Staff Software Engineer, Google Play

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

In this role, you will be a strong technical leader for the product as a whole, shaping architecture initiatives in partnership with engineering management and cross-functional groups.

You will play a key role in growing the Product Development Center in Nairobi, building a strong collaborative relationship with the broader Play team in the US, UK and India. In Nairobi, you will be a critical technical leader and mentor for the engineering team.

You will be joining a changing, highly-collaborative team at a pivotal moment in the Android gaming business. We have a strong start at building a scrappy and action-oriented culture with a record of taking on high-profile projects that deliver major business impact.
Google Play offers music, movies, books, apps and games for devices, powered by the cloud. It syncs across devices and on the web. As part of the Android and Mobile team, Googlers working on Google Play do everything from engineering our backend systems, to shaping product strategy, to forming great content partnerships. They make it possible for people to do things like buy an ebook or song on their Android phone, then have it instantly available on their laptop. The Google Play team enhances the Android ecosystem by giving developers and partners a premium store where they can reach millions of users.

• Provide technical leadership across several Play Games products.
• Participate in the full life-cycle of building and delivering complex multi-year products and features: shape product strategy, understand product requirements, contribute to system design, write code and tests, launch features across a 3B+ device fleet.
• Integrate new advances in Gemini into Google Play products to enhance product experiences.
• Mentor junior engineers on the team, providing technical guidance and helping them to grow their careers while successfully working on these ambitious engineering issues.
• Master AI fluency is an expectation in this role. Be prepared to discuss your knowledge and use of AI tools during the hiring process.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 5 years of experience in testing, and launching software products.
• 3 years of experience with software design and architecture.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 8 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
• 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role with leading project teams and setting technical direction.
• 3 years of experience with working in a matrixed organization involving cross-functional, or cross-business projects.
• Experience in Google's Java Android stack, Google's Java server environment, GMSCore and Android native development.