Everything You Need to Write An iOS Developer Job Description

Apple versus Android.

It's a modern day rivalry matched only by the age-old Coke versus Pepsi debate in its ferocity. Everyone seems to have an opinion on which is better, and if you’re bold enough to switch sides, you’ll surely be condemned by opposing electronic enthusiasts.

Even developers have a preferred software with which they specialize and pursue a career. iOS is Apple’s mobile software operating system — putting the OS in iOS. It is the second most popular operating system after Android (but you didn’t hear that from us).

In order to write a job description for iOS developers, you’ll first need to better understand the nuances of their work, which we’ll cover below. Feel free to click the links below to jump ahead.

Table of Contents

• What Does an iOS Developer Do?
• Five iOS Developer Job Description Examples
• iOS Developer Job Description Template
• iOS Developer Salary Information

What Does an iOS Developer Do?

iOS Developers code applications for mobile apple products, including iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads. To be a successful iOS developer, you need to be fluent in the coding languages of C, C++, Objective-C or Swift.

Additional skills may include :

• Coding Languages: CSS, HTML5, Java, Javascript, Python, Ruby
• Code Versioning Tools: Bazaar, CVS, Git, Mercurial, SVN
• Frameworks: Angular, AVFoundation, CloudKit, Core Animation, Core Data, Core Graphics, Core Text, Foundation, Laravel, React, Symfony, UIKit, Vue, WebKit, Zend
• UI Frameworks: Cocoa Touch, Jasmine, Jest, Karma, Protractor, Selenium
• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP

If you’ve ever had an app that a rival Android users boasts about, but you can’t get it on your iPhone, it’s because they are not exactly the same applications. They are written in different coding languages and require different skill sets to develop, hence the iOS developer.

That's also why many iOS developers are also well-versed in Android and other web development lingo. 

Five iOS Developer Job Description Examples

Now that you’ve received a quick debrief on what an iOS developer does, now we can look into a few real examples of what companies expect out of iOS developer candidates. Below are five examples of real job descriptions we sourced from our seven local online communities. You’ll notice we’ve redacted some information to protect the identity of the original company.

iOS Developer Job Description: Example 1

[redacted] is looking for a talented [redacted] to lead mobile engineering efforts for [redacted]. As a hands-on engineering manager, you will be responsible for building, maintaining and testing Mobile SDKs in both native Android and iOS as well as Unity with the help of a small team.

The ideal candidate is a practiced engineer with the ability and desire to provide leadership and imagine superior architectures. They must be self-directed and comfortable managing the needs of a variety of stakeholders, team members and contractors.

Responsibilities

• Own the development, testing, and maintenance of native SDKs and Unity on different mobile platforms, their respective OS versions, and devices.
• Partner with [redacted] to design and test new features and products.
• You have the desire to learn new things, try new technology, and seek opportunities to grow and mentor.
• Provide thought leadership in mobile engineering and bring your passion for technology to motivate and inspire on a day to day basis.
• Provide detailed estimates of work and ensure timely delivery of features.
• Produce and ensure delivery of quality, readable, and well-tested code.
• Rely on judgment and experience to plan and accomplish goals in a timely manner.
• Own the elements required to deliver features and results to internal stakeholders.

Experience & Qualifications

• 5+ years of mobile software development.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Deep understanding and proficiency in building mobile apps from scratch using at least one mobile language (Swift, Java, Objective-C, etc.). Experience with multiple platforms is preferred.
• Desire and ability to expand expertise into additional mobile languages.
• Expertise in designing testable software and building large scale, complex applications.
• Self-motivated with strong problem-solving skills.
• Passionate about writing clean, well organized, and production-ready code.
• A portfolio of Apps or SDKs already built and in the App Store or Google Play.
• Desire to build a larger in-house team and manage a group of developers over time.
• Some management experience preferred.

iOS Developer Job Description: Example 2

[redacted] is looking for a senior software engineer to join our technology team. Our ideal candidate is a great collaborator with the technical skills to oversee projects of moderate complexity.

