Senior Software Engineer – Mobile Development (Android)

City of Philadelphia; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 105,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Wellness program

Paid vacation

Retirement savings options

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

SEPTA rides

Tuition discounts

Job summary

City of Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology seeks a Senior Android Developer to lead design, development, and maintenance of high‑quality Android apps that support City services.

Work with product managers, designers, and backend engineers to deliver secure, accessible mobile experiences and mentor other engineers in a collaborative, public‑sector environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional Android development experience.
• Proven ability to design, develop, and maintain Android apps with Kotlin and modern frameworks.
• Experience deploying to Google Play Store or enterprise distribution.
• Experience integrating RESTful APIs and backend services.
• Familiarity with Agile or iterative development processes.
• Strong understanding of mobile architecture, design patterns, and performance optimization.
• Excellent problem‑solving and collaboration skills.
• Must be City of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire.
• Portfolio showing React Native proficiency is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain advanced Android applications using Kotlin and modern Android frameworks like Jetpack Compose.
• Lead technical architecture decisions and establish best practices for Android development.
• Collaborate with product, design, and backend engineering teams to define requirements and deliver high‑quality features.
• Help translate user needs and business goals into scalable, maintainable mobile solutions.
• Collaborate with UX/UI designers to implement pixel‑perfect designs optimized for Android platforms and design conventions.
• Ensure applications comply with Google Play Store guidelines and submission requirements.
• Write clean, maintainable code following Android development best practices and coding standards.
• Integrate Android applications with APIs, backend services, and City data systems.
• Ensure applications meet standards for accessibility, security, and performance.
• Conduct code reviews, mentor junior developers, and contribute to team‑wide engineering excellence.
• Implement automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring tools to support reliable deployments.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across the mobile stack.
• Stay current with Android technologies, tools, and best practices, and advocate for continuous improvement.
• Support agile delivery practices, including sprint planning, standups, and retrospectives.
• Communicate progress, risks, and technical decisions clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences.

Skills

Kotlin

Android Studio

Jetpack Compose

Gradle

RESTful APIs

Git

Agile

Android UI/UX

Testing

CI/CD

Security best practices

Performance optimization

Tools

Gradle build system

Android SDK tools

Job description

Senior Android Developer – City of Philadelphia

OIT is seeking a Senior Android Developer to lead the design, development, and maintenance of high‑quality Android applications that support City services and operations. This role will work closely with product managers, designers, backend engineers, and City department stakeholders to deliver secure, accessible, user‑centered mobile experiences.

Essential Functions

• Design, build, and maintain advanced Android applications using Kotlin and modern Android frameworks like Jetpack Compose
• Lead technical architecture decisions and establish best practices for Android development
• Collaborate with product, design, and backend engineering teams to define requirements and deliver high‑quality features
• Help translate user needs and business goals into scalable, maintainable mobile solutions
• Collaborate with UX/UI designers to implement pixel‑perfect designs optimized for Android platforms and design conventions
• Ensure applications comply with Google Play Store guidelines and submission requirements
• Write clean, maintainable code following Android development best practices and coding standards
• Integrate Android applications with APIs, backend services, and City data systems
• Ensure applications meet standards for accessibility, security, and performance
• Conduct code reviews, mentor junior developers, and contribute to team‑wide engineering excellence
• Implement automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring tools to support reliable deployments
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across the mobile stack
• Stay current with Android technologies, tools, and best practices, and advocate for continuous improvement
• Support agile delivery practices, including sprint planning, standups, and retrospectives
• Communicate progress, risks, and technical decisions clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Deep understanding of modern Android development principles and mobile UX patterns
• Strong proficiency in native Android development with focus on platform optimization
• Solid understanding of Android development fundamentals including Activities, Fragments, Services, and Content Providers
• Experience with Android Studio, Gradle build system, and Android SDK tools
• Knowledge of Material Design principles and Android UI/UX best practices
• Understanding of Android app lifecycle, memory management, and performance
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic public‑sector environment
• Commitment to equity, accessibility, and inclusive design
• Ability to mentor and support other engineers
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to debug complex mobile applications
• Familiarity with Google Play Console and app store submission processes
• Experience with version control systems, preferably Git
• Understanding of RESTful APIs and mobile app security best practices
• Knowledge of automated testing frameworks for mobile applications
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a collaborative team environment

Additional Technical Knowledge

• Understanding of the modern mobile platform and common architectures
• Strong understanding of key differences in supported hardware and features across the mobile device landscape
• Server‑side programming languages such as NodeJs (TypeScript)
• Command line and shell scripts
• Web application security concerns and mitigation techniques
• SQL and usage of relational databases such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, MSSQL
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Containerization
• Automated test/deployment pipelines
• API design and development

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional Android development experience
• Prior team leadership or seniority is a plus
• Strong proficiency in Kotlin, Android Studio, and modern Android frameworks (Jetpack, Compose, Coroutines, etc.)
• Experience building and deploying applications to the Google Play Store or enterprise distribution
• Experience integrating RESTful APIs and working with backend services
• Familiarity with agile or iterative development processes
• Strong understanding of mobile architecture, design patterns, and performance optimization
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and attention to detail
• Strong communication skills and experience collaborating with cross‑functional teams
• The successful candidate must be a City of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire
• Have developed and deployed at least one Android application to the Google Play Store
• Demonstrate proficiency in React Native development through portfolio or work samples

Additional Information

Salary Range: $105,000 - $110,000

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage for employees and eligible dependents
• Wellness program offering discounts on medical plans
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options
• Eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
• Free SEPTA public transportation rides (SEPTA Key Advantage Program) for eligible employees
• Tuition discounts and scholarships at partner colleges and universities (10%‑40%) for employees and some family members

Policy

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees in non‑medical, non‑emergency or patient‑facing positions. Employees in patient‑facing medical care positions must be fully vaccinated.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215‑686‑4670 or send an email to [e-mail]. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website.