of this role.
9. Staff Software Engineer
Salary: $207,845
Jobs in software engineering could entail designing and implementing new features, as an Apple job description suggests. It could also require solid leadership skills, as the posting says that it may entail providing technical mentorship.
8. Principal Software Engineer
Salary: $211,825
A principal software engineering role at Apple could require significant experience in multiple programming languages and a broad range of tools, says one job description for an opening on the Siri team.
7. Creative Director
Salary: $214,714
A creative director role at Apple could involve writing creative briefs, treatments, and developing ideas into pitches. Fifteen years of experience could be required.
6. Senior Engineering Manager
Salary: $221,507
A top-tier job like this could require around 10 years of experience.
5. Marketing Director
Salary: $229,751
The marketing team at Apple collaborates closely with the company’s engineers and designers to develop messages about the products they’re working on.
4. Senior Counsel
Salary: $231,303
This type of role would likely require between eight and 10 years of experience. At a big tech company like Apple, a lawyer in this role could tackle anything from real estate deals to ethical violations to trademark disputes.
3. Software Engineering Director
Salary: $236,185
At the higher levels of engineering leadership, the salary goes up commensurately.
2. Director
Salary: $268,724
At Apple, a “director” is an upper-echelon manager, in any of a variety of roles across the company.
1. Senior Director
Salary: $324,412
A senior director is a top leadership position, where you’ll be expected to bring loads of experience to the process of management.
