Staff Software Engineer, Android App Development

Job Description

The Washington Post is looking for a Staff Software Engineer to support our flagship apps engineering team. As a Staff Software Engineer on our team, you will be a technical leader and key contributor to the development and architecture of our applications. You will leverage your deep expertise in Android development, software architecture, and best practices to drive innovation, improve performance, and ensure the scalability and maintainability of our codebase while also supporting mobile backend APIs, CI/CD tools, and automated testing. You will mentor other engineers, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our platforms. This role goes beyond individual contribution, focusing on leadership, mentorship, and strategic decision-making. We are looking for someone with strong interest in all things mobile and a passion for delivering high quality, solid applications.

Motivation:

• You want to help bring our award-winning journalism to people every day.

• You are passionate about architecture and building high-quality products.

• You have a knack to tackle intricate technical hurdles and drive innovation in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

• You want to work with the latest Android technologies and frameworks, pushing the boundaries of what's possible on the platform.

• You enjoy empowering and elevating fellow Android engineers through mentorship and technical guidance, fostering a culture of excellence.

• You enjoy collaborating with colleagues across disciplines to solve problems and deliver new functionality.

• You enjoy championing code quality, performance optimization, and best practices, ensuring our Android applications are robust, scalable, and delightful to use.

Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Architecture:

• Design and implement robust, scalable, and maintainable architectures for complex Android applications.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other Android engineers.

• Drive architectural decisions and ensure adherence to best practices.

• Evaluate and recommend new technologies and frameworks to improve development efficiency and application performance.

• Conduct code reviews and ensure code quality.

Android Development & Optimization:

• Develop and maintain high-quality, performant, and user-friendly Android applications using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose (or similar modern Android technologies).

• Optimize application performance, memory usage, and battery consumption.

• Implement and maintain robust testing strategies (unit, integration, UI).

• Debug and resolve complex technical issues.

• Stay up-to-date with the latest Android platform developments and best practices.

Collaboration & Communication:

• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to define and deliver features.

• Communicate technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Participate in agile development processes, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.

• Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing.

Strategic Planning & Innovation:

• Identify and address technical debt and areas for improvement in the codebase.

• Contribute to the long-term technical roadmap for the Android platform.

• Drive innovation and experimentation with new technologies and approaches.

• Act as a subject matter expert on Android development within the organization.

Mentorship:

• Mentor junior and mid level engineers.

• Help to grow the skill set of the Android team.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, engineering or related technical field or equivalent experience.

• Minimum of 8 years of experience with Android SDK required; prior experience in a similar role preferred.

• Proven experience in designing and implementing complex Android architectures.

• Experience with Kotlin and modern Android development tools and frameworks (e.g., Jetpack Compose, Coroutines, Flow, Dagger/Hilt, etc.).

• Experience with performance optimization and debugging techniques.

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.

• Strong understanding of Android platform architecture and development best practices.

• Strong analytical, evaluation and problem-solving skills

• Excellent verbal/written communication and collaboration skills.

• Deep understanding of software design patterns and principles.

• Experience with RESTful APIs and network communication.

• Experience with testing methodologies.

• Extensive experience working on and releasing one or more applications to Google Playstore and/or Amazon Appstore

• Solid understanding of Version Control principles, preferably using Git and Pull Requests

• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with large-scale Android applications.  

• Experience with cross-platform mobile development frameworks.

• Contributions to open-source Android projects.

• Experience with mobile security best practices.

• Experience with different architectural patterns such as MVVM, MVI, and Clean Architecture.

The Washington Post’s policy for employees is five days per week in the office, with exceptions for newsgathering and general business travel.

Compensation and Benefits

Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:

• Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage

• Company-paid pension and 401(k) match

• Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave

• Nine paid holidays and two personal days

• 20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent

• Robust mental health resources

• Backup care and caregiver concierge services

• Gender affirming services

• Pet insurance

• Free Post digital subscription

• Leadership and career development programs

Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.

The salary range for this position is:

The actual salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements. This position may be eligible for a bonus or incentive program, and a member of the Talent Acquisition team will discuss bonus payment terms and conditions during the interview process.

The Post strives to provide its readers with high-quality, trustworthy news and information while constantly innovating. That mission is best served by a diverse, multi-generational workforce with varied life experiences and perspectives. All cultures and backgrounds are welcomed. 

The innovation doesn’t end in the Newsroom – dozens of teams power The Washington Post.  We are now hiring the next innovator – how will you Impact Tomorrow?

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