Software Engineer

Description

Full-time, permanent (tempo indeterminato).

Location

Preferably our HQ in Milan, but remote work can be discussed.

Compensation & Benefits

Generous, top of market, and moreover can grow very rapidly and include stock options, depending on your performance. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are paid-for, when you work from the office. You’ll receive a Mac and an iPhone.

Description

As about 40 million downloads and millions of dollars in revenue over the last couple of years testify, we’ve built and continue building apps with enormous visibility and mass-market appeal. This wouldn’t have been possible without a powerful combo of outstanding backend and iOS engineering. Because we distribute our apps on the App Store ourselves, not having to serve any client, we get to enjoy complete freedom in choosing what we create, and how we do it. That’s awesome, and a great challenge.

Our backend stack consists for the most part of Python, MongoDB, and Redis, and we’ve set up a system for continuous delivery. Our servers sustain very significant traffic (some of our apps have hundreds of thousands of users active on any given day, which means a throughput in the tens of thousands of requests per minute), and they power the most diverse set of functionalities, from those facing the user, such as serving content, or running A/B tests, to those hidden behind the scenes, like tracking a vast set of metrics, or segmenting our user base, based on the user’s behavior. With more than 50 server-connected apps, a huge amount of data, and a growing set of libraries, our backend constitutes a truly fascinating challenge.

iOS is the platform where we at Bending Spoons meet our millions of users. Our iOS work is every bit as extensive and challenging as the backend one, if not more. With an average of 30,000 daily downloads from all over the world, we need to provide this enormous population of users with an experience that surpasses their expectations and encourages them to purchase our virtual goods. We work hard to develop exceedingly high-quality, proprietary iOS libraries with the goal of getting faster at creating highly-reliable, easy-to-maintain, and high-performance code, as well as polished, responsive, and nicely-animated interfaces. Some of the technologies we’ve developed are well ahead of our competition and allow us to do unheard-of things with our apps.

Our small team of backend and iOS engineers is world class, and we wish to expand it with very smart, passionate, and hard-working individuals willing to go the extra mile to deliver outstanding quality at a fast pace. We’ll bring you up to speed on the technology and tools in record time, and you’ll soon be contributing both by developing new apps and libraries, and by bringing our current ones to the next level.

At Bending Spoons, we pursue extreme flexibility, and this requires everyone to be able to morph and adapt to new roles as needed. Hence, you may be exposed to a number of other areas, such as App Store and data analysis, UX and UI design, and several more. We’ll teach you what you don’t know, as long as you’re eager to learn it.

What We Offer

Work on big apps. Our products have millions of users and generate revenues of millions of dollars every year. Your ideas and work actually matter big time. You’ll see the results and impact of your work right away: as soon as you’re done coding, we’ll publish your work, and we’ll see downloads, usage, and revenue change in a matter of hours. Multiple times, we’ve witnessed ten smart lines of code make a difference of tens of thousands of dollars.

Be alongside talents. Our incredibly selective hiring process ensures only extraordinary talents join Bending Spoons. You’ll be proud of and learn from your teammates. We have people with very diverse backgrounds, including a Dane that used to code firmware for integrated circuits, a Pole that worked as graphic designer at Tribal DDB in Amsterdam, and an Italian that kicked ass as McKinsey consultant in Copenhagen and London.

Grow. You’ll be tested and challenged to go beyond your limits. You’ll face some of the toughest business and technological challenges in a group where good isn’t good enough. We’re committed to seeing you develop, and we’ll assign a more experienced colleague to guide you along and help you maximize your growth. Additionally, our culture of feedback and knowledge sharing will help you absorb wisdom at every turn of the road.

Be an owner. Think like a founder, take the initiative, and make an impact, and you’ll have a lightning fast career, and actually own shares of Bending Spoons. We review your performance every six months, and our assessment will be based solely on your contribution to the company. Age, tenure, or hairstyle don’t matter. You’ll be able to convert your bonuses into equity, and so own a piece of Bending Spoons soon enough.

Be rewarded. You’ll enjoy an extremely appealing salary (top 5% of market. See above), premium equipment (we normally use the latest Apple hardware, but you get to pick yours), quality lunch (if you work from the office in Milan), paid-for, month-long annual retreats across the globe (we’ve so far been to Australia, Japan, California, and Thailand. Next in line, Argentina), and generous, performance-based bonuses.

Make a difference. We’re still a small company working furiously to become the number one in the world at what we do. Join us and leave your mark on the achievement of our lifetimes. It’s hard to matter in big companies, but Bending Spoons will rely on you badly, and throw lots of responsibility at you. You’ll be involved in all important decisions and your initiative and leadership will be praised and encouraged at all times.

See it all. For a start, you’ll become a ninja of Objective-C, the key iOS frameworks, and/or Python and our backend stack, learning how to implement beautiful, animated UIs, develop and integrate with our servers’ API, create powerful libraries, and master our various tools. Be prepared to be heavily involved in areas other than iOS and backend engineering too. You may be part of business conversations, study the App Store and analyze data, contribute to UX and UI design, and take part in marketing and recruiting activities.

What We Look For

Software engineering. Extensive computer science experience, either from your studies or personal pursuit, not necessarily related to the iOS platform, or Python, but sufficient to have a solid grasp of algorithms, design patterns, complex software projects, and basic technologies. Experience with Objective-C or Python, and knowledge of the iOS frameworks is a plus, but absolutely not required (we’ll teach you all we know).

Passion for what we do. A strong, 360-degree interest in internet and mobile technologies and smartphone apps, not only from the technical standpoint, but also in terms of user experience and business implications. Ask yourself if you find the idea of helping build a small company into the number one app developer and publisher in the world exciting. If you do, Bending Spoons is where you can make that happen.

Enterprise. A strong appreciation for working independently, and the tendency to put forward your ideas and show initiative within your team. Previous entrepreneurial or product creation experiences, or a fascination for such things are a plus.

Problem solving. A structured and creative mind that enjoys and is capable of solving complex technical and non-technical problems effectively and efficiently, as well as the ability and the desire to rapidly learn new things. Creativity and inventiveness are worth lots of extra points.

Teamwork. A friendly and collaborative personality. If you treat everyone around you like an idiot, or are hesitant to get your hands dirty with menial tasks to help your teammates, we suggest you don’t apply. Helping each other generously is at the root of our team’s culture.

Drive. The willingness to take on an extremely exciting and rewarding, but also very challenging and demanding journey, which will require outstanding dedication and passion. If you like pushing yourself beyond your limits, when pursuing your ambitions, Bending Spoons is a great place for you.