Software Engineer II on Tinder's Recs Experience team builds consumer-facing recommendation features in the Tinder Android app, writing Kotlin and Jetpack Compose code, integrating REST APIs and experiments, and collaborating with backend, ML, product, and design teams. Hybrid role requiring three in-office days per week in Palo Alto.
Compensation
$140K–$160K / yr
Location
Palo Alto, California, United States
Work setup
Onsite
Seniority
Middle
Employment
Full time
Experience
2+ years
Category
Mobile
Posted
Skills
ai
analytics
android
api
ci-cd
data-science
git
gradle
java
jetpack
junit
kotlin
machine-learning
mockito
mvvm
networking
observability
prototyping
recommendation-systems
rest
spark
Must have
2+ years of professional experience building and shipping production, consumer-facing native Android applications
Proficiency in Kotlin and modern Android development, including Kotlin Coroutines and Flow
Experience building user-facing features with Jetpack Compose and familiarity with Android Views and interoperability
Experience using Android Studio, Gradle, and the Android SDK throughout the application-development lifecycle
Experience consuming REST APIs and integrating mobile features with backend services
Familiarity with common Android architecture patterns such as MVVM and separation of UI, business logic, and data access
Experience with Git and collaborative development workflows such as pull requests and code reviews
Ability to write testable, maintainable code and create unit or UI tests using tools such as JUnit, Mockito, Espresso, or Compose UI testing
Solid debugging and code-quality fundamentals, including giving and receiving actionable code-review feedback
Clear, solution-oriented communication and willingness to learn and collaborate in a cross-functional environment
Ownership mindset with ability to deliver well-scoped work, surface risks, and follow through from implementation to launch validation
Nice to have
Experience with Java or RxJava in a production Android codebase and modernizing code toward Kotlin and Coroutines
Familiarity with modular Android architectures, dependency injection, repository patterns, and use-case layers
Experience with Dagger or Hilt, Retrofit, OkHttp, Moshi, or related Android networking and dependency-management tools
Experience with static analysis and quality tooling such as Detekt, ktlint, Android Lint, snapshot testing, or performance testing
Experience with CI/CD pipelines, feature flags, experimentation platforms, product analytics, design systems, or mobile observability tools
Experience building recommendation, discovery, personalization, social, messaging, marketplace, or other feature-rich consumer experiences at scale
Familiarity with card-stack, gesture-heavy, animation-rich, or performance-sensitive mobile interfaces
Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and responsible practices for validating generated code
BS or MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline (welcome but not required)
Full description
Our Mission
As humans, there are few things more exciting than meeting someone new. At Tinder, we’re inspired by the challenge of keeping the magic of human connection alive. With tens of millions of users, hundreds of millions of downloads, 2+ billion swipes per day, 20+ million matches per day, and a presence in 190+ countries, our reach is expansive—and rapidly growing.
We work together to solve complex problems. Behind the simplicity of every match, we think deeply about human relationships, behavioral science, network economics, AI and ML, online and real-world safety, cultural nuances, loneliness, love, sex, and more.
Our Values**
Take the Lead: We don't ghost our work or each other. Just as users don't leave their matches hanging, we don't let each other down.
Move Fast: We have a bias for action and urgency. Something that could be done tomorrow would be better if done today.
Better Together: We keep connection at the heart of dating and at the heart of how we work. Just as our users are better when they connect with others, so are we when we collaborate.
Real Talk: We say the hard thing the human way. Just as we ask our users to behave with kindness and candor in our community, we expect Team Tinder to do the same.
Safety First: We act with integrity, transparency, and consistency so people feel safe—whether they're swiping, matching, or working alongside us.
Spark Fun: We have fun to unlock creativity, fuel innovation, and help us build better experiences for daters.
The Team or Role
Recs Experience turns Tinder’s recommendation systems into flexible, reliable, and easy-to-use product capabilities that power better experiences across the app. We simplify the complexity of recommendations so teams can build with them confidently, while helping members find more relevant connections faster through clearer, more personalized, and more responsive experiences.
As a Software Engineer II on Android within Recs Experience, you’ll help build the experiences that shape who Tinder members see, how recommendations appear, and how profiles turn into matches and conversations. You’ll partner closely with backend engineers to deliver features end to end—connecting recommendation logic, APIs, and experiments to polished Android experiences, analytics, and quality validation. You’ll grow your Android and recommendations-domain expertise while helping a collaborative, full-stack team improve discovery for millions of members worldwide.
The team is engineering-led and works closely with Recs ML and Infrastructure, Product, Data Science and Analytics, Design, QA, and engineering partners across Tinder.
