Android Engineering Team Lead

About Very

(Remote – Canada)

Very is a fully distributed technology firm led by expert problem-solvers who create efficient, scalable solutions that move commercial, industrial, and consumer products from pilot to production in record time.

We believe that real innovation happens in the grind — working shoulder to shoulder with clients who are building the future. Our team thrives on that energy. When we’re not helping clients deliver business-critical outcomes, we’re refining our craft and celebrating what it means to do hard things well.

We’ve built a collaborative, tight-knit culture that thrives in both remote and in-person settings. We’ve won numerous workplace awards over the years, including Great Place to Work certification and recognition from Parity.org as a Best Company for Women to Advance.

Our clients include well-known brands like Vizio, Peloton, Clear, iHeart Radio, and Fellowes — all determined to leverage connected devices and AI to drive meaningful impact. Our job is simple: help them win.

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As an Android Engineering Team Lead, you'll lead a team of 3 to 5 Android engineers embedded in a client's engineering organization through Very's staff augmentation model. The team builds system-level apps for an AOSP-based Android TV product, including a custom launcher, settings, setup and other platform-integrated apps that live inside the AOSP source tree rather than on an app store. About 80% of the codebase is Kotlin, alongside a React Native home experience and a JavaScript/TypeScript SDK for ads integration.

This is a full-time, long-term role that balances technical leadership with people management. You'll lead and grow your team, own their delivery, and stay deep enough in the stack to chase a problem from the app layer down through the framework to the hardware. You'll work in the client's codebase, tools and processes, partner day to day with their engineering and product leaders, and stay part of the Very team. At Very, a manager is accountable for both what the team ships and how the team works.

This is not an easy role. You'll work under real deadlines with a client who expects you and your team to be available, proactive and delivering from day one. If you like doing hard things well, you'll fit right in.

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What You’ll Be Working On

As the leader of an embedded team within the client's engineering organization, you'll:

• Lead a team of 3 to 5 Android engineers
• This is a player-coach role: you’ll lead the team and also spend a meaningful part of your week as a hands-on engineer, writing and reviewing code alongside them.
• Plan and prioritize the team's work with client engineering and product leaders, and own delivery against sprint and roadmap commitments.
• Guide the design and build of system and privileged apps for an AOSP-based Android TV product, including the custom launcher, settings, setup and other platform-integrated apps.
• Chase down problems vertically through the stack, from the app layer through the Android framework to the hardware, and coach the team to do the same.
• Raise issues early when a problem is outside the team's control, and bring the client's ODMs and SoC providers in to help solve it.
• Decide when to follow Google's specifications and best practices and when to deviate to support the business, and keep custom work easy to migrate.
• Lead upgrades across Android versions, keeping hardware and low-level framework dependencies limited to the places that need them.
• Oversee the React Native home experience and the JavaScript/TypeScript ads SDK alongside the native Kotlin apps.
• Own the team's production support and incident response, and maintain system health, performance and reliability.
• Collaborate across engineering, product and hardware partners to deliver high-quality outcomes.

You and your team will operate in an environment that includes:

• Languages: Kotlin (most of the codebase), Java, JavaScript, TypeScript
• Platform: AOSP, Android TV, SoC vendor Android SDKs
• Modern Android: Jetpack Compose, Compose for TV, Room
• UI: Leanback, D-pad navigation, React Native
• Build: repo, Soong/Android.bp, building and flashing images to hardware
• Framework: Activities and services, Binder, permissions model, system APIs
• TV and Media: TV Input Framework, HDMI-CEC, MediaSession, Media3/ExoPlayer
• Debugging: adb, logcat, dumpsys, Perfetto, ANR and memory analysis

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Outcomes

• Build a Strong Team: Develop and retain engineers who deliver with minimal oversight and hold a high bar for quality.
• Ship a Reliable Platform: Deliver system apps that run smoothly and stay stable on resource-constrained TV hardware.
• Solve Problems at the Source: Track issues down through the stack and get them fixed, bringing in hardware partners when needed.
• Upgrade Without Breaking Things: Keep custom platform work maintainable so Android version upgrades break as little as possible.
• Be a Trusted Partner: Integrate your team fully with the client's organization and become the leader they rely on.

