Camera Competitive Intelligence & Strategy Lead

Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other’s ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It’s the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something.

Apple's Camera Hardware Technologies organization drives the end-to-end development of every camera and depth-sensing system across Apple products, from early invention through mass production. To create category-defining camera experiences, we need a clear, forward-looking view of where the global imaging landscape is headed.

We are looking for a senior strategist to build and lead competitive intelligence for Camera Hardware and to help shape the camera technology roadmap across Apple products.

In this high-visibility individual contributor role you will report to the leader of Camera Hardware Technologies. You will work with camera leadership and world-class domain specialists across a large, multidisciplinary engineering organization. You will build the frameworks and information pipeline that turn the competitive and technology landscape into forward-looking intelligence. You will also work with camera leaders to turn that intelligence into recommendations on roadmap priorities and technology investments.

The ideal candidate has deep expertise in camera and imaging systems and a proven ability to explain complex technical landscapes to executives. They can also influence decisions without formal authority.

Build and own a forward-looking competitive intelligence framework and pipeline for camera and depth-sensing systems across smartphones, XR, professional imaging and other consumer electronics. Combine market trends, product teardowns, supply-chain signals, and academic research into clear assessments of where competitors and the technology are headed. Aggregate image quality data from teams across Apple to benchmark current and future products against the market. Give monthly strategy briefings to Camera Hardware and VP leadership, and prepare periodic reviews for senior leaders. Work with camera leaders to develop recommendations on roadmap priorities, technology investments and emerging startups. Track emerging technologies in sensors, optics, depth sensing and computational imaging. Build relationships with key technology partners, including periodic on-site visits. Gather all intelligence only from public and legally obtained sources.

BS in Electrical Engineering, Optics, Physics or a related field. 12+ years in imaging, camera systems or optoelectronics development, with experience across optics, sensors, ISP/silicon and algorithms. Familiarity with image quality evaluation. Proven track record of briefing executive leadership and turning complex technical and market trade-offs into clear, actionable recommendations. Strong systems-level understanding camera and depth-sensing components.

MS or PhD in a related field. Excellent written, verbal and visual communication skills. Experience building competitive intelligence programs, teardown analyses or image quality benchmarking frameworks Experience automating intelligence gathering, such as web scraping, data pipelines or AI-assisted synthesis tools. Background in technology scouting, startup evaluation or assessing supplier technology roadmaps. Familiarity with camera markets beyond smartphones, such as XR, professional imaging or depth sensing