Director Android Developer Startup Jobs in Pasadena, CA

THE ROLE: 

Build and scale next-generation mobile experiences by operating as an innovation engineer, not just a feature implementer. In this role, you’ll turn ambiguous ideas into validated, high-impact mobile solutions — balancing rapid experimentation with long-term platform stability and scalability.

You’ll play a key role in shaping what gets built, why it matters, and how it can scale across mobile ecosystems. Working at the intersection of product discovery, platform evolution, and technical experimentation, you’ll apply deep mobile expertise to both strategy and execution — influencing mobile direction as much as you ship code.

This is a hands-on role for builders who thrive in uncertainty, enjoy early-stage problem solving, and want to leave a lasting mark on mobile platforms.  This is not a traditional mobile delivery role.

You will:
    Work in high-ambiguity environments
    Build prototypes before roadmaps
    Validate assumptions through experiments, data, and learning
    Help transition validated concepts into scalable, production-grade systems

HOW YOU WOULD CONTRIBUTE: 

Discovery, Framing & Experimentation
    Partner with product, build, data, and business collaborators to frame problems, not just implement requirements  
    Translate loosely defined ideas into hypotheses, experiments, and technical prototypes
    Lead or contribute to discovery sprints, feasibility studies, and technical spikes
    Challenge assumptions and propose alternative mobile experiences or architectures
Prototyping & Validation
    Build rapid prototypes (throwaway and evolutionary) to test user value and technical feasibility
    Instrument prototypes with analytics to measure adoption, performance, and learning outcomes
    Run controlled experiments (feature flags, pilots, A/B tests) where appropriate
    Make informed tradeoffs between speed, quality, scalability, and learning
Mobile Architecture & Platform Thinking
    Build native and cross-platform mobile solutions with platform and ecosystem thinking  
    Influence mobile architecture decisions, frameworks, SDKs, and integration patterns
    Balance innovation velocity with long-term maintainability and platform evolution
    Collaborate on API contracts, data models, and service boundaries

Engineering Excellence
    Write clean, efficient, and maintainable mobile code aligned with platform guidelines  
    Implement secure, performant, and accessible user experiences
    Optimize performance across memory, battery, startup time, and responsiveness
    Apply mobile security guidelines, including authentication, encryption, and data protection  
Teamwork & Influence
    Collaborate closely with UX, backend, data, and product teams to build cohesive solutions  
    Provide technical mentorship and architectural guidance to mobile engineers
    Communicate sophisticated technical ideas clearly to non-technical collaborators  
    Influence direction through prototypes, evidence, and technical insight
Operational Enablement
    Advise on mobile DevOps practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, and release strategies
    Support transition of validated concepts from innovation into scaled delivery teams
•    Document architecture, experiments, findings, and technical decisions 

SKILLS AND BACKGROUND REQUIRED TO BE SUCCESSFUL: 

•    5+ years of professional mobile development experience; experience working with diverse technology stacks and multiple projects preferred
•    Proven experience across both exploration (early-stage) and exploitation (scaled delivery) preferred
•    Native mobile development (Swift/SwiftUI for iOS and/or Kotlin for Android)
•    Cross-platform development frameworks (React Native, Flutter, or similar)
•    Mobile application architecture and design patterns (MVVM, MVC, Clean Architecture)
•    API integration, mobile networking, and data synchronization
•    Lifecycle management, memory management, diagnostics, and performance optimization
•    Proven track record to work effectively with incomplete or evolving requirements
•    Strong problem-framing and systems-thinking skills
•    Experience building prototypes or proof-of-concepts—not just production features
•    Curious approach with a bias toward experimentation and learning  
•    Ability to articulate why a solution works, not just how it’s built
•    Proven track record of delivering production mobile applications with high quality and performance
•    Deep understanding of iOS and Android platform capabilities, limitations, and guidelines
•    Experience with mobile development tools and IDEs (Xcode, Android Studio)
•    Strong problem-solving skills for complex technical challenges
•    Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical collaborators  
•    Mobile analytics (such as Firebase, Crashlytics), experimentation, and observability tooling
•    Experience with feature flags, phased rollouts, or experimentation platforms
•    Exposure to emerging mobile technologies (AI-enabled UX, AR, sensors, wearables)
•    Contributions to open-source, side projects, or experimental work
•    Experience with mobile database solutions (Core Data, Room, Realm, SQLite)
•    Understanding of mobile security guidelines and common vulnerabilities  
•    Experience with mobile CI/CD tools (Fastlane, Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
•    Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) for mobile backends
•    Experience with augmented reality (ARKit, ARCore) or other emerging mobile technologies
•    Understanding of app store submission and review processes

Education

•    Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent experience
•    Preferred: Master’s degree or equivalent experience with a demonstrated innovation portfolio (prototypes, experiments, published apps)  
•    Certifications: Platform-specific certifications (Apple Developer certification, Google Associate Android Developer), and relevant technology certifications are valuable
•    Equivalent Experience: Outstanding portfolios showing sustained innovation impact may substitute for formal education.  

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Herbalife offers a variety of benefits to eligible employees in the U.S. (limited to the 50 States and the District of Columbia), which includes Group Health Programs, other Voluntary Benefit Programs, and Paid Time Off. Group Health Programs include Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Basic Life/AD&D; Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Other Voluntary Benefit Programs include a 401(k) plan, Wellness Incentive Program, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), Supplemental Life/Critical Illness/Hospitalization/Accident Insurance, and Pet Insurance. Paid time off includes Company-observed U.S. Holidays, Floating Holidays, Vacation, Sick Time, a Volunteer Program, Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave, Bereavement Leave, Personal Leave and time off for voting.