Software Engineer II, Android Ad Tech

The Washington Post•Washington, DC

2d•$98,800 - $164,600•Onsite

About The Position

The Washington Post is looking for a Software Engineer to support our flagship apps engineering team. Under general supervision, you will perform technical analysis, design and development or enhancement of Android applications and play an integral role in helping deliver increasingly smarter mobile apps to our users. You will participate in all facets of the agile development process and will have the opportunity to contribute to products that will be used by millions of people. We are looking for someone with strong interest in all things mobile and a passion for delivering high quality, solid applications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, engineering or related technical field or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 2 years of experience with Android SDK required; prior experience in a similar role preferred.
Strong analytical, evaluation and problem-solving skills
Experience working with Android SDK
High level of proficiency in Java/Kotlin with an understanding of code optimization and application performance
Experience working on and releasing one or more applications to Google Playstore and/or Amazon Appstore
Experience implementing, optimizing, and maintaining mobile advertising frameworks and SDKs within native Android applications.
Experience leveraging AI tools and automated platforms (e.g., AI pair-programmers, automated testing, or code-generation assistants) to improve engineering productivity, accelerate code delivery, and optimize development workflows across the lifecycle.
Strong grasp of computer science fundamentals
Solid understanding of Version Control principles, preferably using Git and Pull Requests
Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies
Knowledge of testing and quality assurance practices including unit testing and code documentation.
Excellent verbal/written communication and collaboration skills.
Ability to deliver quality solutions within established timelines.

Nice To Haves

Additional knowledge of RESTful services and other server-side principles is a plus

Responsibilities

Own the intersection of native ad format development, real-time bidding (RTB/header bidding) integration, and ad measurement on Android.
Research and apply native advertising patterns proven out by leading Android social and content apps (in-feed cards, native video units, sponsored content styled to match organic posts) to our own app surfaces.
Build and maintain measurement pipelines around ad viewability, click-through rates, and latency to support data-driven partnership decisions.
Serve as a subject matter expert on Android privacy standards (Privacy Sandbox, advertising ID policies) and modern Android capabilities, advising advertising partners on platform constraints and opportunities.
Identify, troubleshoot, and solve complex problems, including those affecting ad display latency, battery usage, and app stability across a fragmented device ecosystem.
Design and develop advanced applications for Android platform
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API contracts, design and ship new features.
Design high-level mobile solutions to meet product requirements and following established development methodologies and standards.
Understand the complexities of and help integrate different third-party SDKs
Identify, troubleshoot, and solve complex problems
Participate in agile software development practices and peer/code reviews.
Unit-test code for robustness, including edge cases, usability and general reliability
Stay on top of latest technologies/ mobile trends and recommend appropriate design solutions.