Software Development Engineer in Test, International QA (Japan)

At Apple, software quality isn't one-size-fits-all. The International QA team ensures that our software platforms have best-in-class user experience and feel genuinely local in international markets. Our team is distributed across APAC and EMEA, keeping us close to the markets and customers we represent.

We’re looking for a Tools and Automation Engineer who will advance and scale international quality efforts using modern technologies, including AI. The focus for this role is on user experience and quality for the Japanese market, one of Apple's most critical regions.

If you care deeply about getting the details right for customers in Japan and want to build the tools that make that possible at scale, we'd love to hear from you.

## Description

The International QA team is seeking an engineer who's excited to shape what Apple software quality looks like in one of our most important markets. You'll join our Japan-based QA team and work closely with QA members across APAC and EMEA to build test systems, tools, and AI-powered automation that scale coverage and validation of new and existing features. This is a hands-on role on a lean, distributed team — you'll be testing software features directly while also building the automation frameworks that extend that coverage over time and enable new methods of verification . Strong communication and cross-team relationships are a big part of how we work, and we're looking for someone who brings real passion for both the craft of testing and making Apple products feel truly native for customers in Japan.

## Minimum qualifications

Working proficiency with generative AI coding tools like Claude Code, Copilot, or Cursor to build test automation

Experience developing and executing test plans, with a focus on building frameworks and tools that unlock testing approaches not possible or practical to do manually

Detail-oriented, with a strong sense of ownership over quality and native user experience

Business-level fluency in Japanese and English — able to represent Japan-market context to global stakeholders and collaborate with English-speaking engineering and QA teams worldwide

Strong software engineering fundamentals and proven experience building automation frameworks in Python, Swift, Objective-C, or similar — data structures, OOP, test scripting, and CI/CD pipelines

Comfortable working independently in a lean, distributed team across time zones

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience

3–6 years of experience in software test engineering, SDET, automation engineering, or a related discipline

## Preferred qualifications

Deep expertise with generative AI coding tools

Experience evaluating and adopting new tools, languages, or automation frameworks to improve testing efficiency

Familiarity with Japan's market and regulatory landscape

Working knowledge of localization and internationalization testing (IME input, date/currency formatting, CJK rendering)