Opal Electronics — iOS Engineer
Summary
Builds and maintains the iOS companion app for AI-native hardware devices, focusing on pairing, real-time connectivity, firmware updates, and AI features. Works cross-functionally with hardware, firmware, and backend teams to deliver a seamless user experience.
San Francisco, CA · On-site (5 days/week) · Full-time Compensation: $170,000–$230,000 + competitive equity
About the Company
Our client is a Series B consumer hardware company in San Francisco building AI-native devices. They operate as an R&D studio — each product is its own program rather than a version bump on a single line — and back a small, world-class team with an in-house prototyping lab and full creative control over the roadmap. Their next device launches this year. Founded 2021 · ~22 people · Industry: Consumer Tech / AI hardware
The Role
You'll own the iOS companion app that sits directly on top of the client's hardware. It's the primary way customers interact with the device, so this is a central engineering role rather than a peripheral one — covering pairing and connectivity, real-time device state, firmware delivery, and surfacing on-device and cloud AI features. The work is cross-functional by default, alongside hardware, firmware, and backend/ML, and engineers own their features end-to-end from architecture through App Store release.
What you'll be doing
- Build device pairing and connectivity: BLE and Wi-Fi pairing, reconnection handling, background connectivity, and in-app firmware updates
- Craft a real-time, low-latency UI that reflects live device state and streaming data
- Surface on-device and cloud AI features, coordinating between local inference and cloud processing
- Architect the companion app: device state, sync, and graceful handling of offline and degraded connectivity
- Go deep on the native platform: background modes, push notifications, Bluetooth permissions, and battery/performance optimization for an always-connected app
Tech stack: Swift, SwiftUI/UIKit, Core Bluetooth, real-time data streaming
Requirements
- Strong Swift and SwiftUI/UIKit skills, with production iOS apps shipped
- Hands-on experience with Core Bluetooth and/or real-time data streaming
- Track record of owning a feature end-to-end — architecture, build, test, and App Store release
- Comfortable partnering across hardware, firmware, and backend/ML teams
- Self-directed and effective inside a small engineering team with minimal process
Nice to Haves
- Have shipped a production iOS app that pairs with physical hardware — a wearable, medical device, or other connected product
- Real native-platform depth on an always-connected app: background modes, permissions, battery and performance tuning
- Startup or small-team experience, including a small team operating inside a larger organization
- Personal projects or side builds that show sustained curiosity
- Background building complex, frequently updated iOS apps at scale, or from device-connected companies such as wearables or health hardware
Why Join
- A central role: the companion app is the primary interface to the client's hardware
- Small, elite team with an in-house lab and end-to-end feature ownership
- Real hardware shipping this year, in a studio that prizes being prolific over chasing a single "next big thing"
Details
- Location — San Francisco, CA
- Work policy — On-site, 5 days/week
- Compensation — $170,000–$230,000 + equity
- Visa sponsorship — H-1B, OPT supported
- Employment type — Full-time