Apple Platform Engineer Career Track

Progression of titles is not based on time, but rather experience and skill. A title represents where you are in your journey. To provide focus in skill development you should understand the expectations of someone performing at a particular title. Title progression is compounding; once you move to the next title, the expectations for all preceding titles come along.

Apple Platform Engineer, Apprentice

Take a task and work on it with someone else

An apprentice is a pre-professional level role. The expectations as you join your first team are that you have familiarity with Macs (both hardware and software) and are able to effectively troubleshoot issues. Additionally, you will work on projects related to the daily operation and ongoing support of our macOS fleet. As an apprentice you will be focused on learning macOS system fundamentals, common issues and their resolutions, and making contributions in the form of small, non-critical support tasks and documentation.

Understanding macOS fundamentals, basic system administration, and troubleshooting.
Basic knowledge of deployment tools (Jamf Pro) and familiarity with Apple’s ecosystem.
Eagerness to learn and adapt to new technologies.

Apple Platform Engineer, Associate (Sys/Ntwk Admin I)

Developing as an engineer

At the Associate level you are in the early stage of developing as an engineer. At this point in your career you should have completed the Jamf 100 or equivalent training and are able to apply the knowledge and competencies gained.

Your primary responsibility is to grow your skill set through meaningful experiences. Your focus will be on Mac administration, tools like Jamf Pro, and more advanced troubleshooting. The primary path to growth is by understanding any problems or opportunities in our environment, and working on projects while frequently seeking feedback and mentoring from those around you.

Increasing involvement in macOS infrastructure projects.
Working knowledge of MDM tools like Jamf Pro.
Growth in troubleshooting skills, and ability to resolve basic issues independently.
Grasp foundational skills for system administration.
Basic familiarity with scripting languages for automation.
Respond to customer issues and incidents in a proactive, timely fashion.
Have a basic understanding of the services that interact with our macOS fleet, and raise flags for changes that might affect the team or end users.
Ability to work autonomously on small, well-defined tasks, while asking for help when needed and escalating blockers in a reasonable time frame.
Actively look to increase your knowledge and skill by seeking out relevant courses, conferences, books, and workshops.
Adhere to best practices and processes, as defined by your team and the larger organization.
Understand and act according to your team’s and organization’s values and principles.
Participate in team activities and rituals by attending and contributing ideas, suggestions, and feedback.
Able to communicate with and accept feedback from other engineers, with a focus on increasing your knowledge base.
Accepts coaching and mentoring from other engineers and leaders.

Apple Platform Engineer (Sys/Ntwk Admin II)

Take a task and complete it independently

As an Apple Platform Engineer you have progressed past needing constant mentoring to complete a task. Your base set of skills have grown such that you are now capable of taking parts of a project and working on it independently. If stuck, you are expected to proactively reach out for help. At this point in your career you should have completed the Jamf 200 or equivalent training and are able to apply the knowledge and competencies gained.

Progressing to handle more complex infrastructure.
Deep understanding of MDM frameworks.
Able to craft configuration profiles and deploy complex software using vendor documentation.
Be able to read, understand, and modify simple scripts and extension attributes.
Ability to create clear and concise technical documentation.
Able to work on larger initiatives (mostly) independently, and can set and update expectations on size, scope, and timelines.
You have sufficient knowledge in one or more domains and/or products, and are able to provide guidance to others and participate in planning discussions that pertain to these areas of knowledge.
Demonstrate the ability to work cross-team as projects dictate.
Demonstrate consistent dependability and professionalism.

Apple Platform Engineer, Advanced (Sys/Ntwk Admin III)

Take part of a project and work on it independently

As an Apple Platform Engineer Advanced you have grown to the point where you can work on an entire project with little help. You may also exhibit deeper knowledge of a specific tool or system. You have developed to a point where you can take any part of a project and work on it with minimal assistance and mentoring. At this point in your career you should have completed the Jamf 300 or equivalent training and are able to apply the knowledge and competencies gained.

