Staff Software Engineer, Technical Lead, Wear OS

Google; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Google in Mountain View seeks a Staff Software Engineer, Technical Lead for Wear OS. You will lead a team of engineers and steer architecture and delivery for the Wear OS platform, focusing on power, performance, and on-device experiences.

The role requires strong Android framework development expertise and 3+ years in technical leadership, with demonstrated stakeholder influence and a track record of shipping high-impact features across wearable devices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of software development experience.
• 3 years in a technical leadership role; overseeing projects with 2 years in people management.
• 3 years of Android Framework development and on-device experience.
• Preferred: Master’s degree or PhD in CS or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of software engineers, providing technical mentorship and setting engineering standards.
• Act as a technical leader contributing to system architecture and design.
• Partner with stakeholders and hardware teams to optimize power, performance, and functionality.
• Drive end-to-end roadmap execution and deliver high-impact projects for device launches.
• Architect and develop features integrating Google services on Wear OS.

Skills

Technical leadership

Android framework

On-device development

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree or PhD (preferred)

Tools

Android platform

Android framework

Job description

Staff Software Engineer, Technical Lead, Wear OS

Google

Mountain View, CA, USA

Advanced

Experience owning outcomes and decision making, solving ambiguous problems and influencing stakeholders; deep expertise in domain.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role; overseeing projects, with 2 years of experience in a people management, supervision/team leadership role.
• 3 years of experience with Android Framework development and on-device experience.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.
• Experience with Android platform and framework.
• Experience building full-stack Android applications, ranging from building user interfaces to low-level Android libraries.
• Experience with Power and Performance optimizations on battery operated devices.

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

The Wear Core Platform Engineering team is focused on developing Google’s Wear OS software platform that powers devices from our global partners. The team is responsible for developing framework and services optimized for the wearable platform.

Are you ready to shape the future of wearable technology and impact how millions of people experience wearables daily? Are you ready to empower developers building the apps that define this rapidly evolving device category? Help us with one of the most important challenges: designing for the most personal devices worn today by millions of users. The Wear OS team's mission is to effortlessly connect users with their health, loved ones, and the world around them, offering a seamless smartwatch experience with access to their favorite apps and services. We provide the core Android experience, tailored specifically for wearables. The age of wearable computing is upon us and Wear OS is at the front line of creating a place for users, hardware manufacturers, and app developers to come together and help make lives simpler and more seamless.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $207000 - $300000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of software engineers, providing technical mentorship, fostering career growth, and setting the standard for engineering excellence across the Wear OS platform team.
• Act as a technical leader, contributing to system architecture, design, and code to resolve issues and enhance overall product quality and resilience.
• Partner with various stakeholders, product teams, and key external SoC and hardware developers to maximize power, performance, and functionality on current and future wearable products.
• Drive the end-to-end execution of the team's roadmap by actively participating in feature planning, work distribution, and delivering high-impact projects against fixed deadlines to support device launches.
• Architect and develop innovative features that seamlessly integrate Google's services onto the wearable surface, helping to further scale and expand the Wear OS platform and its ecosystem.

Information collected and processed as part of your Google Careers profile, and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Google's Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See also Google's EEO Policy, Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal, Belonging at Google, and How we hire.

If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

To all recruitment agencies: Google does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Google employees, or any other organization location. Google is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Equity is granted exclusively and discretionarily by Alphabet Inc. on the basis of an agreement concluded between you and Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is your sole contractual partner with respect to equity grants. GSU grants are not guaranteed, are discretionary, are subject to approval by the Alphabet Inc. board of directors or its delegate, the terms of the relevant Alphabet Inc. stock plan, and your grant agreement. They have no impact on statutory payments. Current or past grants do not confer an acquired right.