Engineering Manager, Apps

The Economist; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Private health insurance

Employee assistance program

Work From Anywhere

Generous leave (annual)

Volunteer days

Moving support

Free Economist content

Job summary

The Economist is seeking a Mobile Engineering Manager to lead and grow our iOS and Android engineers. You will own the health, delivery and growth of the mobile function, staying close to code while guiding people and partnering with product to shape what we build.

You will work with engineers, product managers, designers and other leads to ship a fast, reliable mobile experience, balancing hands-on contribution with leadership and delivery ownership.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an engineering manager or tech lead with mobile teams.
• Hands-on in native mobile development with iOS/Swift and/or Android/Kotlin.
• Track record shipping consumer mobile apps at scale, with release management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a mobile engineering team (iOS and Android).
• Stay hands-on: review code and contribute to architecture.
• Own delivery planning, prioritisation and blockers with product management.
• Set engineering standards for quality, testing, performance, accessibility and release practices.
• Collaborate with Product, Design, QA and backend teams on roadmaps.
• Translate product requirements into technical plans and milestones.
• Use metrics to inform prioritisation and success criteria.
• Improve CI/CD, release cadence and app-store operations.
• Recruit, interview and onboard new mobile engineers.

Skills

Mobile engineering

iOS/Swift

Android/Kotlin

Code review

Architecture discussion

Delivery ownership

CI/CD for mobile

Job description

Who we are

Since 1843, The Economist Group has championed independence, excellence and openness, helping people understand and tackle the critical challenges shaping the world. Today, we are building on that legacy as a global media and information-services company powered by digital innovation, analytical rigour and evidence-based insight.

Across our three businesses - The Economist, Economist Enterprise and Economist Education - we deliver trusted analysis and insights to individuals and organisations in more than 170 countries. United by a shared purpose to drive progress, we empower decision-makers to make sense of change and chart a course through an increasingly complex world.

As a colleague, you will be part of a culture that values ideas, encourages ownership and holds itself to high standards. We invest in people who are curious, thoughtful and adaptable, whether they are launching new products, reporting on global events or harnessing emerging technologies such as AI to improve how we work. Here, fresh thinking is taken seriously, ambition is matched by integrity, and great work is recognised. Working across disciplines, geographies and perspectives, we are united by a commitment to innovation, excellence and creating meaningful impact.

Want to discover more about life at The Economist Group? Follow @EconomistCareers on Instagram to discover the people, stories and opportunities that make TEG unique.

Our team of 450 colleagues across Technology, Product and Data is at the heart of The Economist Group’s digital-first agenda. Together, we design, build and optimise the digital products, platforms and data capabilities that power our business and reach millions of people around the world. Whether you're an engineer, product manager, designer, data scientist or analyst, you'll work on products that have real-world impact. From enhancing economist.com and developing new products for Economist Intelligence to creating personalised experiences and applying AI to solve complex challenges, you'll help shape how consumers, businesses and government leaders access trusted insights. Working in cross-functional teams, we combine engineering excellence, product thinking and data expertise to solve meaningful problems, experiment with new technologies and continuously improve the experiences we create. It's an opportunity to do challenging, purposeful work alongside curious, collaborative colleagues, while helping drive sustainable growth for one of the world's most trusted brands.

The role

We are looking for a Mobile Engineering Manager to lead our iOS and Android engineering team and help shape the future of our mobile platform. This is a player-coach role: you'll own the health, delivery and growth of the mobile engineering function, staying close to the code while also leading people, and partnering closely with product to shape what we build and why. As Mobile Engineering Manager, you will work closely with engineers, product managers, designers and other engineering leads to ship a fast, reliable and well-crafted mobile experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a team of iOS and Android engineers, providing day-to-day management, mentorship and career development.
• Stay hands-on: review code, contribute to architectural decisions, and step into implementation when it matters.
• Own delivery for the mobile team: planning, prioritisation, and removing blockers in partnership with product management.
• Set and uphold engineering standards for code quality, testing, performance, accessibility and release practices across both platforms.
• Partner with Product, Design, QA and backend/platform teams to turn roadmap priorities into a well-sequenced, technically sound mobile plan.
• Get hands-on with product and business requirements: ask questions, spot gaps, and help refine specs before and during build, rather than treating them as fixed inputs from the product.
• Use business and product metrics (engagement, retention, subscriber conversion, crash-free rate, and similar) to inform prioritisation, trade-off decisions, and what "done" looks like for a feature.
• Drive improvements to the team's engineering practices: CI/CD, release cadence, crash/performance monitoring, and app store operations.
• Recruit, interview and onboard new mobile engineers as the team grows.
• Represent mobile engineering in broader engineering leadership discussions, including technical strategy and cross-team dependencies.

Who you are

• Proven experience as an engineering manager or tech lead with direct people-management responsibility for mobile engineers.
• Strong hands-on background in native mobile development (iOS/Swift and/or Android/Kotlin), comfortable reviewing code and discussing architecture in both ecosystems.
• Track record of shipping and operating consumer-facing mobile apps at scale, including release management and app store submission processes.
• Experience balancing hands-on technical contribution with people leadership and delivery ownership.
• Strong understanding of mobile engineering fundamentals: performance, offline/networking, accessibility, testing (unit/UI), and CI/CD for mobile.
• Excellent communication skills, able to work closely with product, design and other engineering functions, and to explain technical trade‑offs to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong product sense: comfortable interrogating and refining product/business requirements rather than just implementing them as given, and able to spot when a requirement doesn't hold up.

#LI-Hybrid

Working Arrangements

The majority of our roles operate on a hybrid working pattern, with 3+ days office attendance required.

AI usage for your application

We are an innovative organisation that encourages the use of technology. We recognise that candidates may utilise AI tools to support with their job application process. However, it is essential that all information you provide truthfully and accurately reflects your own experience, skills, and qualifications.

What we offer

Our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance. It includes a highly competitive pension or 401(k) plan, private health insurance, and 24/7 access to counselling and wellbeing resources through our Employee Assistance Program.

We also offer a range of lifestyle benefits, including our Work From Anywhere program, which allows you to work from any location where you have the legal right to do so for up to 25 days per year. In addition, we provide generous annual and parental leave, as well as dedicated days off for volunteering and even for moving home.

You will also be given free access to all The Economist content, including an online subscription, our range of apps, podcasts and more.