Developing more advanced scripting skills for automation tasks.
Contributing to architecture decisions for macOS deployment.
Providing guidance and mentorship to junior engineers.
Deep expertise in macOS management, optimizing performance, enhancing security measures, and driving best practices for macOS deployment in the enterprise environment.
Continuous learning about Apple’s ecosystem, attending Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference), and/or JNUC (Jamf Nation User Conference)
Capable of working on project-sized tasks with minimal assistance, and can set and update expectations on size, scope, and timelines.
Have authority in more than one domain, and demonstrate understanding of both technical and business impacts of your area of expertise.
Capable of representing your team in cross-team meetings and discussions.
Understand the impact of changes in your team’s domain/product, and collaborate on changes that will affect other teams.
Consider how changes will affect end users and support personnel.
Understand the impact your work has on the greater organization.

Apple Platform Engineer, Senior (Sys/Ntwk Admin, Sr)

Take a whole project and complete it. Doesn’t mean you do everything but rather are able to plan and ensure the execution.

As a Senior Apple Platform Engineer you have consistently demonstrated a mastery of building well-thought-out projects. You can work in a collaborative manner, and have begun honing your skill of mentoring others. At a Senior level, your mindset should begin to shift toward being a multiplier on a team. When planning and coordinating projects, you display foresight such that the work can be broken into smaller pieces for the rest of the team.

Taking ownership of the entire macOS engineering function.
Setting strategic directions for macOS infrastructure, overseeing architecture decisions, and leading innovation efforts related to macOS technologies.
Contributing to macOS-related open-source projects.
Able to write scripts from scratch, automate tasks, and integrate and orchestrate multiple technologies and systems to work in conjunction.
Responsibilities include team leadership, resource allocation, project management, and ensuring alignment of macOS initiatives with broader company goals.
Ability to assist with prioritization of projects within your domain, including negotiating scope and timeline of work. This extends to active participation in planning of projects.
Capable of leading technical efforts of larger projects, which includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Plan and communicate the plan of how a project will be completed.
- Break the project into individual units of work and estimate timing.
- Own and communicate any changes in the plan.
- Proactively escalate blockers and scope changes.
- Track work assigned to other engineers who are working on the same project, and ensure its completion.
Provide regular mentorship for your team.
Understand and act according to your team’s and organization’s values and goals, as well as the strategic direction of the company at large. Actively consider how these values affect our work. Help mold team and organizational values.
Able to work and contribute with other teams, both inside and outside of the engineering group.
You are called upon regularly to share your understanding of your domain or product.
Assist with your team’s retention, recruiting, and interviewing process.
You are recognized as a thought leader by your peers, and consistently demonstrate self-awareness, resilience, and a high degree of emotional maturity.

Apple Platform Engineer, Advisory (Sys/Ntwk Admin Advr)

Demonstrate ownership of one or more full domains/products

As an Advisory/Lead Engineer, you have mastered one or more domains/products. In most cases, your ownership would encompass the entirety of your team’s domains and products. You understand at an intimate level how a domain/product fits into the larger system, and are capable of driving the strategy of the domain/product to derive value for the rest of engineering.

Providing strategic direction for the entire Apple Platform Engineering function.
Influencing company-wide technology decisions and fostering innovation.
Setting the technical direction for advanced Apple platform initiatives.
Contributing to industry thought leadership through publications, presentations, or community engagement.
Set an example for emotional maturity and growth.
Your contributions go beyond the sphere of your own team, and have begun to positively affect other team’s work.
Contribute to decisions determining adoption of new technologies within the organization.
Suggest and build consensus for process improvements across the organization.
May actively research and participate in industry trends or analysis through the submission of white papers or other authoritative reports.
Understand the architecture of other Jack Henry systems and implications to changes to Digital’s integrations with those systems.
Contribute to the management, planning, and coordination of cross-team initiatives that require coordination with vendors or other parties outside of Jack Henry Digital.
Identify needs for new engineering roles and participate in the hiring process for said roles.
May be called upon to work or communicate directly with engineering groups and customers outside of JHA Digital to resolve incidents.