Introduction
Are you an aspiring iOS developer with a passion for building intuitive, high-performance mobile applications that impact millions? Meesho, India’s leading e-commerce platform committed to democratizing internet commerce for everyone, is actively seeking talented Software Development Engineers I (SDE I) specializing in iOS to join its innovative engineering teams in Bengaluru. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute directly to the fastest-growing e-commerce platform in India, shaping the user experience for a vast and diverse customer base. If you have a strong understanding of iOS development fundamentals, excellent problem-solving skills, and a desire to work in a fast-paced, agile environment, Meesho provides an ideal launchpad for your career in mobile engineering.
Roles and Responsibilities
As an SDE I – iOS at Meesho, you will be a key contributor to the development and enhancement of Meesho’s iOS application. Your responsibilities will typically involve:
- Feature Development: Develop and deliver new product features for the Meesho iOS application, ensuring optimal performance, quality, and responsiveness.
- Code Quality & Maintenance: Write clean, efficient, and maintainable code following best practices. Participate in code reviews, contribute to architectural discussions, and help maintain the overall codebase quality for the fastest-growing e-commerce platform.
- Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, UI/UX Designers, Backend Engineers, and QA, to define, design, and ship new features from ideation to production.
- Debugging & Performance: Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve software defects. Conduct app profiling, identify memory leaks and performance bottlenecks, and implement solutions to improve application performance.
- Testing: Write Unit tests against new and existing codebase to ensure reliability and stability.
- Technical Ownership: Take end-to-end ownership of features, ensuring their robust implementation and timely delivery.
- Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in iOS development and the broader mobile ecosystem. Contribute to reducing technical debt and suggesting good coding practices.
Salary and Benefits
Meesho offers a highly competitive compensation package and a comprehensive set of benefits for SDE I – iOS in India, aligning with its reputation as a leading tech company and its focus on employee well-being.
- Competitive Base Salary + Equity:
- For SDE I roles (typically 0-2 years of experience), the average annual total compensation in India can range from ₹15 lakhs to ₹30 lakhs per annum, including base salary and stock options.
- For fresh graduates joining as SDE Trainees, Meesho often offers a monthly stipend of ₹1,00,000 during a 6-month traineeship. Upon successful completion and conversion to a full-time SDE I role, the fixed annual salary can be around ₹20 lakhs per annum + benefits, as seen in recent open campus recruitment drives.
- For SDE I with some experience (1-2 years), overall CTC, including stocks/ESOPs, can reach ₹25 lakhs to ₹35 lakhs+ per annum in Bengaluru.
- Equity/Stock Options: Meesho often includes equity (stock options) as part of the total compensation, providing a stake in the company’s growth.
- Holistic Wellness (MeeCare Program): Meesho focuses extensively on holistic wellness, encompassing benefits and policies across physical, mental, financial, and social wellness. This includes:
- Extensive medical insurance benefits for employees and their families.
- Wellness initiatives like telehealth, wellness events, and gym & recreational discounts.
- Work-Life Balance: To support work-life balance, Meesho provides generous leave policies and often offers a hybrid work model (e.g., 3 days in the office, 2 days remote) in Bengaluru.
- Parental Support: Includes benefits like parental leave to support employees through various family stages.
- Learning & Development: Meesho places special emphasis on the continuous growth of each team member through:
- Regular 1-1s and open communication.
- Learning programs and development assistance.
- Opportunities for internal mobility and career progression within the engineering ladder (e.g., to SDE II, SDE III, and beyond).
- Employee Delight: Promotes employee delight at the workplace through gratitude for stretched work, personalized gifts, engagement activities, and a fun work environment.
- Additional Benefits: May include salary advance support, relocation assistance (for outstation candidates), and flexible benefits plans.
Eligibility Criteria
Meesho looks for bright, passionate, and problem-solving individuals with a strong foundation in computer science and a specific interest in iOS development. Typical eligibility criteria for SDE I – iOS roles include:
- Educational Qualification: A Bachelor’s (B.E./B.Tech) or Master’s (M.E./M.Tech/MCA) degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electronics, or a related engineering discipline.
- Experience:
- For fresh graduates (0 years of experience), strong project work, competitive programming achievements, and relevant internships are highly valued.
- For experienced candidates, typically 1 to 2 years of hands-on experience in iOS application development.
- Key Technical Skills:
- Programming Languages: Proficiency in Swift. Familiarity with Objective-C is a plus, especially for working with legacy codebases.
- iOS Ecosystem: Strong understanding of the iOS ecosystem, including Xcode, Cocoa Touch framework, and Apple Design guidelines.
- UIKit & SwiftUI: Hands-on experience with UIKit for UI development. Familiarity with SwiftUI is increasingly becoming important.
- Core iOS Concepts: Good understanding of core iOS concepts such as Custom Views, Auto Layout, Grand Central Dispatch (GCD), Memory Management (ARC), Multithreading, Networking, and Protocols.
- Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): Excellent understanding of data structures and algorithms, and their space and time complexities. Ability to write efficient and performant code.