The candidate should understand the business that their code supports and work to identify risks (in code, features, and design) and communicate these to the appropriate parties. If you're up for the challenge of helping us transform the [redacted] industry, then this role is for you!

[redacted]:

• Lead the design and development of innovative solutions to both technical and business problems
• Partner with business stakeholders to deliver features on time and to specifications
• Promote the adoption of new technologies while continuously advancing and evolving our legacy codebase
• Collaborate with team members to refine our best practices and processes
• Participate in code reviews, write automated tests, and help define our technical roadmap

Requirements:

You might be a good fit if you (have, possess, are):

• 5+ years of experience working with complex PHP/MySQL projects
• Comfortable working with, and helping to modernize, a legacy framework/codebase
• Adept in database design, query optimizations, and performance tuning
• Familiarity with MVC frameworks like Symfony, Laravel, Zend
• Prior experience integrating 3rd party API's and interfaces
• Working knowledge of Linux/UNIX systems
• Ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines
• Experience in writing Unit/Functional/End-to-End tests
• Good communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills

Nice-to-haves:

• Familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, GCP
• Solid understanding of HTML5, CSS (SASS), Javascript (VueJS)
• Working knowledge of Java, Python, or Ruby
• Prior mobile app development experience with iOS platform

iOS Developer Job Description: Example 3

The product development team is a key part of [redacted]. We are responsible for delivering prioritized stories that look to maximize value for our members and our business through our digital products. We pair program, all day, every day because we know it delivers remarkable results. We practice test driven development because it produces high-quality, reliable and more maintainable code. We deliver user value, solve problems and ship code multiple times a day to improve our members’ experience and maximize value to the organization.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop advanced software applications. Build on one or more platforms which include but not limited to iOS, Android, and web apps.
• Communicate regularly and write clean code. Review, analyze and resolve application issues as needed.
• Evaluate strategies and make recommendations on changes and improvements.
• Collaborate with team members on the design and implementation of new functionalities on the different platforms.
• Consult with other team members and implement solutions in-line with the departments’ visions.
• Continuously learn and keep up to date with emerging technologies to evaluate impact to business and member value.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in iOS Development experience (Swift, Objective-C).
• Knowledge and demonstrable work on the current iOS platform.
• Strong understanding of multi-tier architectures, design patterns and good engineering practices.
• Knowledge on how to implement and manage RESTful API’s.
• Experience in TDD or BDD a plus.
• Strong communication skills and interest in a pair programming environment.
• Strong team member who inspires, innovates, and delivers results to add value and make a difference.
• User-centric /customer-centric focused, embrace Agile XP practice, and possess a learning mindset.
• Constant monitoring and learning of new technologies and the market landscape.
• Four year college degree in Computer Science or equivalent combination of education and work experience required.

iOS Developer Job Description: Example 4

[redacted] is seeking experienced front-end developers to join our team in building our [redacted]. You are passionate about user experience and have a strong desire to deliver elegant, intuitive web-based UIs for enterprise applications. You will be a member of a highly Agile team tasked with developing new features in Angular 7 based UI web applications as well as maintaining and supporting the existing, publicly available product.

The ideal candidate is self-directed with the ability to collaborate and iterate with UX crew on design for new and existing products and proven past record of delivering with minimal oversight. Please include a link to your GitHub/BitBucket account profile with the resume.

Responsibilities

• Partner with UX designers, product managers and back-end engineers to build intuitive user interfaces from the ground up using the latest web technologies
• Consume and make occasional contributions to supporting backend REST APIs
• Develop automated test solutions across all supported desktop browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari) and iOS and Android devices
• Keep up with emerging trends in UI design and engineering best practices
• Launch feature, iterate and enhance based on stakeholder feedback
• Share respectful perspectives with peers and leadership to help drive the future of [redacted] products

Requirements

• Degree in Computer Science or equivalent preferred, or relevant work experience
• 5+ years of hands-on frontend development experience with HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript including modern frameworks, such as Angular, React, or Vue
• Strong working knowledge of JSON, REST, HTTP, Node.js
• Experience with one or more Automated UI testing frameworks – Jest, Karma, Protractor, Selenium, Jasmine
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred

