• Location: Just north of Cambridge, UK
• Salary: Up to £70k
• Fully office-based (5 days/week)

We are working with a highly innovative engineering organisation operating at the forefront of secure communications technology. Their products deliver mission-critical connectivity solutions used globally across public safety, defence, transport, utilities and commercial sectors.

They are now seeking a Principal Linux / Android Platform Engineer to join their expanding Software Team, contributing to the next generation of broadband-enabled devices built on advanced Android and Linux-based platforms.

The Role

This is a true Android platform engineering role, focused on AOSP, Linux kernel and low-level system development rather than application development. You will play a key role in the development, configuration & optimisation of the Android platform, working deep within the Android framework and underlying Linux system layers.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Android platform development and AOSP customisation.
• Linux kernel configuration, tuning and performance optimisation.
• Scheduler tuning, latency reduction and power management improvements.
• Modifying Android framework services and system components.
• Working within large-scale codebases using Git (branching, merging, upstream integration).
• Integration of open-source tools for debugging, profiling and performance analysis.
• Development of system-level C++ components in real-time, multi-threaded environments.
• Supporting integration testing, issue investigation and root cause analysis.
• Producing design documentation and contributing to architectural decisions.
• Collaborating in agile scrum teams on mission-critical product development.

What We’re Looking For

Essential:

• Strong understanding of Android architecture and AOSP internals.
• Solid background in Linux system programming and/or kernel development.
• Experience optimising Linux/Android systems (performance, power, latency).
• Proficiency in C++ in embedded, real-time, multi-threaded environments.
• Experience with Android framework components such as Binder, AIDL, System Services (C++/Java), Framework APIs, NDK/JNI, SELinux, CTS.
• Experience working with mobile or embedded Linux platforms.
• Strong familiarity with debugging and profiling tools (memory, performance, code coverage, leak detection).
• Structured engineering approach with an understanding of software quality processes.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with Linux open-source configuration and patch management.
• Exposure to hardware teams (schematics, oscilloscopes, logic analysers).
• Background in ruggedised devices, secure communications or embedded consumer electronics.

The Environment

• Highly collaborative, engineering-led organisation.
• Stable, long-term team with strong technical leadership.
• Agile scrum-based delivery model.
• Focus on building robust, mission-critical systems used in demanding environments.
• Strong emphasis on in-office collaboration (5 days per week).

Who This Role Suits

Either:

1. A true Android AOSP platform engineer looking to work on complex system-level challenges.
2. A strong embedded Linux engineer ready to transition into Android platform development.

You’ll thrive here if you enjoy deep technical work, system-level problem solving and building software that operates close to the hardware in high-reliability environments.