Android Engineer - Community

Substack Inc.

Job Overview

Location

San Francisco (HQ)

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• As an Android Engineer on the Community team at Substack, you will play a pivotal role in shaping how creators and their audiences connect through innovative mobile experiences, directly supporting the company’s mission to empower independent publishing and reduce reliance on legacy media gatekeepers.
• You will be the technical leader for Android development within a small, high-impact team that collaborates closely with the CEO and cross-functional partners to prototype, build, and ship features that deepen community engagement on Substack.
• Your day-to-day responsibilities will include developing and refining core features in the native Android app for both creators and readers, focusing on community-driven tools such as direct messaging, Substack Chat, and emerging social features.
• You will actively participate in product brainstorming sessions, contributing engineering perspectives to UI/UX discussions and helping translate creative ideas into technical prototypes that evolve into shipped products used by millions.
• You will iterate on key user flows across mobile and web platforms, designing and executing A/B tests to measure impact and optimize for creator and audience satisfaction, ensuring every change is grounded in real user behavior.
• Collaboration is central to this role: you will work daily with designers, writers, support staff, and product managers, taking full ownership of features from concept through implementation, testing, and post-launch analysis.
• A unique aspect of Substack’s culture is that all employees, including the CEO, participate in customer support; you will regularly engage with real users to understand their pain points and validate solutions, fostering deep empathy and product intuition.
• You will uphold high standards for code quality, performance, and reliability in production systems, advocating for best practices in testing, observability, and maintainability while mentoring peers through code reviews and technical guidance.
• Beyond coding, you will help define the technical direction of the Android platform within the Community team, balancing rapid prototyping with scalable architecture to support long-term product growth.
• This role offers the opportunity to grow as a product-minded engineer, gaining experience in end-to-end product ownership, user-centered design, and strategic decision-making in a mission-driven environment where your work directly impacts the livelihoods of independent creators.
• You will contribute to a culture that values autonomy, curiosity, and craftsmanship, where your background and perspective are not just welcomed but essential to building inclusive, delightful experiences that serve a diverse global community of writers and readers.

🎯 Requirements

• At least 5+ years of native mobile software engineering experience with a proven track record of shipping high-quality Android applications.
• Deep expertise in Kotlin and modern Android development practices, including Jetpack, Coroutines, and Material Design, with experience publishing apps to the Google Play Store.
• Strong product mindset and independence: ability to take ownership of ambiguous problems, drive solutions forward without close supervision, and contribute meaningfully to ideation and strategy.
• Commitment to excellence in production systems: holds self and team to high standards for code quality, testing, performance, and reliability.
• Passion for Substack’s mission: belief in building a better economic model for writers and enabling independent expression through technology.
• Bonus: prior experience at a fast-growing startup or on a high-performing growth team, though not required.

🏖️ Benefits

• Market-competitive base salary ranging from $140,000 to $260,000, with final compensation based on experience and expertise.
• Equity grant for all full-time employees, offering direct ownership in Substack’s growth and long-term success.
• Exceptional benefits package including comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage, generous time off, and support for professional development.
• Opportunity to work on meaningful products that empower creators and reshape digital culture, with direct access to leadership and a culture of empathy-driven development.

Skills & Technologies

Kotlin

Android

Mobile

Onsite

$140k-260k

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Substack Inc.

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About Substack Inc.

Substack operates a publishing platform that lets writers send digital newsletters and charge subscription fees. Founded in 2017, the company provides email distribution, website hosting, payment processing, analytics and design tools, enabling independent journalists and subject experts to earn revenue directly from readers while retaining ownership of their content and subscriber lists.

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