Senior Software Engineer, Android

Android Engineer · Senior · Full Time

London - The River Building HQGBP 120k – 160k1mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

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.

Responsibilities

  • 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.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Android Renderer Architecture

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

  • Declarative UI Patterns

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

  • Backend Service Integration

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

  • Performance Analysis & Optimization

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

  • Software Architecture & Design

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

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

    Formal computer science education or equivalent practical experience demonstrating strong fundamentals in software engineering principles and systems design.

Experience

  • 5+ Years Android Development

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

  • Platform & Infrastructure Experience

    Prior 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 Systems

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

  • Cross-Functional Leadership

    Demonstrated ability to lead without authority, influence technical decisions across teams, and communicate complex architectural concepts to diverse stakeholders.

  • Mentorship & Engineering Growth

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

Skills

Required

  • Kotlin

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

  • Jetpack Compose

    Deep 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 Development

    5+ 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 Systems

    Hands-on experience designing, building, or maintaining server-driven UI platforms or declarative rendering systems that abstract UI logic from client implementation.

  • Backend Development

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

  • Protobuf

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

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

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

  • Technical Leadership

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

  • Mobile Performance Optimization

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

  • Testing & Code Quality

    Commitment to comprehensive testing practices including unit testing, integration testing, and writing clean, maintainable, well-documented mobile code.

Preferred

  • Litho or DSL-Based Renderers

    Nice to have

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

  • Figma-to-Code Tooling

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with design-to-code automation tooling and integrations that bridge design systems and development workflows.

  • Design Tokens & Theming Systems

    Nice to have

    Experience implementing or maintaining design token systems and theming architectures that enable consistent UI rendering across platforms.

  • Mobile Accessibility

    Nice to have

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

  • Real-Time Systems

    Nice to have

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

  • Platform SDK Development

    Nice to have

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

Tech stack

Languages

KotlinGolang

Frameworks

Jetpack ComposeLitho

Tools

ProtobufFigma

Other

Server-Driven UI ArchitectureReal-Time UI UpdatesMarketplace Systems

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·GBP 120,000 – 160,000

Equity·Stock options

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.

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    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. 02

    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. 03

    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. 04

    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.

Full posting

Original listing.

Join us in our mission to transform the way people shop and eat, where impact, innovation and growth drive everything we do. Our Engineering teams tackle complex technical challenges across a global, three-sided marketplace, building and scaling systems that serve millions of customers, riders and partners every day.

From real-time logistics to resilient infrastructure and marketplace optimisation, we design, build and operate technology that powers Deliveroo’s growth at scale.

We’re looking for a Senior Android Engineer to join our SDUI team. In this role, you’ll help us build and scale our server-driven UI (SDUI) platform, enabling teams to build a UI once and have it deploy seamlessly to iOS, Android, and Web without redeploying a new app — performantly and consistently. This role is based in our London office with a hybrid setup, typically three days in the office.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll be joining the SDUI team. We own the Android rendering layer of our server-driven UI platform, and the backend services that drive it, ensuring every consumer surface built on it is fast, correct, and visually indistinguishable from native.

Here’s what your day-to-day might look like:

  • Drive technical execution by designing, building, and evolving the Android SDUI renderer — and the backend services (Kotlin, Golang, Protobuf) that feed it — to handle complex, real-time UI updates at scale.

  • Lead architectural improvements and code reviews, ensuring the maintainability, visibility, and operational health of the renderer as more teams build on top of it.

  • Partner with cross-functional disciplines (iOS and Web renderer engineers, product and design teams) to plan rollouts, align on platform decisions, and influence the roadmap.

  • Own large-scale initiatives from design to delivery — including the push to bring SDUI motion and interaction quality to native-equivalent, and the ongoing migration off legacy rendering systems.

  • Support the growth of others by mentoring colleagues and taking an active role in our engineering hiring process.

What You’ll Need to Thrive

Our ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in some of these areas and curiosity to grow in others:

  • 5+ years building Android applications at scale, with a deep understanding of Kotlin and Jetpack Compose.

  • Backend development experience, specifically with Golang, Kotlin, and Protobuf, and the comfort to move between client and server code as the work demands.

  • Experience building or maintaining a server-driven / declarative UI system, with a keen interest in pushing what's possible with declarative rendering — bonus points if that included Litho or another DSL-based renderer.

  • A product mindset, and the instinct to apply it to how you design platform services for the teams that build on top of them.

  • Demonstrated ownership of technical delivery within cross-functional teams, guiding implementation choices and technical design for a platform other teams build on.

  • Strong communication skills, working across time zones with iOS, Web, and Backend counterparts, plus PMs and multiple product teams.

  • A pride in software craft, with a commitment to writing readable, well-designed, and thoroughly tested mobile code.

Bonus points for exposure to Figma-to-code tooling, design-token/theming systems, or accessibility work in mobile rendering.

Why Join Us?

At Deliveroo, you’ll do work that matters — solving real problems for a platform that every consumer-facing team builds on. We’re renderer engineers, systems thinkers, and platform builders, brought together by a shared drive to make shipping UI changes fast and safe. Working here you can expect to:

  • 🔧 Solve meaningful problems at real scale — Work on a rendering platform that every consumer surface depends on, used by millions of customers every day.

  • 🌱 See your impact, fast — Ship, test and improve the renderer quickly in a low-hierarchy, high-ownership environment.

  • 🧠 Grow through challenge and ownership — Take on big, ambiguous platform problems and accelerate your career with strong support.

  • 🌍 A culture built for builders — High standards, collaboration, flexible working and continuous learning.

  • 💰 Share in the success you help create — Competitive salary and equity options, so you’re rewarded for the impact you make.

➡️ Want a deeper look at how we build? Check out our Tech Blog.

We aim to create a fair process that lets your skills shine—our interview typically includes 3-4 stages. Explore our Engineering Interview Guide here to help you feel confident at each stage.

Our Global Structure

Deliveroo is now part of DoorDash, bringing together teams with even greater reach, scale, and ambition. Depending on your role, you may collaborate with teammates, systems, and leaders across DoorDash and Wolt. Together, we’re unlocking new possibilities as one global team.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Deliveroo, we know that a great workplace reflects the world around us and that true diversity and inclusion make us stronger, more creative, and better at what we do. We’re committed to fostering an environment where everyone can do their best work and feel they belong.

We believe in equality of opportunity and welcome candidates from all backgrounds regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion, or belief.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition and need support to apply for one of our roles, or require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, you’ll have the opportunity to let us know once you’ve submitted your application. We’ll share details on how to request support so we can ensure you have a fair and equitable experience.

If you’re excited about making a real impact in a fast-moving marketplace and growing your career alongside ambitious, supportive teams, we’d love to hear from you!

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