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Responsibilities

• Manage a team of 3 to 5 engineers
• Review designs and code, and set engineering standards for Kotlin, Jetpack Compose and system app development.
• Lead work on core system apps, including the launcher, settings, setup wizard and SystemUI customizations.
• Own the team's AOSP build, flashing and release processes, including OTA update flows.
• Lead debugging of performance, memory and ANR issues using adb, logcat, dumpsys and Perfetto.
• Make sure TV apps support D-pad navigation, accessibility and localization.
• Run the team's rituals (standups, sprint planning, retrospectives) within the client's engineering processes and tools.
• Lead the team's production support and incident response, including diagnosing and resolving production issues.
• Report on team health, delivery and risks to client stakeholders and Very leadership, and drive documentation and knowledge sharing.

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Minimum Qualifications

General Experience

• BS or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related field
• 8+ years of professional software development experience, including 5+ years of Android development in Kotlin and/or Java
• 2+ years directly managing engineers
• Exposure to AOSP code and how the Android framework works below the app layer
• Strong modern Android development experience, including Jetpack Compose and Room
• Experience working on resource-constrained embedded devices
• Full software development lifecycle experience, including requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment and operations

Great to have

• Android bring-up experience, or building system or privileged apps within an AOSP source tree
• Shipped an Android-based TV, set-top box or other embedded device
• Customized core system apps (launcher, Settings, setup wizard, SystemUI)
• Led a platform upgrade across major Android versions
• TV framework APIs (TV Input Framework, HDMI-CEC, MediaSession) or Media3/ExoPlayer
• React Native, JavaScript or TypeScript experience
• OTA update flows, app distribution or device management (DevicePolicyManager)
• Experience working with ODMs or SoC vendors and their Android SDKs
• Experience leading teams embedded with clients or distributed across locations (staff augmentation or consulting)

Technical Proficiency

• Familiarity with the AOSP build system (repo, Soong/Android.bp) and building and flashing images to hardware
• Understanding of the Android framework: activities and services, Binder, permissions model, system APIs
• TV or other non-touch UI development (Compose for TV or Leanback, D-pad navigation)
• Strong debugging skills: adb, logcat, dumpsys, Perfetto, ANR and memory analysis
• Solid grasp of modern Android design patterns and architecture
• Some full-stack development experience

Requirements

• Must be based in Canada.
• Ability to work with significant overlap with US business hours.

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Skills

• Client Obsessed: Keeps the client’s success front and center. Measures technical choices by their business impact.
• Clear Communicator: Gives direct, timely feedback to their team and collaborates effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Quality-Driven: Holds themselves and their team to high standards for code quality and reliability.
• Ownership Mindset: Takes responsibility for the team's results and for solutions that work in real-world conditions.
• Problem Solver: Thrives in complexity, chases problems down the stack without waiting to be asked, and finds solutions even when requirements are evolving.

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Compensation & Benefits

Base Compensation:  $126,500 CAD, commensurate with experience.
Variable Compensation:  Up to 10% annual performance bonus

**Note: To qualify for this role, you must reside in Canada and be legally authorized to work in Canada. We do not sponsor work visas. 

Perks & Benefits:

• Group RRSP match (Employer contributes 4% of your annual income)
• $150 USD/mo cell/internet stipend
• $600 USD/yr home office equipment stipend
• Extended healthcare, dental, and vision insurance
• Professional development stipend
• Loaned MacBook Pro
• Annual team retreat

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Why Work for Very

We do not promise an easy ride — we promise meaningful work.

We work hard because our clients’ success depends on it, and we take pride in delivering when others can’t. We collaborate closely, move fast, and stay grounded in results. We take joy in the process — in the problem-solving, the iteration, and the shared wins that come from doing the hard things well.

If you’re looking for a place where every project matters, where the standards are high, and where you’ll grow by pushing yourself and others — welcome to Very.

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Interviewing for a new company is a serious time commitment for all parties involved. Please take the time to read this and thoughtfully consider if we would be a good fit for one another.  No agencies. Seriously. #LI-Remote

**Note: To qualify for this role, you must reside in Canada