Engineering Manager - Mobile (React Native)

Justzapp; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - GBP 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading convenience retail platform in London seeks an experienced Engineering Manager for its mobile development team. This role involves leading efforts in building an in-house React Native team, ensuring continuity with existing contractors, and driving the technical vision for the app. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in React Native and strong leadership skills to foster a high-performing team. An exciting opportunity to shape the future of mobile experiences is on offer in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in a leadership role in mobile application development.
• Hands-on experience with building and deploying React Native applications.
• Solid understanding of mobile application architecture patterns and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the recruitment and onboarding of new React Native engineers.
• Provide mentorship and coaching to foster team growth.
• Drive the technical vision and roadmap for the app.
• Implement effective monitoring and alerting systems.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to various audiences.

Skills

React Native development

Leadership skills

Excellent communication

Mentoring

State management libraries

Testing principles

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Expo

Sentry

React Query

Job description

Engineering Manager - Mobile (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 last year along with a revamped Android experience. 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 2026 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 or Tech Lead 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!