Airbnb is hiring: Senior Android UX Engineer, Client Products & Emerging Tec

As a Senior Android UX Engineer at Airbnb, your responsibilities include leading the development and prototyping of new product areas that leverage emerging technologies. You will collaborate with design and product teams to ideate and implement features that enhance user experience. You'll also oversee the translation of prototypes into scalable, maintainable production code, ensuring high-quality engineering practices while integrating features across different product areas.

To be successful in the Senior Android UX Engineer role at Airbnb, candidates should have at least 5 years of experience in building consumer Android applications at scale or 2+ years with a PhD. A Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in computer science or related fields is preferred. Proficiency in Kotlin, Java, and experience with Jetpack Compose is highly desired, along with a deep understanding of UI architecture and performance.

The working environment for the Senior Android UX Engineer at Airbnb is largely remote-eligible, allowing for flexibility in work location. You may occasionally work from an Airbnb office or attend offsite meetings, promoting collaboration. This role encourages a culture of inclusivity and creativity, ideal for engineers looking to innovate in the travel tech space.

Airbnb is committed to inclusion and belonging, creating a diverse work environment that embraces various perspectives. The company promotes collaboration, encourages applications from individuals with varied backgrounds, and offers accommodations for those who need them during the application process, ensuring that all voices are valued, including those of Senior Android UX Engineers.

The pay range for the Senior Android UX Engineer position at Airbnb is between $185,000 and $223,000 USD. Compensation is determined by various factors, including experience, skills, training, and market demands. This role may also be eligible for bonuses, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits, enhancing overall remuneration.

In answering this question, you should highlight your specific projects where you've utilized Kotlin, emphasizing your understanding of its advantages over Java in Android development. Discuss your familiarity with Kotlin features, such as coroutines and extension functions, and how they have helped in streamlining your development process and improving app performance.

For this question, share your process for collaborating with designers and your understanding of user-centered design principles. Discuss how you translate user feedback into design decisions and how you balance aesthetics with functionality while ensuring performance optimization in the Android ecosystem.

Respond by detailing the benefits of Jetpack Compose, such as its declarative UI paradigm and efficiency in building interfaces. Share examples from your past projects where you’ve implemented Compose, highlighting the seamless integration and improved productivity in building complex user interfaces.

For a strong answer, describe a specific problem related to Android development, detailing the challenge, your thought process, and the steps you took to arrive at a solution. Highlight collaboration with team members, innovative thinking, and how the experience enhanced your skills as a Senior Android UX Engineer.

Explain your approach to code reviews, unit testing, and following best practices in coding standards. Discuss tools and methodologies you use to promote clean code and refactoring processes that minimize technical debt, adding to the team's efficiency and product stability.

In your response, detail your collaborative approach when collaborating with other engineering teams. Share best practices you follow during the integration process, including maintaining communication, using feature flags, and thorough testing to ensure seamless functionality across Android, iOS, and Web.

Discuss your strategies for continuous learning, such as following relevant blogs, attending webinars, participating in forums, or engaging with the developer community through meet-ups or conferences. Highlight how staying informed influences your work and contributes to your ability to innovate at Airbnb.

Provide a clear case where you created prototypes to visualize and validate features before full-scale development. Discuss the tools you used, the feedback you received, and how prototyping influenced the final product decisions and user experience.

In your answer, emphasize your time management and prioritization skills. Share techniques you use to break down tasks, stay organized, and ensure efficiency without sacrificing code quality. Discuss how open communication with your team helps in managing expectations during crunch times.

Highlight your proactive communication skills and tools you use for collaboration, such as video calls, chat platforms, and project management software. Discuss how you ensure inclusivity and engagement among team members while working remotely, fostering a positive team dynamic.