Software Development Engineer III, Android, Navigation SDK

About the role

Mapbox is the leading real-time location platform for a new generation of location-aware businesses. Mapbox is the only platform that equips organizations with the full set of tools to power the navigation of people, packages, and vehicles everywhere. More than 4 million registered developers have chosen Mapbox because of the platform's flexibility, security and privacy compliance. Organizations use Mapbox applications, data, SDKs and APIs to create customized and immersive experiences that delight their customers.

Mapbox is seeking a Software Development Engineer III to join the Navigation SDK team in Helsinki, where you will define architectural direction and lead technical initiatives for navigation across multiple platforms. In this role, you will own the design and implementation of large-scale, cross-functional projects that integrate Mapbox Navigation, Maps, and Search SDKs to empower customer applications. You will act as a technical mentor, driving knowledge sharing and professional growth within the team while maintaining a sharp focus on usability and developer experience. Your work will directly influence how top-ranking App Store and Play Store applications deliver navigation experiences to millions of users worldwide. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to ensure that new features align with strategic goals and long-term scalability. As AI becomes embedded in engineering workflows, you will thoughtfully integrate AI into design, development, and decision-making processes. This position offers the opportunity to dive into the Android stack and AOSP to solve complex problems that shape the future of location-aware navigation.

What you'll do

• Define and oversee the implementation of large-scale, cross-functional projects and initiatives that span multiple Mapbox SDKs, including Navigation, Maps, and Search.
• Ensure quality by driving improvements in development processes, code quality standards, and best practices across engineering teams.
• Engage in technical conversations and decisions that influence long-term strategic direction, scalability, and platform integrity.
• Act as a technical mentor and resource for the team, fostering professional development and facilitating knowledge-sharing at scale.
• Design expressive and user-friendly APIs for developers using Mapbox SDKs to reduce integration friction and accelerate adoption.
• Deliver high-quality features in collaboration with peers and cross-functional teams through iterative planning and execution.
• Implement improvements to SDK functionality and developer experience by identifying pain points and proposing targeted solutions.
• Dive into cross-platform implementations underlying native frameworks to ensure seamless integration, consistent behavior, and reliability across platforms.
• Debug, profile, and optimize performance issues across Android, iOS, and Linux environments to meet high standards of quality.
• Explore emerging technologies and patterns, including AI-assisted development, to enhance engineering workflows and product innovation.
• Contribute to the maintenance and evolution of core navigation components while balancing technical debt and forward-looking architecture.
• Evaluate third-party libraries, tools, and dependencies to determine their suitability for integration into the Mapbox ecosystem.
• Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and documentation efforts to maintain clarity and consistency across the SDK surface.
• Champion best practices in testing, monitoring, and observability to improve stability and developer confidence in Mapbox products.

Requirements

• Demonstrated history of shipping complex Android applications and SDKs in production environments.
• Experience with native technologies, such as Kotlin and Java, to build robust and maintainable software components.
• Experience with testing methodologies and frameworks to ensure reliability, coverage, and maintainability of code.
• Focus on usability and great user experience, ensuring that APIs and features meet the needs of developers and end users.
• Desire to build frameworks and developer tools that empower other engineers to deliver value quickly and efficiently.
• Desire to learn and to teach, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge transfer.
• Passion to earn and keep customer trust by delivering reliable, high-performance navigation experiences.
• Readiness to go deep in the Android stack and navigate AOSP code when needed to diagnose and resolve complex issues.
• Experience debugging and profiling to resolve performance issues is a plus, particularly in resource-constrained environments.
• Familiarity with or a desire to learn more about C++ is a plus, given the cross-platform nature of the navigation stack.

What we value

In addition to our core values at Mapbox, which are not unique to this position and are necessary for Mapbox leaders, we emphasize an environment of teaching and learning to equip employees with the tools needed to be successful in their function and the company. We value high performing creative individuals who dig into problems and opportunities. We believe in individuals being their whole selves at work and commit to this through supportive health care, parental leave, flexibility for the things that come up in life, and innovating on how we think about supporting our people. We strongly believe in the value of growing a diverse team and encourage people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and sexual orientations to apply.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge that you have received the Mapbox Non-US Privacy Notice for applicants, which is linked here. Completing this application requires you to provide personal data, such as your name and contact information, which is mandatory for Mapbox to process your application.

We are committed to a fair and equitable hiring process. We do not discriminate against any protected class.