Senior Software Engineer, Android

Deliveroo5 days ago

Location

London - The River Building HQ

Type

Full Time

Salary

GBP 120,000 – 160,000

Level

Senior

Role

Android Engineer

Posted

Jul 20, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Join Deliveroo's SDUI team as a Senior Android Engineer to design and scale a server-driven UI platform that enables seamless, performant UI deployment across iOS, Android, and Web without requiring app redeployment. In this hybrid London-based role, you will lead architectural improvements, mentor engineers, and own large-scale platform initiatives while working with Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Golang, and Protobuf across a three-sided marketplace serving millions of users daily.

What you'll do

Design & Scale Android SDUI Renderer: Architect, design, and continuously evolve the Android rendering layer of Deliveroo's server-driven UI platform to handle complex real-time UI updates at scale while maintaining performance and visual fidelity equivalent to native implementations.

Backend Service Development: Build and maintain backend services (Kotlin, Golang, Protobuf) that power the SDUI platform, ensuring robust data serialization, efficient API design, and seamless integration between client and server systems.

Lead Architectural Improvements: Guide architectural evolution of the renderer and platform services, conducting thorough code reviews, establishing maintainability standards, and ensuring operational visibility for systems supporting multiple consumer-facing teams.

Cross-Functional Platform Partnerships: Collaborate with iOS and Web renderer engineers, product managers, and design teams to plan feature rollouts, align on platform decisions, and collectively shape the SDUI roadmap based on marketplace needs.

Own Large-Scale Initiatives: Take full ownership of significant platform programs from conception through delivery, including initiatives to bring SDUI motion and interaction quality to native-equivalent levels and managing migration from legacy rendering systems.

Technical Mentorship & Hiring: Mentor and support growth of Android engineers on the team, actively participate in engineering hiring for the SDUI team, and help establish technical standards and best practices within the group.

Performance & Correctness: Ensure every consumer surface built on the SDUI platform is fast, correct, and visually consistent with design specifications, implementing rigorous testing and performance optimization practices.

Platform Developer Experience: Design and refine platform APIs and abstractions with a product mindset, ensuring that iOS, Web, and backend teams consuming the SDUI platform have excellent developer experience and clear documentation.

What we look for

Technical

Android Renderer ArchitectureDeep understanding of Android rendering pipelines, view systems, composition strategies, and performance profiling to optimize visual consistency at scale.

Declarative UI PatternsMastery of declarative programming paradigms and reactive state management patterns essential for server-driven UI implementations.

Backend Service IntegrationExperience designing and consuming backend APIs, understanding service-oriented architecture, and implementing efficient client-server communication patterns.

Performance Analysis & OptimizationProficiency with Android profiling tools, memory analysis, CPU optimization, and implementing solutions for high-performance rendering at scale.

Software Architecture & DesignAbility to design maintainable, scalable platform architectures that support multiple consumer teams building on top of the rendering system.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer ScienceFormal computer science education or equivalent practical experience demonstrating strong fundamentals in software engineering principles and systems design.

Experience

5+ Years Android DevelopmentMinimum five years of professional experience building production Android applications, with demonstrated growth from intermediate to senior level responsibilities.

Platform & Infrastructure ExperiencePrior experience building or maintaining platform-level services, SDKs, or infrastructure that other engineering teams depend on, demonstrating understanding of API design and developer experience.

Large-Scale SystemsTrack record of owning large-scale technical initiatives from design through delivery, with experience managing complexity in systems serving millions of users.

Cross-Functional LeadershipDemonstrated ability to lead without authority, influence technical decisions across teams, and communicate complex architectural concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Mentorship & Engineering GrowthExperience supporting the development of other engineers through code review, architectural guidance, and active participation in technical hiring processes.

Skills

Required skills

KotlinExpert-level proficiency in Kotlin programming language for Android development, including functional programming patterns and modern language features essential for maintaining scalable renderer systems.

Jetpack ComposeDeep expertise in Jetpack Compose framework for building declarative, efficient UI systems on Android with strong understanding of composition, state management, and performance optimization.

