Apple is seeking a visionary and highly strategic Director of Business Development and Regulatory Management to lead our market intelligence, strategic partner ecosystem, and regulatory response for AI features, data governance, and frontier technologies in Greater China. In this highly visible, dual-faceted role, you will be the commercial driving force behind bringing Apple’s next-generation services to life, while acting as the critical bridge between China’s regulatory bodies and Apple’s global business, privacy, and engineering teams.
You will identify cutting-edge technologies, negotiate complex strategic deals, drive the strategy for Cross Border Data Transfer (CBDT) and AI regulatory filings, and orchestrate cross-functional execution. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in cloud technologies and AI infrastructure, a proven leadership background within China's top-tier technology ecosystem, and practical, hands-on expertise navigating China’s evolving data and cybersecurity frameworks.
Description
Strategic Deal Making & Sourcing: Oversee the research, evaluation, and tracking of frontier products and cloud technologies. Collaborate with Engineering, GA, and Legal to identify critical external partners. Lead end-to-end business negotiations and manage ongoing relationships with major cloud and AI platform providers to enable and scale new services like AI features in China.
Regulatory Strategy & CBDT Program Leadership: Serve as the in-region task force leader for regulatory engagement regarding data governance. Partner closely with headquarters global leaders to drive Cross Border Data Transfer (CBDT) filings and secure data regulatory approvals.
Data Acquisition & AI Regulatory Support: Lead business development efforts for complex data acquisition and licensing deals with local partners. Leverage established regulatory relationships and expertise to provide strategic support for AI features regulatory interfaces, algorithm filings, and safety assessments.
Safety & Risk Mitigation: Establish and oversee content safety operations. Anticipate regulatory bottlenecks, policy shifts, and audit requirements related to content safety, developing comprehensive mitigation plans to ensure business continuity and alignment with Apple’s global standards.
Executive Stakeholder Management: Lead and orchestrate the Greater China Business Council. Synthesize complex data, commercial, and regulatory risks into actionable strategies. Program manage and host regular, high-stakes reviews with regional leadership and Cupertino executives to facilitate rapid decision-making.
Program Management & Execution: Act as the central hub for AI features and data compliance projects in China. Drive cross-functional coordination across Engineering, Corporate Development, Procurement, Privacy, Legal, and GA to ensure strict adherence to timelines and successful product launches.
University Research Platform: Manage Apple’s joint research platform across 8 top-tier universities in the region. Formulate Statements of Work (SoWs) with Engineering, lead contractual negotiations, and manage the long-term strategic health of these academic relationships.
Preferred Qualifications
Industry Background: Demonstrated executive leadership experience at-or partnering extensively with-tier-1 internet companies, hyper-scale cloud providers, or major technology conglomerates in China.
Agency Relationships: Proven track record of direct, successful engagement, negotiation, and filing execution with key Chinese regulatory bodies, particularly the Cybersecurity Administration of China (CAC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Technical & Regulatory Fluency: Deep technical fluency in cloud architecture, AI infrastructure, and Large Language Models (LLMs), combined with the exceptional ability to translate complex technical architectures (e.g., global data flows, encryption protocols) into clear, compelling regulatory strategies and formal filings.
Ecosystem Network: A broad, established network within the Greater China tech ecosystem, including industry leaders, startups, and top-tier academic/university research institutions.
Operational & Crisis Management: Experience establishing and managing complex external operational partnerships (e.g., content safety operations) and demonstrated experience leading crisis management or mitigating critical regulatory issues/data audits in a fast-paced environment.
Advanced Degree: MBA, Juris Doctor (JD), Master’s in Public Policy, or an advanced technical degree (MS/PhD).
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: 15+ years of progressive leadership experience spanning business development, strategic partnerships, regulatory affairs, technology policy, or compliance program management within the Greater China technology sector.
Deal-Making: Proven track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing complex, first-of-their-kind technology partnerships, cloud infrastructure agreements, and data licensing deals in China.
Data Domain Expertise: Deep, practical, and hands-on expertise in China’s core data and cybersecurity frameworks, specifically the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), Data Security Law (DSL), Cybersecurity Law (CSL), and standard contract/security assessment procedures for CBDT.
Leadership & Execution: Exceptional cross-functional leadership, stakeholder management, and program management skills. Proven ability to synthesize complex risks, influence global teams, and present actionable strategies to SVP-level leadership.
Language & Communication: Bilingual proficiency in English and Mandarin Chinese (written and spoken) is mandatory, with outstanding executive-level communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Law, Public Policy, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
