Senior Android Engineer

JOHN LEWIS; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

John Lewis in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Android Engineer to join a cross‑functional Agile team. You will collaborate with iOS, BA, QA, designers and UX specialists on customer‑facing projects.

You will own the development approach and provide technical assurance on complex IT initiatives, while helping shape new projects and mentoring less experienced engineers. This role supports flexible hybrid working across London/Bracknell offices.

Qualifications

• Extensive native Android development experience (Kotlin/Java).
• Accessibility best practice knowledge.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiar with generative AI tools to boost development.
• Experience with Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP).
• Interest or experience with Swift/iOS.
• Experience with TDD and pair programming.
• Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban).
• REST API development/consumption.
• Strong understanding of MVVM or MVP architecture.

Responsibilities

• Lead Android development within a cross-functional Agile team.
• Collaborate with iOS engineers, BA, QA, designers and UX specialists.
• Define development approach and provide technical assurance on complex projects.
• Support shaping of new projects and mentor less experienced engineers.
• Communicate with diverse stakeholders effectively.
• Keep up-to-date with latest technologies and continuously improve skills.

Skills

Android development

Accessibility

CI/CD

Generative AI

Kotlin Multiplatform

Swift/iOS

TDD

Agile (Scrum/Kanban)

REST API

MVVM/MVP

Tools

Postman

Charles

Bitrise CI

Docker

Kubernetes

GraphQL

Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure)

React/JS tooling

Job description

About the role

As the UK's most successful omni-channel retailer, ecommerce is a key part of our business - we run two of the busiest websites in the UK, driving a significant proportion of our sales.

Our engineering practice includes 80+ teams, working on everything from Cloud platforms to mobile apps, from ecommerce functionality to machine learning.

Have a quick glance of our Engineering best practices, see our engineers talk about their experience and opportunities to learn and grow.

At a glance

• Flexible Working: This is a hybrid working role, therefore your time will primarily be split between working from home (in the UK) and London Head Office / Bracknell Head Office. However, there will also be an expectation to visit other locations as the need arises. Our Engineering team currently works from the office roughly once a week to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings, but again the frequency is dependent on the business needs.
• Salary range: £52,000 - £77,000
• Contract type: Permanent

Key Responsibilities

You will work as a senior software engineer specialising in Android development within a cross-functional Agile development team. You'll be working collaboratively with other highly skilled Android Engineers as well as iOS engineers, Business Analysts, Quality Engineers, Designers and User Experience specialists on challenging customer-facing projects.

As a Senior Android Engineer you will have responsibility for the development approach and provide technical assurance on complex IT projects. You will also use your knowledge of software engineering to support shaping of new projects and support the professional development of less experienced software engineers. You will work with a diverse range of technical and non-technical stakeholders which will require excellent communication skills.

Learning new skills is extremely important to us. You would be expected to constantly improve your engineering skills and keep up to date with the latest technologies and techniques. In return for your commitment you will receive the support and resources needed to achieve your learning goals.

Internally this role is known as Product Engineer (L7).

Essential skills / experience you'll need

• Extensive experience in Native Mobile Development in Android (Kotlin and Java)
• Accessibility best practice
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery
• Experience with generative AI tools and techniques to enhance development and productivity.
• Experience with Kotlin Multi Platform (KMP)
• Experience with/eager to learn Swift/iOS
• Demonstrable experience in TDD, pair programming
• Agile development methods such as Scrum or Kanban
• REST API development and/or consumption
• Deep understanding of MVVM and MVP.

Desirable skills / experience you may have

• Postman or similar tools
• Charles/Proxyman or similar tools
• Bitrise/Gitlab CI
• You will be working closely with the iOS development teams, and will also work with our website and microservice teams, as such any experience in the following areas may also be helpful, but is not required or expected:
• GraphQL
• Microservice Architectures
• Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP or Azure
• Understanding of UX principles
• HTML, CSS, and related web technologies
• Experience with modern JavaScript libraries and tooling, such as React, Redux, Webpack
• Any server side development languages such as Java / Kotlin.

Additional Information

• You'll be asked about any adjustments you might need to support the recruitment process. Please let us know, and we'll be sure to discuss it with you.

The partnership

We're the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We're not just employees, we're Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there's never been a more exciting time to join us.

We're ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we're free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note

It's important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you'll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.