Android Application Development5+ years of professional experience building production Android applications at scale with proven track record of architecting and maintaining complex, high-performance mobile systems.

Server-Driven / Declarative UI SystemsHands-on experience designing, building, or maintaining server-driven UI platforms or declarative rendering systems that abstract UI logic from client implementation.

Backend DevelopmentPractical experience with backend systems, specifically Golang and Kotlin, with comfort moving between client and server codebases to drive platform initiatives end-to-end.

ProtobufProficiency with Protocol Buffers for efficient data serialization and cross-service communication between Android renderers and backend services.

Cross-Functional CollaborationDemonstrated ability to work effectively across iOS, Web, backend engineering teams, product managers, and design partners to align on architecture and roadmap decisions.

Technical LeadershipProven ownership of technical delivery in platform roles, including code review leadership, architectural guidance, and mentorship of other engineers.

Mobile Performance OptimizationStrong expertise in profiling, analyzing, and optimizing Android applications for performance, memory efficiency, and visual consistency at scale.

Testing & Code QualityCommitment to comprehensive testing practices including unit testing, integration testing, and writing clean, maintainable, well-documented mobile code.

Nice to have

Litho or DSL-Based RenderersPrior experience with Meta's Litho framework or other declarative, DSL-based rendering systems for mobile applications.

Figma-to-Code ToolingFamiliarity with design-to-code automation tooling and integrations that bridge design systems and development workflows.

Design Tokens & Theming SystemsExperience implementing or maintaining design token systems and theming architectures that enable consistent UI rendering across platforms.

Mobile AccessibilityBackground in implementing accessibility features and patterns in mobile rendering systems to ensure inclusive user experiences.

Real-Time SystemsExperience with real-time data processing, reactive patterns, and handling high-frequency UI updates in distributed systems.

Platform SDK DevelopmentExperience developing SDKs or platform libraries consumed by other engineering teams, with focus on developer experience and API design.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

GBP 120,000 – 160,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Competitive Salary & Equity

Market-leading compensation package with equity options enabling you to share in Deliveroo's continued success and growth trajectory.

Hybrid Work Arrangement

Flexible hybrid working model based in London office with typical expectation of three days in-office per week, supporting work-life balance and collaboration.

Continuous Learning & Development

Investment in professional growth through technical training, conference attendance, and opportunities to work on cutting-edge platform and rendering technologies.

Low-Hierarchy, High-Ownership Culture

Fast-paced environment emphasizing individual initiative and technical ownership, enabling rapid impact and accelerated career development through meaningful work.

Collaborative Engineering Community

Work alongside ambitious, supportive engineering teams united by shared commitment to building high-quality rendering systems and platform infrastructure.

Global Team Connectivity

Access to broader DoorDash and Wolt engineering talent and resources following integration, providing mentorship opportunities and expanded career growth pathways.

Diversity & Inclusion Support

Commitment to fostering an equitable environment with reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and welcoming applications from all backgrounds.

Meaningful Impact at Scale

Work on rendering platform that powers every consumer-facing surface at Deliveroo, directly impacting millions of customers, riders, and restaurant partners daily.

Interview process

1
Initial Technical Screen — Conversation with a hiring manager or senior engineer to discuss your background in Android development, server-driven UI experience, and understanding of platform architecture challenges. Expect discussion of specific technical projects and your approach to solving performance and scalability problems.
2
System Design Interview — Deep-dive technical discussion focused on designing platform-level systems, such as architecting a server-driven UI renderer or designing APIs for cross-platform UI delivery. Assessment of your ability to think about scalability, performance trade-offs, and developer experience for teams consuming your platform.
3
Coding Interview — Hands-on technical assessment involving real or realistic Android development problems, such as implementing UI rendering logic, state management patterns, or optimization challenges. Emphasis on code quality, testing practices, and your approach to software craft.
4
Cross-Functional Panel Interview — Meeting with stakeholders from iOS, Web, backend engineering, and product to assess collaboration skills, communication across disciplines, and your ability to influence technical decisions in a matrix environment. Discussion of previous cross-team projects and your product mindset.