- Location: Just north of Cambridge, UK
- Salary: Up to £70k
- Fully office-based (5 days/week)
We are working with a highly innovative engineering organisation operating at the forefront of secure communications technology. Their products deliver mission-critical connectivity solutions used globally across public safety, defence, transport, utilities and commercial sectors.
They are now seeking a Principal Linux / Android Platform Engineer to join their expanding Software Team, contributing to the next generation of broadband-enabled devices built on advanced Android and Linux-based platforms.
The Role
This is a true Android platform engineering role, focused on AOSP, Linux kernel and low-level system development rather than application development. You will play a key role in the development, configuration & optimisation of the Android platform, working deep within the Android framework and underlying Linux system layers.
Key areas of responsibility include:
- Android platform development and AOSP customisation.
- Linux kernel configuration, tuning and performance optimisation.
- Scheduler tuning, latency reduction and power management improvements.
- Modifying Android framework services and system components.
- Working within large-scale codebases using Git (branching, merging, upstream integration).
- Integration of open-source tools for debugging, profiling and performance analysis.
- Development of system-level C++ components in real-time, multi-threaded environments.
- Supporting integration testing, issue investigation and root cause analysis.
- Producing design documentation and contributing to architectural decisions.
- Collaborating in agile scrum teams on mission-critical product development.
What We’re Looking For
Essential:
- Strong understanding of Android architecture and AOSP internals.
- Solid background in Linux system programming and/or kernel development.
- Experience optimising Linux/Android systems (performance, power, latency).
- Proficiency in C++ in embedded, real-time, multi-threaded environments.
- Experience with Android framework components such as Binder, AIDL, System Services (C++/Java), Framework APIs, NDK/JNI, SELinux, CTS.
- Experience working with mobile or embedded Linux platforms.
- Strong familiarity with debugging and profiling tools (memory, performance, code coverage, leak detection).
- Structured engineering approach with an understanding of software quality processes.
Nice to Have:
- Experience with Linux open-source configuration and patch management.
- Exposure to hardware teams (schematics, oscilloscopes, logic analysers).
- Background in ruggedised devices, secure communications or embedded consumer electronics.
The Environment
- Highly collaborative, engineering-led organisation.
- Stable, long-term team with strong technical leadership.
- Agile scrum-based delivery model.
- Focus on building robust, mission-critical systems used in demanding environments.
- Strong emphasis on in-office collaboration (5 days per week).
Who This Role Suits
Either:
- A true Android AOSP platform engineer looking to work on complex system-level challenges.
- A strong embedded Linux engineer ready to transition into Android platform development.
You’ll thrive here if you enjoy deep technical work, system-level problem solving and building software that operates close to the hardware in high-reliability environments.
