iOS & Android Apps Developer

Below is a ready‑to‑post, polished version of your contractor‑position ad, followed by a short candidate‑sourcing email template, a set of screening interview questions, and a few tips for evaluating technical fit. Feel free to copy‑paste, tweak wording, or cherry‑pick the parts that suit your hiring workflow.

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📢 Contractor – iOS & Android Applications Developer

Location: Downtown Manhattan (steps from Wall Street) – on‑site contract role
Team: Mobile Development (iOS & Android) – building immersive, education‑focused experiences

What you’ll do

• Design, develop, and ship native iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android (phone/tablet) applications from concept to production.
• Collaborate with UI/UX, product, and backend teams to deliver a consistent, responsive, and delightful user experience across devices.
• Write test‑driven, maintainable code and own the quality of your modules (unit, UI, integration tests).
• Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and continuous‑integration pipelines.
• Contribute to internationalization efforts (localization, RTL support, multi‑currency, etc.).
• Work in a mixed PC/Mac/Unix environment, leveraging the best tools for each platform.

Required skills & experience

Skill	Why it matters
Object‑oriented design patterns	Guarantees clean, extensible codebases.
iOS stack – Objective‑C, C, C++, Cocoa, iPhone SDK	Core for native iPhone/iPad apps.
Android stack – Java, Android SDK	Core for native Android apps.
Test‑driven development (TDD)	Ensures reliability and fast feedback.
Strong debugging & performance‑tuning	Mobile devices have tight resource constraints.
Passion for mobile & internet products	Drives innovation in educational experiences.
Comfortable in PC, Mac, and Unix environments	Enables seamless cross‑platform workflow.
Great attitude & communication	Essential for a fast‑paced, collaborative team.
Interest in internationalization	Our apps target a global audience.

Nice‑to‑have (pluses)

• Augmented‑Reality (AR) experience – Vuforia, Unity3D, ARKit/ARCore.
• Graphics programming – OpenGL / GLSL.
• Web stack – JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, PHP, MySQL.
• Scripting languages – Python, Perl, Ruby (or any modern language you love).
• Ability to translate tech concepts into business value – great for stakeholder communication.
• Portfolio of shipped mobile apps – links to App Store / Google Play listings or GitHub repos.
• Meticulous organization & multitasking – we juggle several product streams simultaneously.

What we offer

• Competitive daily/weekly rate (contractor‑level).
• Prime downtown office with easy subway access, free coffee, and a collaborative atmosphere.
• Opportunity to shape the next wave of immersive educational apps – you’ll see your work directly impact learners worldwide.
• Flexible hours (core team hours 10 am–4 pm EST).
• Access to cutting‑edge AR/VR tools and a budget for conferences/training.

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📧 Sample outreach email (to a potential candidate)

Subject: Contract iOS/Android Engineer – Build Immersive EdTech in NYC

Hi [FirstName],

I’m [Your Name], Talent Lead at [CompanyName]. We’re a fast‑growing team building next‑gen educational apps that blend AR, gamification, and adaptive learning.  

We have a **contractor role** based in our downtown Manhattan office (just steps from Wall Street) looking for a seasoned iOS & Android developer who loves crafting polished, responsive experiences and isn’t afraid to dive into AR/VR.

Key highlights:
- Native iOS (Objective‑C/Cocoa) & Android (Java/Android SDK) development
- Test‑driven workflow, CI/CD, and a strong focus on performance
- Opportunity to work with Vuforia/Unity3D and explore GLSL graphics
- Competitive day rate + flexible hours

If you’re interested (or know someone who might be), could we set up a quick 15‑minute call this week? Feel free to share a link to any apps you’ve shipped or a GitHub repo.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title] – [CompanyName]
[Phone] | [Email] | [LinkedIn]

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🎯 Screening interview questions (30‑45 min)

Category	Sample Question	What we’re looking for
Core mobile expertise	“Walk me through the architecture of the most complex iOS app you’ve shipped. How did you handle memory management and background tasks?”	Depth of Objective‑C/Cocoa knowledge, understanding of iOS lifecycle, performance awareness.
Android depth	“Explain how you’d implement a smooth infinite‑scroll list with mixed content types while keeping memory usage low.”	Knowledge of RecyclerView, ViewHolder pattern, paging, and profiling tools.
Test‑driven development	“Describe your TDD workflow on a recent feature. Which frameworks did you use for unit/UI tests on iOS and Android?”	Familiarity with XCTest, Espresso, UIAutomator, mock frameworks, CI integration.
AR/Graphics (if applicable)	“What are the main performance bottlenecks when rendering AR content with Vuforia/Unity on a mid‑range Android device?”	Understanding of frame‑rate budgeting, shader optimization, texture atlasing.
Internationalization	“What steps do you take to make an app ready for right‑to‑left languages and dynamic locale switching?”	Use of NSLocalizedString, layout mirroring, handling pluralization, testing with pseudo‑locales.
Debugging & profiling	“Give an example of a hard‑to‑reproduce crash you diagnosed. Which tools did you use?”	Ability to use Instruments, Android Profiler, Crashlytics, logcat, and systematic debugging.
Collaboration & communication	“How do you explain a technical limitation to a product manager who wants a feature ASAP?”	Clear, business‑focused communication, negotiation, and documentation skills.
Culture fit	“What excites you most about building educational experiences for a global audience?”	Passion for the domain and alignment with company mission.

Technical take‑home (optional):

• iOS: Build a small sample app that fetches JSON data, displays it in a table view, and includes unit tests for the networking layer.
• Android: Same requirement using Kotlin/Java, RecyclerView, and Espresso tests.
• Bonus: Add a simple AR overlay (e.g., a 3‑D cube) using Vuforia or ARCore.

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✅ Quick checklist for evaluating candidates

✅ Item	How to verify
Native iOS & Android experience	Review portfolio, ask for App Store / Play Store links, inspect code snippets.
TDD habit	Look for test files in the repo, ask about CI pipelines.
Performance mindset	Discuss profiling tools (Instruments, Android Profiler) and past optimizations.
AR/GLSL exposure	Request a demo or a short video of an AR feature they built.
Internationalization awareness	Ask about handling locale files, RTL layouts, and testing strategies.
Communication	Role‑play a stakeholder conversation; note clarity and empathy.
Cultural fit	Gauge enthusiasm for education tech and willingness to work on‑site in NYC.

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Next steps for you

1. Post the refined ad on LinkedIn, Indeed, Stack Overflow Jobs, and niche mobile‑dev communities (e.g., r/iosprogramming, r/androiddev, XDA Developers).
2. Set up an applicant‑tracking pipeline (e.g., Lever, Greenhouse, or a simple Google Sheet) with stages: Applied → Phone Screen → Technical Take‑Home → Live Coding/Architecture Review → Offer.
3. Schedule a short “culture chat” (15 min) before the technical interview to confirm on‑site availability and contractor expectations (rate, duration, invoicing).
4. Prepare a short onboarding checklist (dev machine setup, VPN, code‑review guidelines, CI credentials) so the contractor can hit the ground running on day 1.

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If you’d like any of the above items expanded (e.g., a detailed onboarding plan, a full technical assessment, or help with salary benchmarking for NYC contractors), just let me know and I’ll put together the next piece for you. Good luck finding the perfect mobile wizard! 🚀