Senior Software Engineer – Mobile Development (Android)

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What We Offer:

Impact - The work you do here matters to millions.

Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it?

Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.

Benefits - We care about your well-being.

OIT is seeking a Senior Android Developer to lead the design, development, and maintenance of highquality 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.

The Senior Android Developer will strongly influence the full mobile development lifecycle from technical discovery and architecture through implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing iteration. This role requires strong engineering expertise, a collaborative mindset, and a commitment to building digital tools that improve the lives of Philadelphia residents, businesses, and City employees.

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 to 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 Android 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

While you won’t necessarily be working with these technologies every day, you should have a broad enough understanding of them to help support your team.

• Understanding of the modern mobile platform and common architectures

• Strong understanding of the 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 ways to mitigate them

• SQL, and usage of relational databases such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, MSSQL

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Containerization

• Automated test/deployment pipelines

• API design and development

We care more about what you can do than where you learned how to do it. That said, a bachelor’s degree is a good foundation for the work, and job-related experience around the competencies above is acceptable as well.

• 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

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

All applications must include a cover letter. Applications without a cover letter will be considered incomplete. 

• 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

Did you know?

• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents

• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan

• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays

• Generous retirement savings options are available

• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.

• Enjoy a Free Commute on SEPTA - Starting September 1, 2023, eligible City employees will no longer have to worry about paying for SEPTA public transportation. Whether you're a full-time, part-time, or provisional employee, you can seize the opportunity to sign up for the SEPTA Key Advantage Program and receive free Key cards for free rides on SEPTA buses, trains, trolleys, and regional rails.

• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

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 faqpchr@phila.gov. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website:
http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.asp