Open Source Software Engineer - Android-AOSP

Fairphone, the Amsterdam-based company known for sustainable, modular electronics, is hiring an Open Source Software Engineer with a focus on Android and AOSP. The role is on-site in Amsterdam and aimed at someone who wants to help Fairphone extend its open source footprint around devices and ecosystems. If you value environmental impact and collaboration with communities, this could be a fit.

In this position you’ll lead Fairphone’s open source efforts for Android, shaping how the company collaborates with communities and partners. You’ll drive upstreaming work toward AOSP and projects like LineageOS, and you’ll engage with Android partners such as Murena, CalyxOS and Nura. The goal is to build longer-lasting software by inviting external contributors to help improve and maintain Fairphone’s device software.

You’ll report to the OS Longevity team Tech Lead within the Head of Software Engineering’s group, working alongside senior engineers who cover different parts of the Android and Linux software stack. If you enjoy building strategies, coordinating across teams, and working with external open source communities, you’ll likely feel at home here.

Day-to-day work in open source Android

On a typical day you’ll establish and nurture software engineering partnerships with open source communities and contributors, focusing on our Android devices and their source trees. You’ll steer ongoing open sourcing activities, identify opportunities to onboard new partners, and help align these efforts with Fairphone’s longevity goals.

Your input will help raise software quality by guiding community-driven work and ensuring our processes respect open source norms. You’ll share guidance on open sourcing best practices with internal teams and help software suppliers adapt their workflows and code bases to meet our open source and longevity requirements.

Over time you’ll drive upstreaming into AOSP and related projects, weaving your strategy through the evolving Android stack. You’ll contribute to maintenance, security, and performance work across Fairphone’s own system and any partner or community Android systems used on our devices.

What you’ll bring to the team

Here’s what the role needs from you.

• You hold a degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or have equivalent hands-on experience in one of these fields
• You have five or more years of practical experience in the Android ecosystem
• You bring five or more years of experience with open-source development methodologies and collaboration in communities
• Contributions to other open source projects or communities outside Android would be a plus
• Experience working with the Android and mobile ODM ecosystem and their ways of operating would be a bonus
• You know the core Android stack well and are proficient in C/C++, Rust, Java and Kotlin
• You’re used to software quality disciplines such as unit and integration testing, code review tools, and continuous integration
• You’re comfortable with shell scripting, Python for automation, and Git for version control
• You have solid experience with GNU/Linux operating systems
• You are fluent in spoken and written English

Nice-to-haves

• Having contributions to other open source projects or communities beyond Android
• Experience engaging with Android ODM ecosystems and their workflows
• Track record of upstreaming work toward AOSP or comparable ecosystems
• Additional open source experience or collaboration across diverse projects

Pay, perks and practical details

The role is based in Amsterdam as an on-site position, with a weekly schedule of 32 to 40 hours. The initial contract runs for 12 months and can be extended to a permanent arrangement. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so applying sooner is encouraged.

Fairphone offers a range of benefits and supports to help you do your best work. You’ll have a laptop and Fairphone devices for work, plus Fairbuds. The company supports hybrid work and contributes up to €250 toward your home office setup. Public transport, your second-class commute from home to the office, is fully covered, and there’s a bike allowance that includes up to €300 to purchase a bike, a yearly maintenance budget of up to €100, and 23 cents per kilometer for your riding distance between home and office or train station. You’ll receive 25 paid holidays per year (in addition to Dutch public holidays), and you’ll get a day off on your birthday, with more holidays unlocked as you stay longer. Daily lunches, organic FairChain coffee, and other tasty perks await, along with a collective pension scheme where Fairphone contributes to your pension. You’ll have access to a kitchen with views of the IJ river, a gym in the building, and well-being programs through Inuka and Urban Sports. There’s also a development budget of €500 for training and coaching, plus access to Udemy for courses and trainings, to support your career growth.

Tips to shine in this role

First, make your resume spotlight the exact things Fairphone is seeking: five-plus years in the Android ecosystem, solid open source contributions, and hands-on experience with core Android stacks and languages (C/C++, Rust, Java, Kotlin). Show how you’ve helped improve software quality through testing, reviews, and CI, and mention Linux proficiency and scripting skills with concrete examples.

Second, illustrate how you’ve driven upstreaming or collaboration in open source contexts. Describe any strategy you developed to engage communities, how you evaluated contributors, and how you aligned external work with a company’s longevity goals or product roadmap.

Third, be ready to discuss collaboration with hardware partners or ODMs. Bring examples of coordinating with external teams, onboarding new partners, and shaping codebase setups to fit open source and longevity requirements.

Fourth, plan a thoughtful question to end with: ask about the first open source initiatives the team wants to prioritize, how success is measured for upstreaming and community engagement, and what the initial 90-day plan looks like for this role.

Your application path

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so please apply as soon as you can.