Engineering Manager (React Native)

Vauxhall, London - Hybrid (3 days on-site per week)

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Engineering Manager to lead our mobile development efforts. You'll be instrumental in building out our in-house React Native team while ensuring seamless continuity with our existing contractors. This role requires a strong technical background in React Native, a deep understanding of the mobile development lifecycle, and a proven ability to lead and mentor engineers.

About Zapp:

Zapp is London’s leading premium convenience retail platform. Founded in 2020, our vision is to disrupt the multi-trillion dollar convenience retail market, currently dominated by major players, by developing best-in-class customer-centric technology and fulfilment solutions. Zapp partners with some of the world’s leading brands to deliver an exclusive range of hand-picked products 24/7, delivered in minutes.

We are on an exciting journey! We've just completed a significant overhaul of our mobile application, embracing new technologies in the React Native ecosystem like Tamagui, Expo Router and Maestro. Our brand-new iOS app launched successfully in April, and our Android app is hot on its heels, launching very soon. This wasn't just a simple refactor; we made the strategic decision to completely rewrite our legacy application to best position Zapp for growth in 2025 and beyond.

With a fresh tech stack and a modern application, we're now seeking an Engineering Manager who can build upon this momentum. You'll play a crucial role in ensuring that the quality of both the customer and developer experience continuously improves with every new feature and enhancement we deliver. This isn't just a technical leadership role; you'll also become the voice of the app in our weekly and monthly business reviews, and a key advocate for its customers during quarterly planning sessions. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Zapp's mobile presence and make a significant impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain strong relationships and continuity with three existing contractors, leveraging their expertise during the transition period.
• Lead the recruitment and onboarding of three new, full-time React Native engineers, with the goal of establishing a high-performing in-house team.
• Provide mentorship, coaching, and performance management to foster the professional growth of team members.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development discussions.
• Drive the technical vision and roadmap for our app, ensuring alignment with overall product goals.
• Oversee the architecture, design, and implementation of new features and improvements.
• Define and adopt best practices in code quality, testing, and application performance.
• Design, implement, and optimize robust processes across the SDLC, from development and testing to release and monitoring
• Implement effective monitoring and alerting systems to proactively identify and address production issues.
• Work closely with product managers, designers, and other stakeholders to translate product requirements into technical specifications.
• Communicate technical concepts and decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Act as a key liaison between the development team and other departments.

Requirements:

• Proven experience (3+ years) in a leadership role, such as Engineering Manager, Tech Lead, or Senior Software Engineer, with a focus on mobile application development.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
• Deep expertise in React Native development.
• Hands-on experience with Expo for building and deploying React Native applications.
• Proficiency with state management libraries, specifically Zustand.
• Experience with data fetching and caching libraries, particularly React Query.
• Familiarity with error tracking and monitoring tools like Sentry.
• Solid understanding of mobile application architecture patterns and best practices.
• Strong understanding of testing principles and experience implementing various testing strategies.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

If you're a hands-on leader who thrives on building high-performing teams and delivering exceptional mobile experiences, we encourage you to apply!