C++ / Android Systems Engineer

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior Software Engineer with strong expertise in modern C++, Linux/Android, and AOSP/embedded Android development. This role requires an engineer who is comfortable working across the technology stack, from device-level native software and Android system services to backend services, telemetry, diagnostics, and data analysis.

The ideal candidate has strong engineering fundamentals, a quality-first mindset, and the ability to independently own complex technical problems from investigation through implementation, testing, deployment, and production support.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, debug, and maintain C++17+ software on Linux and Android platforms.
• Develop and troubleshoot AOSP/embedded Android components, including native services, AIDL/Binder IPC, system properties, SELinux, and Android build systems.
• Build highly testable software using gtest/gmock, mocks, automation, and robust test strategies.
• Develop thread-safe applications involving concurrency, IPC, shared memory, and synchronization.
• Work across device and backend layers using C++, Hack/PHP, Python, Java, or Kotlin.
• Use SQL to analyze large datasets, including joins, aggregations, and percentile-based analysis.
• Create automation and engineering tools using Python and shell scripting.
• Investigate device logs, crashes, telemetry, performance issues, and production failures.
• Participate in code reviews, Git-based development, multi-branch releases, and production/on-call support.
• Own technical issues end-to-end and communicate progress, risks, and blockers proactively.
• Use AI-assisted development tools effectively for coding, testing, debugging, and engineering productivity.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software development experience with modern C++ (C++17 or later).
• Strong development experience on Linux and/or Android.
• Hands-on experience with AOSP or embedded Android, including:
• Soong / Android.bp
• Native services
• AIDL / Binder
• ADB
• System properties
• SELinux fundamentals
• Strong unit-testing experience with gtest/gmock.
• Solid understanding of multithreading, mutexes, concurrency, IPC, and shared state.
• Backend programming experience in Hack/PHP, Python, Java, or Kotlin, with willingness to work regularly in Hack/PHP.
• Strong SQL and data-analysis skills.
• Experience with Python and shell scripting for automation.
• Proficiency with Git, code reviews, cherry-picks, and multi-branch development/release workflows.
• Strong written communication and ability to work independently.
• Ability to work primarily during Pacific business hours, including flexibility for on-call handoffs and launch-critical activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Telemetry, logging, or analytics pipeline experience, including protobuf, serialization, sampling, batching, and data uploads.
• Android/Linux crash diagnostics experience with tombstones, minidumps, symbolication, bug reports, or log collection.
• Backend development experience with Hack/PHP, Thrift/gRPC, or protobuf.
• Experience developing dashboards, monitoring, and alerting for event or time-series data.
• Android framework or application development using Java/Kotlin.
• Experience supporting production services, including on-call, incident triage, monitoring, and incident follow-up.
• Android/iOS companion-app or device-to-phone end-to-end automation experience.
• Experience with performance benchmarking, memory analysis, and resource-constrained devices.
• Practical experience using AI coding tools to accelerate engineering and test development.

What We’re Looking For

A strong candidate will be a hands-on, full-stack systems engineer who can move comfortably between:

Embedded C++ → Android/AOSP → IPC & System Services → Telemetry/Diagnostics → Backend Services → SQL/Data Analysis

The engineer should demonstrate strong ownership, disciplined testing, proactive communication, and careful handling of sensitive devices, diagnostic, and user data.

Cygnus Belief

We believe in our commitment to diversity & inclusion.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Cygnus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We ensure that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion, or sexual orientation.

All our employment decisions are taken without looking into age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, nationality, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, or any other aspects of employment protected by federal, state, or local law.

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization & Cygnus does not offer any sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.