- Design Patterns & Architecture: Hands-on experience with mobile design patterns like MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel), MVC, MVP, Clean Swift, and understanding of SOLID principles.
- API Consumption: Familiarity with consuming REST APIs and JSON encoding/decoding.
- Version Control: Proficiency with Git and collaborative workflows (e.g., branching, pull requests).
- Debugging & Profiling: Proficiency at debugging and app profiling, including identifying memory leaks and performance bottlenecks.
- Testing: Experience in writing Unit and functional tests.
- Soft Skills:
- Problem-Solving: Strong problem-solving skills and a knack for creating compelling user experiences. Ability to tackle hard, interesting, and unique problems.
- Communication: Excellent communication and teamwork skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Ownership: Extreme ownership and a desire to execute quickly and robustly on features with significant business impact.
- Passion for Learning: A strong passion for learning and staying updated with new technologies.
Application Process
Ready to build the future of e-commerce with Meesho? Here’s how to apply for an SDE I – iOS position:
- Online Application: Visit the official Meesho Careers website (meesho.io/careers) or reputable job portals like LinkedIn, Instahyre, or other recruitment platforms. Search for “SDE I – iOS” or “iOS Developer” roles.
- Resume Submission: Prepare a detailed resume that highlights your academic qualifications, relevant projects (personal or academic), internships, open-source contributions, and specific iOS development skills. Showcase any apps you’ve built or contributed to.
- Online Assessment (Coding Test): This is a crucial initial screening round. It typically involves:
- Coding Questions: 3-5 coding questions on Data Structures and Algorithms (Arrays, Strings, Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, Sorting, Searching, Dynamic Programming). Questions range from easy to medium-hard difficulty.
- Debugging Questions: Often includes debugging challenges.
- MCQs: May also include MCQs on core computer science subjects like Operating Systems, Computer Networks, DBMS, and OOPs.
- The test duration is usually 1.5 to 2 hours, often conducted on platforms like HackerEarth or HackerRank.
- Interview Scheduling: Candidates who successfully clear the online coding test will be invited for subsequent interview rounds.
Interview Process
The interview process for an SDE I – iOS at Meesho is known to be structured and challenging, with a strong emphasis on technical skills, problem-solving, and cultural fit. It typically consists of 3-5 rounds:
- Technical Interview 1 (DSA & Core CS): This round usually focuses on Data Structures and Algorithms. You will be given 1-2 coding problems to solve live (e.g., on a shared coding platform). The interviewer will expect you to not only solve the problem but also discuss your thought process, analyze time and space complexity, and handle edge cases. Questions on core CS fundamentals (OS, DBMS, Computer Networks, OOPs) are also common.
- Technical Interview 2 (iOS Specific & Low-Level Design): This round delves deeper into your iOS development expertise.
- iOS Concepts: Questions on UIKit, Auto Layout, memory management (ARC), concurrency (GCD, Operations), delegates, protocols, notifications, KVO, data persistence (Core Data, Realm, User Defaults), networking, and the iOS app lifecycle.
- Architectural Patterns: Discussion on MVVM, MVC, MVP, VIPER, and Clean Swift. You might be asked to design a small feature or module, focusing on Low-Level Design (LLD) principles, class design, and API integration.
- Debugging & Performance: Questions on how you would debug a crash, identify memory leaks, or optimize app performance.
- Swift Specifics: Questions on Swift features like optionals, generics, protocols, extensions, error handling, etc.
- Previous Projects: Expect in-depth discussions about your past iOS projects (academic, personal, or internship). Be ready to explain your design choices, challenges faced, and solutions implemented.
- Machine Coding Round (Optional but common for SDE-1): In some cases, there might be a machine coding round where you are given a problem statement and a time limit (e.g., 60-90 minutes) to build a small, functional iOS application or a specific module demonstrating your coding, design, and problem-solving skills.
- Hiring Manager / Bar Raiser Round: This round typically assesses your overall technical capabilities, system design thinking (basic for SDE I), problem-solving approach, and cultural fit. Expect questions on:
- Your experience with end-to-end feature ownership.
- How you handle feedback and collaboration.
- Your approach to learning new technologies.
- Behavioral questions (using the STAR method) about teamwork, handling conflicts, dealing with challenging technical problems, and your motivations for joining Meesho.
- HR Round: This final round will cover your salary expectations, notice period, cultural fit with Meesho’s “Mantras” (guiding principles like “Founder’s Mindset”), and career aspirations.
Throughout the process, demonstrate strong fundamentals, a passion for mobile development, clear and confident communication, and an eagerness to learn and contribute to a fast-growing product.
Conclusion
Joining Meesho as an SDE I – iOS provides an incredible opportunity to shape the mobile experience for millions of users on a rapidly expanding e-commerce platform. With its focus on innovation, impact, and employee growth, Meesho offers a dynamic and rewarding environment for aspiring iOS developers. If you are passionate about building scalable, high-quality mobile applications and want to be part of a team that is democratizing internet commerce in India, explore the SDE I – iOS openings at Meesho today!