Software Engineer II, Android at Tinder (Palo Alto, California, United States) — aijobsearch
Where you’ll work:
This is a hybrid role based in Palo Alto, California, and requires in-office collaboration three times per week.
In this role, you will:
- Contribute to the architecture, design, and implementation of consumer-facing recommendation features in the Tinder Android app.
- Build polished, intuitive experiences that connect recommendation logic, APIs, experiments, analytics, and quality validation for millions of members worldwide.
- Own well-scoped features and components from planning and implementation through testing, experiment launch, and validation, with increasing independence.
- Collaborate closely with Android and backend engineers, Product, Design, Data Science and Analytics, QA, ML, Infrastructure, and partner teams across Tinder.
- Write maintainable, well-tested Kotlin code and help protect app health, performance, reliability, and member experience.
- Build modern Android interfaces with Jetpack Compose while working effectively with existing View-based or legacy code where needed.
- Investigate bugs, ANRs, performance regressions, and other quality issues using a structured approach; identify root causes and add appropriate tests or monitoring.
- Contribute to modular Android architecture, shared libraries, technical improvements, code reviews, and engineering practices that make the team more effective.
- Communicate progress, risks, dependencies, and technical tradeoffs clearly and proactively.
- Develop expertise in Tinder’s Android architecture, card-stack and recommendation systems, and progress toward broader end-to-end project ownership.
- Use AI-assisted development tools effectively and responsibly to improve prototyping, implementation, testing, delivery speed, and quality.
You'll need:
- Approximately 2+ years of professional experience building and shipping production, consumer-facing applications with native Android technologies.
- Proficiency in Kotlin and modern Android development, including Kotlin Coroutines and Flow.
- Experience building user-facing features with Jetpack Compose and familiarity with Android Views and interoperability.
- Experience using Android Studio, Gradle, and the Android SDK throughout the application-development lifecycle.
- Experience consuming REST APIs and integrating mobile features with backend services.
- Familiarity with common Android architecture patterns such as MVVM and separation of UI, business logic, and data access.
- Experience with Git and collaborative development workflows such as pull requests and code reviews.
- Ability to write testable, maintainable code and create unit or UI tests using tools such as JUnit, Mockito, Espresso, or Compose UI testing.
- Solid debugging and code-quality fundamentals, including the ability to give and receive actionable code-review feedback.
- Clear, solution-oriented communication and a willingness to learn and collaborate in a cross-functional environment.
- An ownership mindset with the ability to deliver well-scoped work, surface risks, and follow through from implementation to launch validation.
Nice to have:
- Experience working with Java or RxJava in an existing production Android codebase and modernizing code toward Kotlin and Coroutines.
- Familiarity with modular Android architectures, dependency injection, repository patterns, and use-case layers.
- Experience with Dagger or Hilt, Retrofit, OkHttp, Moshi, or related Android networking and dependency-management tools.
- Experience with static analysis and quality tooling such as Detekt, ktlint, Android Lint, snapshot testing, or performance testing.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, feature flags, experimentation platforms, product analytics, design systems, or mobile observability tools.
- Experience building recommendation, discovery, personalization, social, messaging, marketplace, or other feature-rich consumer experiences at scale.
- Familiarity with card-stack, gesture-heavy, animation-rich, or performance-sensitive mobile interfaces.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and responsible practices for validating generated or unfamiliar code and protecting sensitive information.
- A BS or MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline is welcome but not required; demonstrated proficiency in modern Android technologies and principles matters most.
The salary range for this position is $140,000 - $160,000. Factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, job-related skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and business considerations may influence base pay offered. This salary range is reflective of a position based in Palo Alto, California. This salary will be subject to a geographic adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.
As a full-time employee, you’ll enjoy:
Flexible Vacation, 10 Sick Days
Time off to volunteer and charitable donations matched up to $15,000 annually
Comprehensive health, vision, and dental coverage
100% 401(k) employer match up to 10%, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
100% paid parental leave (including for non-birthing parents) and family forming benefits
Investment in your development: mentorship through our MentorMatch program, access to 6,000+ online courses through Udemy, and an annual $3,000 stipend for your professional development
Investment in your wellness: access to mental health support via Modern Health, paid concierge medical membership, pet insurance, fitness membership subsidy, and commuter subsidy
Free subscription to Tinder Gold
Commitment to Inclusion**
At Tinder, we don’t just accept difference, we celebrate it. We strive to build a workplace that reflects the rich diversity of our members around the world, and we value unique perspectives and backgrounds. Even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications, we invite you to apply and show us how your skills could transfer. Tinder is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace where we welcome people of all sexes, gender identities, races, ethnicities, disabilities, and other lived experiences. Learn more here:
If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition Partner directly.