Robots & Pencils
Senior iOS App Developer
Robots & PencilsCanada12 days ago
Full-timeRemote FriendlyDesign, Engineering
Senior iOS App Developer

Location: Calgary, Canada (Remote-Friendly)

Robots & Pencils is seeking a Senior iOS App Developer to lead the development of robust, scalable, and high-performance iOS applications across our portfolio of client projects. This role combines deep iOS expertise with hands-on leadership in architecture, user experience, and delivery excellence.

As a senior contributor, you’ll take ownership of iOS development from design to release. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams to define architecture, shape product experiences, and build apps that reflect modern best practices and user-first design.

Key Responsibilities

Mobile Architecture & Feature Development

  • Design and build native iOS applications using modern tools and patterns: Swift, SwiftUI (and/or UIKit), MVVM, async/await (and/or Combine).
  • Translate product requirements and UX designs into functional, testable, and performant app features.
  • Architect clean, scalable, modular codebases that support long-term growth, reuse, and maintainability.
  • Continuously optimize performance, offline support, responsiveness, accessibility, and startup time using tools like Xcode Instruments and system logs.

Engineering Leadership & Delivery

  • Lead iOS-focused engineering streams across active projects, from discovery to delivery.
  • Collaborate with designers, backend developers, and product managers to align implementation plans and integration strategies.
  • Review pull requests and mentor team members on iOS best practices, code quality, and platform conventions.
  • Ensure code is testable and aligned with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, Bitrise, CircleCI, Fastlane).

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Contribute to API design and backend integration strategy, advocating for mobile-friendly contracts.
  • Help define and maintain coding standards, tooling, and documentation for mobile engineering.
  • Participate in release planning, quality reviews, and issue resolution with project stakeholders.
  • Work within agile processes to meet delivery timelines while maintaining quality and stability.

Offshore/Distributed Team Collaboration

  • Coordinate with teammates across time zones to ensure consistent delivery and high code quality.
  • Share architecture guidance and technical artifacts across distributed teams and projects.

Platform & Process Excellence

  • Evaluate and integrate emerging iOS libraries, UI frameworks, and automation tools.
  • Ensure apps meet Apple App Store submission standards and accessibility compliance (e.g., WCAG, VoiceOver, Dynamic Type).
  • Support crash analytics, user feedback loops, and observability in production (e.g., Crashlytics, Sentry, analytics SDKs).
  • Drive continuous improvement in mobile development practices and team performance.

Required Skills & Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years of professional iOS development experience, including 2+ years in senior/lead roles.
  • Expertise in Swift, SwiftUI (and/or UIKit), MVVM, and Swift Concurrency (async/await; familiarity with Combine a plus).
  • Strong knowledge of networking and data layers: URLSession/Alamofire, REST/JSON (GraphQL a plus), Core Data (or Realm/SQLite).
  • Experience with modular multi-module architectures and scalable code organization.
  • Proven testing practices: XCTest, XCUITest, snapshot testing, dependency injection for testability.
  • Familiarity with package/build and release tooling: Swift Package Manager, CocoaPods, Fastlane, code signing, TestFlight, App Store Connect.
  • Published apps on the App Store.
  • Experience with Git-based workflows and CI/CD integration (GitHub Actions, Bitrise, CircleCI).
  • Understanding of the full mobile development lifecycle, from design through deployment and post-release iteration.
  • Upper-Intermediate English (written and spoken) for effective cross-functional communication.

Nice to Have

  • Experience with StoreKit (IAP/subscriptions), APNs and push notifications, deep links, background modes, Keychain/CryptoKit, and app security.
  • Familiarity with SwiftData and modern persistence patterns.
  • Experience with widgets, Live Activities, App Clips, and on-device ML (Core ML/Vision).
  • Exposure to cross-platform or shared-code strategies (e.g., Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile, React Native, Flutter) and/or basic Android fluency.
  • Contributions to open source or an active technical blog/GitHub profile.
  • Background in travel, hospitality, or IoT-enabled mobile apps.

Personal Competencies

  • Accountability – owns the delivery of iOS features with quality, reliability, and precision.
  • Adaptability – operates effectively in fast-paced client environments and shifting priorities.
  • Collaboration – builds strong working relationships across teams and time zones.
  • Execution-focused – pragmatic about shipping maintainable solutions, not over-engineering.
  • Innovation-minded – explores and integrates modern tools and libraries into the tech stack.
  • Craftsmanship – holds high standards for UI/UX polish, accessibility, and code structure.

Why Join Robots & Pencils?

We don’t just ship apps; we create human-centered, digital-first products that matter. As a Senior iOS App Developer, you’ll join a team that values deep craft, cross-functional collaboration, and a relentless focus on quality. You’ll work on impactful projects that push the boundaries of mobile technology while influencing development culture and best practices across the organization.

Key Skills

Ranked by relevance
Apply