Android Mobile Developer

The Office of Innovation & Technology (OIT) is the central IT agency for the City of Philadelphia headed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO). OIT oversees all major information and communications technology initiatives for the City of Philadelphia – increasing the effectiveness of the information technology infrastructure, where the services provided are advanced, optimized, and responsive to the needs of the City of Philadelphia’s businesses, residents, and visitors. OIT responsibilities include: identifying the most effective approach for implementing new information technology directions throughout city government; improving the value of the city’s technology assets and the return on the city’s technology investments; ensuring data security continuity; planning for continuing operations in the event of disruption of information technology or communications services; and supporting accountable, efficient and effective government across every city department, board, commission and agency.

Job Description

You will:

• Develop and maintain high-quality Android applications using native Android technologies
• Build responsive mobile interfaces that work seamlessly across various Android devices and screen sizes
• Collaborate with the mobile development team to establish best practices for Android-specific development
• Implement Android-specific features including push notifications, background services, and device integrations
• Ensure applications comply with Google Play Store guidelines and submission requirements
• Write clean, maintainable code following Android development best practices and coding standards
• Participate in code reviews to maintain code quality and share knowledge with team members
• Work closely with UX/UI designers to implement pixel-perfect designs optimized for Android platforms
• Debug and resolve Android-specific issues across different device manufacturers and OS versions
• Optimize app performance for various Android hardware configurations
• Integrate with backend APIs and services to deliver seamless user experiences
• Stay current with Android development trends, tools, and Google's evolving platform guidelines
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the mobile development process and toolchain
• Support production applications and respond to critical issues as needed

Development

• Develops native Android applications and React Native cross-platform solutions
• Implements Android-specific UI components and navigation patterns
• Integrates with Android system services and hardware features
• Optimizes applications for performance across diverse Android device ecosystem

Collaboration

• Works effectively with cross-functional teams including designers, backend developers, and product managers
• Participates in agile development processes including sprint planning and retrospectives
• Communicates technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Quality Assurance

• Writes comprehensive unit tests and integration tests for Android applications
• Performs thorough testing across multiple Android devices and OS versions
• Follows established QA processes to ensure high-quality app releases
  

  Qualifications

• Strong proficiency in React Native 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
• Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript and Java/Kotlin programming languages
• Understanding of Android app lifecycle, memory management, and performance optimization
• Experience with Android-specific libraries and frameworks (Retrofit, Room, WorkManager, etc.)
• Familiarity with Google Play Console and app store submission processes
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to debug complex mobile applications
• 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
• React Native
• Server-side programming languages such as .NET Core, Node.js, or PHP
• Command line and shell scripts
• Web application security concerns and ways to mitigate them
• Git, or similar version control systems
• SQL, and usage of relational databases such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, MSSQL
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Containerization
• Automated test/deployment pipelines
• API design and development