• [redacted]
• Mobile UI frameworks and related technologies -PhoneGap/Cordova, iOS, Swift, Android
• Proficiency with Git and continuous integration/continuous delivery
• Experience with Docker, microservice architectures
• Knowledge of UI security issues and best practices to prevent vulnerabilities
• Agile Kanban development methodology

iOS Developer Job Description: Example 5

The iOS Developer position is responsible for creating and architecting new mobile applications, maintaining and improving existing features on existing applications, and working with our sales team to develop innovative solutions that meet our clients’ business needs.

We are looking for a passionate developer who loves to tackle new challenges, learn new frameworks and technologies, and work alongside other developers.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years development experience with iOS applications.
• Proficient in Swift & experienced with Objective C.
• Familiarity with agile development practices.
• Experience working with Git version control in a collaborative team environment, creating pull requests and performing code reviews.
• Ability to work in various team sizes that could scale anywhere from working solo to a team of ten plus developers across various disciplines
• Deep understanding of UIKit, Foundation, and other core iOS frameworks
• Contributed to at least one application on the Apple AppStore

Nice To Haves

• Ability to reference Apple HIG and iOS best practices
• Able to maintain and refactor existing codebases to best practices and new technologies
• Understanding of network frameworks as well as third parties such as Alamofire
• Decision making skills and understanding tradeoffs when choosing to use third party libraries
• Experience with Fastlane and Continuous Integration

Key Responsibilities

• Leading architecture and development of iOS applications
• Communicate technical limitations and roadblocks to your team
• Assisting the client support team using your technical background
• Able to assess feasibility, difficulty, and provide time estimates on implementing new features to an application
• Work with backend developers to integrate and consume restful API’s

iOS Developer Job Description Template

Each of the job descriptions above have slightly varying requirements, responsibilities and the software they use for their products and services. Rather than following those in detail, they should provide a helpful starting point for writing your own iOS developer job description.

To help, we’ve created a iOS developer job description template with the responsibilities and requirements that are common expectations for iOS developers. As a template, you can use this as a basis to tailor to your specific needs and reflect your company, culture and expectations.

Company Bio

[Use this section to provide a high level overview of your company, culture, perks and benefits, career development opportunities and anything else that will get candidates excited about your company.]

Job Description

Responsibilities

• Develop, test and maintain native SDK (software development kit) on iOS mobile platforms.
• Deliver clean, well-tested code and meet project deadlines.
• Partner with UX designers, product managers, back-end engineers.
• Engage in regular code reviews with colleagues to review, analyze, improve and teach coding skills.
• Collaborate with an in-house team of X developers.
• Adapt to current iOS updates and latest Apple products.
• Continuously learn and grow as a software developer, keeping up to date with emerging technologies and trends.

Requirements

• X years experience of mobile software development
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering or the equivalent in software development experience.
• Deep understanding of mobile languages [insert relevant mobile languages].
• Strong background working with frameworks [insert relevant frameworks].
• Experience with cloud platforms [insert relevant cloud platforms].
• Experience with UI testing frameworks [insert relevant UI frameworks].
• Knowledge of implementing and supporting RESTful APIs.
• Include a portfolio of apps or SDKs you have built in the App Store.

iOS Developer Salary Information

By now you should have a strong understanding of what an iOS developer does on the day-to-day. To polish your well-crafted job description off, you should always include current salary information specific to your company and role.

If you’re unsure of where to start, we’ve included the average salary of an iOS developer in seven of the top employment markets in the US. Click on each bullet to further explore your compensation research.

• Austin, TX: $107,800
• Boston, MA: $110,286
• Chicago, IL: $100,475
• Colorado: $97,846
• Los Angeles, CA: $120,316
• New York, NY: $122,714
• Seattle, WA: $98,818

Cross Market Average Salary for an iOS Developer: $108,322