Senior Android Engineer

Location: Auckland, NZ (Hybrid - 3 days/week in office)

Type: Full-time

Company: Emerge 

TL;DR

Emerge is seeking a superstar Senior Android Engineer to build NZ's first challenger bank's mobile experience. Excel in Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, SOLID principles, and Clean Architecture across two native Android fintech projects. This high-impact role offers significant autonomy, mentorship opportunities, and a clear path to a lead position, all within a high-growth, innovative fintech environment.

About Emerge

We're building New Zealand's first challenger bank, shaking up a sector dominated by the same players for centuries. At Emerge and SquareOne, we're all about empowering businesses and young Kiwis with financial tools that are simpler, smarter, and just work. Our mission? Redefine banking, by putting our customers first, driving financial capability, and moving at a pace traditional banks can only dream of.

We're not building a company; we're building a movement. At Emerge, you'll be part of a team that's rewriting the rules of finance. We don't have bureaucracy slowing us down – if you've got an idea, you'll be empowered to make it happen. We operate with relentless focus, high trust, and an unwavering belief in our mission. We move fast, break molds (but not laws!), and back our people to be exceptional. Plus, we're fun to work with – our culture blends hard work and big challenges with good times... We're exceptionally high in trust, autonomy and accountability, and galvanised into a team by a shared love for seeing bold ideas come to life.

In 1-2 years, we aim to be a household name in New Zealand, challenging the big banks and potentially expanding internationally, with our team doubling in size. You'll learn what it truly means to build something extraordinary, gaining unparalleled exposure to how a high-growth business scales and delivers world-class results.

The Opportunity

We're on the lookout for a superstar Senior Android Engineer who excels in Kotlin and thrives in collaborative environments. In this role, you'll work across our two native Android fintech projects while collaborating with our in-house and external development teams. This position offers a clear growth path toward a lead role and the chance to make a significant impact on our mobile development future. You'll be instrumental in delivering innovation that's often NZ-first, sometimes Asia Pacific-first, and always on par with best of breed globally.

What You'll Do 

• Work across our two native Android fintech projects, contributing to core features and improvements.

• Apply demonstrated expertise in SOLID principles and Clean Architecture implementation.

• Write testable code and maintain high test coverage across projects.

• Utilize Jetpack Compose (at least 1 year hands-on experience) for UI development.

• Collaborate effectively with in-house and external development teams.

• Contribute to shaping the mobile development future of Emerge and SquareOne.

• Collaborate closely with product and design to influence roadmaps and ensure mobile considerations are integrated early in the planning process.

• Champion mobile quality, promoting testing, observability, and security standards across applications.

• Drive innovation, particularly around automation and AI integration – spotting opportunities to use intelligent tools to enhance performance, reduce toil, or unlock new customer value.

• Continue on a clear growth path toward a Lead role, making a significant impact on our mobile development future.

What We're Looking For (Must-Have Skills)

• Required Experience: 9+ years of Android development experience with Java/Kotlin, including demonstrated expertise in SOLID principles and Clean Architecture implementation.

• Testing Proficiency: Proven track record of writing testable code and maintaining high test coverage across projects.

• Jetpack Compose: At least 1 year of hands-on experience with Jetpack Compose in professional or personal projects.

• Team Collaboration: Experience mentoring developers and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

• Technical Skills: Deep understanding of object-oriented programming and modern Android design patterns.

• API Integration: Expertise in RESTful API integration with a focus on performance optimization and state management.

• UX Focus: Strong knowledge of Android best practices and ability to create smooth, responsive user experiences.

• Continuous Learning: Commitment to staying current with mobile development trends and emerging technologies.

Ideal Qualities (Nice-to-Have Skills)

• Published apps on the Google Play Store.

• Experience working in startup environments.

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Actual Challenges You'll Tackle

• Navigating the complexities of two concurrent native Android fintech projects.

• Ensuring seamless collaboration and code quality across diverse development teams.

• Maintaining high test coverage and architectural integrity in a fast-paced environment.

• Optimising mobile app performance and user experience for critical financial services.

• Staying ahead of mobile tech trends and integrating cutting-edge solutions like Jetpack Compose.

Success Looks Like

You will contribute to delivering faster, more robust, and scalable Android applications with enhanced performance and fewer bottlenecks. You'll proactively solve problems, mentor team members, and ensure our mobile apps consistently meet high standards for quality and security, directly impacting our mission to redefine banking for Kiwis.

Career Growth

This role offers a clear growth path toward a senior role and the chance to make a significant impact on our mobile development future. Career growth is flexible, impactful, and shaped around your strengths, with opportunities to deepen technical mastery, move into architectural leadership for mobile, or take on people management. You'll own increasingly complex mobile systems and influence technical strategy, exploring new domains like AI integration or new mobile technologies.

Why Join Us?

• Build the Future of Banking: Be at the forefront of NZ's first challenger bank, shaping its mobile experience.

• High Impact & Autonomy: Make a significant, tangible difference on critical fintech projects with substantial freedom.

• Cutting-Edge Tech: Work with modern Android technologies like Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Coroutines, Flow, and Hilt.

• Clear Growth Path: A defined trajectory towards a lead role and mobile architectural influence.

• Dynamic Culture: Thrive in a high-trust, fast-moving environment with a focus on innovation and continuous learning.

• Equity Opportunity: Share directly in the success of a groundbreaking company.

How to Apply

If you're a resilient, honest, and capable Intermediate Android Engineer who thrives on challenges and is excited about chasing ambitious targets, this could be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you've been looking for. If you're in Auckland or willing to relocate, hit us up ASAP.