Opal Electronics — iOS Engineer

Type: Full-time | On-site | San Francisco, CA Compensation: $170,000–$230,000 + competitive equity Hiring count: 1 Visa sponsorship: Yes — H-1B, OPT supported Reports to: Software Engineering Manager (no name/LinkedIn provided — Stanford PhD; previously led R&D at a growth-stage AI voice startup after NVIDIA and Google)

About Opal Electronics

Opal Electronics is a San Francisco consumer hardware company building AI-native devices, operating as an R&D studio where each product is its own program rather than an iteration on a single line. They previously shipped the C1 and Tadpole cameras; the first device in the new lineup launches this year. The company keeps a small, world-class team and aims to be prolific rather than chase a single "next big thing."

Founded: 2021 | Team size: 22 (software ~4, hardware 5–6) | Total funding: $40M Series B led by OpenAI (Samsung, Founders Fund, and the founders of Instagram, Airbnb, and YouTube also on the cap table) Industry: Consumer Tech / AI hardware Website: https://op.al Office: San Francisco, CA (in-house prototyping lab)

Why Candidates Should Join

• Marquee backing, independent operation: $40M Series B led by OpenAI with a standout cap table, while retaining full creative control over the roadmap.
• Core, high-visibility role: the companion app is the primary interface to Opal's hardware — this role is central, not peripheral, and owns features end-to-end from architecture through App Store release.
• Small, elite team with real hardware: ~22 people, in-house lab, a studio model where engineers self-manage without heavy process.
• Ships this year: the first device in the new lineup launches in the current cycle, so the work lands in customers' hands fast.

The Role

Own the iOS companion app that sits directly on top of Opal's hardware — pairing and connectivity, real-time device state, firmware delivery, and surfacing on-device and cloud AI features. Cross-functional by default, working alongside hardware, firmware, and backend/ML.

What You'll Be Doing

• Device pairing and connectivity: BLE and Wi-Fi pairing flows, reconnection handling, background connectivity, and firmware update delivery through the app
• Real-time device experience: low-latency UI reflecting live device state and data streams
• On-device and cloud AI features, coordinating between local inference and cloud processing
• Companion app architecture: device state, sync, and graceful handling of offline and degraded connectivity
• Native platform depth: background modes, push notifications, Bluetooth permissions, and battery and performance optimization for an app that is frequently active and connected

Tech stack: Swift, SwiftUI/UIKit, Core Bluetooth, real-time data streaming

Requirements

• Strong Swift and SwiftUI/UIKit experience shipping production iOS apps
• Experience with Core Bluetooth and/or real-time data streaming
• Comfort owning a feature end-to-end: architecture, implementation, testing, and App Store release
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with hardware, firmware, and backend/ML teams
• Proven ability to self-manage and operate inside a small engineering team

Green Flags

• Shipped a production iOS app that pairs with physical hardware, whether a wearable, a medical device, or another connected product
• Depth in the native platform: background modes, permissions, battery and performance work on an always-connected app
• Startup or small-team experience, or a small team operating inside a larger organization
• Personal projects or side builds outside of work that show sustained curiosity
• Background from teams building complex, frequently updated iOS apps at scale, or from device-connected companies such as wearables and health hardware

Red Flags

• Long tenure inside large, highly structured engineering organizations with no small-team exposure
• iOS experience limited to standalone apps with no hardware, Bluetooth, or real-time streaming exposure
• Requires defined tickets, heavy process, or dedicated support functions to be productive
• Motivated primarily by compensation rather than by the product and the R&D environment
• Seeking remote or hybrid arrangements, as the role is 5 days onsite in San Francisco

Role Details

• Salary — $170,000–$230,000
• Equity — Competitive equity
• Experience — 2–5 years
• On-site policy — On-site, 5 days/week in San Francisco
• Visa sponsorship — H-1B, OPT supported
• Relocation — Relocation support to SF, assessed case by case
• Employment type — Full-time
• Location — San Francisco, CA

Interview Process

Stage 1 — Pending Approval — Candidates awaiting initial approval. Stage 2 — Background and culture fit Stage 3 — Conversation with the Software Engineering Manager Stage 4 — Conversation with a Co-Founder Stage 5 — Onsite technical — 90-minute onsite technical interview. If it goes well, the team demos the product the same day. Stage 6 — Final onsite Stage 7 — Offer Extended Stage 8 — Hired — Candidate accepts and starts.

Ideal Candidates — DO NOT CONTACT

These are named on the role page as do-not-contact. No LinkedIn URLs were captured in the page HTML.

• Maaz Azam
• Elliot Boschwitz
• Vincent Chau
• Al Tyus Jr.

Benefits & Perks

• Medical, dental, and vision, 100% covered
• Life insurance
• 401(k), no employer match
• 4 to 5 weeks PTO
• Lunch covered daily; dinner covered when working past 7pm
• Relocation support to San Francisco, assessed case by case
• H-1B and OPT sponsorship supported