Founding iOS Engineer

Sekai app; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Sekai is building a fast, AI-native consumer platform with a focus on a polished iOS experience. We are looking for a Senior iOS Engineer to own the iOS app, move quickly in a startup environment, and leverage AI tools to accelerate development.

You will collaborate with Product, Design, Backend, and Mobile engineers to ship features and define our mobile development workflow, keeping pace with Apple platform updates and best practices.

Qualifications

• Strong professional experience building and shipping iOS apps.
• Deep familiarity with Swift, iOS SDK, and modern iOS development practices.
• Experience working on consumer mobile apps with high standards for UX, performance, and reliability.
• Experience owning projects end-to-end in a startup, 0-to-1 product environment, or similarly fast-moving team.
• AI-native mindset: you actively use AI tools to build faster, explore better implementation paths, and improve engineering productivity.
• Strong product sense and willingness to work closely with design and product teams.

Responsibilities

• Own and improve Sekai’s iOS app experience, quality, and release velocity.
• Build and ship consumer-facing iOS features with strong attention to speed, polish, and reliability.
• Bring modern iOS best practices and the latest Apple platform knowledge to the team.
• Work across native iOS, hybrid mobile, and web-based app experiences when needed.
• Partner closely with Product, Design, Backend, and Mobile engineers to move from idea to shipped product quickly.
• Use AI development tools to accelerate coding, debugging, refactoring, and product iteration.

Skills

iOS apps

Swift & iOS SDK

UX & performance

Startup / 0-to-1

AI-native mindset

Product collaboration

Job description

Sekai is building the TikTok for mini apps — an AI-driven consumer platform where people create, remix, share, and play interactive content instantly.

We are a Series A company backed by Khosla, a16z, Mayfield, and A*, with $30M raised to date. We are remote-first across all positions and are looking for ambitious, AI-native builders who want to help shape the next generation of consumer social products.

Here are Sekai’s download links:

• Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=chat.sekai.app&hl=en_US

• iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sekai-create-remix-play/id6504506653

About the Role

We are looking for a Senior iOS Engineer to own Sekai’s iOS app and help us build a fast, polished, AI-native consumer experience.

This role is for someone with strong iOS experience, good consumer product taste, and the ability to move quickly in a startup environment. You should keep up with the latest Apple platform updates, understand what great mobile apps feel like, and be excited to use AI to rethink how fast a small team can build.

You will work closely with Product, Design, Backend, and Mobile engineers to improve the iOS app experience, ship new features, and help define our AI-native mobile development workflow.

Responsibilities

• Own and improve Sekai’s iOS app experience, quality, and release velocity

• Build and ship consumer-facing iOS features with strong attention to speed, polish, and reliability

• Bring modern iOS best practices and the latest Apple platform knowledge to the team

• Work across native iOS, hybrid mobile, and web-based app experiences when needed

• Partner closely with Product, Design, Backend, and Mobile engineers to move from idea to shipped product quickly

• Use AI development tools to accelerate coding, debugging, refactoring, and product iteration

Qualifications

• Strong professional experience building and shipping iOS apps

• Deep familiarity with Swift, iOS SDK, and modern iOS development practices

• Experience working on consumer mobile apps with high standards for UX, performance, and reliability

• Experience owning projects end-to-end in a startup, 0-to-1 product environment, or similarly fast-moving team

• AI-native mindset: you actively use AI tools to build faster, explore better implementation paths, and improve engineering productivity

• Strong product sense and willingness to work closely with design and product teams

Nice to Have

• Experience with social, entertainment, creator, gaming, UGC, or feed-based consumer products

• Experience with React Native, Flutter, WebView, or other hybrid mobile architecture

• Familiarity with Android, backend systems, or full-stack product development

• Experience working on AI-native products or teams that heavily use AI in day-to-day development

At Sekai, you will work with an AI-native team, move fast, own meaningful problems, and have the flexibility to explore new ideas from an early stage.