Android OS Consultant — Custom Skin / AOSP Fork (Mid-level)
Budget: $8 – $15 USD
About the project
We are a funded Indian smartphone brand building a custom Android operating system to compete with One UI, ColorOS, HyperOS, and OxygenOS. The OS will ship on our own hardware and is positioned as a culturally native, India-first platform. We are at the program-planning stage and need an experienced practitioner to guide our technical direction over the next 6 months.
What we need
A hands-on mid-level Android OS engineer who has personally shipped a HAL-deep AOSP-based skin (or contributed substantially to one) and can advise our internal team across architecture, vendor management, and roadmap execution.
Responsibilities
- Review and validate our AOSP fork strategy, build infrastructure, and OTA pipeline design
- Advise on Qualcomm / MediaTek BSP integration and HAL-level work
- Pressure-test our 18-month roadmap, identify critical-path risks, and recommend course corrections
- Sit in on weekly engineering reviews; provide written assessments at each program gate
- Help interview and shortlist senior platform-engineering hires
- Advise on CTS / GMS certification readiness and the typical pitfalls
- Support vendor and ODM negotiations from a technical-diligence standpoint
Must-haves
- 5–8 years of Android platform experience, with at least one full skin shipped to retail (OnePlus, Realme, OPPO, Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Nothing, Lava, or comparable)
- Working knowledge of AOSP framework internals, HAL interfaces, SELinux policies, and the Android build system (Soong / Bazel)
- Hands-on with at least one Qualcomm or MediaTek BSP
- Comfortable reading and reviewing C++, Kotlin, and Java at the framework layer
- Familiarity with the GMS certification process end-to-end
Nice-to-haves
- Exposure to Indic input methods, on-device LLM runtimes, or UPI integration at the platform level
- Past involvement in a 0-to-1 OS program (not just feature work on a mature skin)
- Existing relationships at silicon-vendor BSP teams
Engagement
- 6 months, with option to extend to 18 months through to GA
- 15–20 hours per week; remote with 1 visit per quarter (travel covered)
- Expected to attend 2 fixed weekly calls and provide async written input on architecture documents
- We will sign an NDA before sharing program detail
How to apply
Please share:
1. A summary of the OS programs you have shipped or worked, with your specific role and the layers you owned
2. One example of an architecture decision you would call out as wrong on a custom Android skin you have seen, and what you would do differently
3. Your hourly rate expectation and earliest available start date
We read every application personally. Generic responses or AI-written replies will not be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 60-minute technical conversation.
Please do not apply if you do not have experience otherwise will be reported
We are a funded Indian smartphone brand building a custom Android operating system to compete with One UI, ColorOS, HyperOS, and OxygenOS. The OS will ship on our own hardware and is positioned as a culturally native, India-first platform. We are at the program-planning stage and need an experienced practitioner to guide our technical direction over the next 6 months.
What we need
A hands-on mid-level Android OS engineer who has personally shipped a HAL-deep AOSP-based skin (or contributed substantially to one) and can advise our internal team across architecture, vendor management, and roadmap execution.
Responsibilities
- Review and validate our AOSP fork strategy, build infrastructure, and OTA pipeline design
- Advise on Qualcomm / MediaTek BSP integration and HAL-level work
- Pressure-test our 18-month roadmap, identify critical-path risks, and recommend course corrections
- Sit in on weekly engineering reviews; provide written assessments at each program gate
- Help interview and shortlist senior platform-engineering hires
- Advise on CTS / GMS certification readiness and the typical pitfalls
- Support vendor and ODM negotiations from a technical-diligence standpoint
Must-haves
- 5–8 years of Android platform experience, with at least one full skin shipped to retail (OnePlus, Realme, OPPO, Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Nothing, Lava, or comparable)
- Working knowledge of AOSP framework internals, HAL interfaces, SELinux policies, and the Android build system (Soong / Bazel)
- Hands-on with at least one Qualcomm or MediaTek BSP
- Comfortable reading and reviewing C++, Kotlin, and Java at the framework layer
- Familiarity with the GMS certification process end-to-end
Nice-to-haves
- Exposure to Indic input methods, on-device LLM runtimes, or UPI integration at the platform level
- Past involvement in a 0-to-1 OS program (not just feature work on a mature skin)
- Existing relationships at silicon-vendor BSP teams
Engagement
- 6 months, with option to extend to 18 months through to GA
- 15–20 hours per week; remote with 1 visit per quarter (travel covered)
- Expected to attend 2 fixed weekly calls and provide async written input on architecture documents
- We will sign an NDA before sharing program detail
How to apply
Please share:
1. A summary of the OS programs you have shipped or worked, with your specific role and the layers you owned
2. One example of an architecture decision you would call out as wrong on a custom Android skin you have seen, and what you would do differently
3. Your hourly rate expectation and earliest available start date
We read every application personally. Generic responses or AI-written replies will not be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 60-minute technical conversation.
Please do not apply if you do not have experience otherwise will be reported