Sr Software Apps Engineer (Chromium Engineer) W2 Only

Job Title: Sr Software Apps Engineer (Chromium Engineer)

Duration: 6 months

Location: US Remote

Type: Contract W2 only 

Chromium Engineer is someone that will bring knowledge from years of experience working on Chromium-based browsers.

Responsibilities & Expectations

• Primary responsibilities (daily/weekly): 
• Develop and maintain core desktop browser features and UI components built on top of Chromium''s architecture.
• Debug and resolve complex platform-specific issues related to rendering, networking, multi-process architecture, and system integration within the Chromium codebase.
• Use AI coding tools (Claude Code, Codex) to write and maintain high-quality, efficient code — our team does not write code by hand.
• Optimize the browser for performance, memory usage, and responsiveness across desktop platforms.
• Participate in code reviews as applicable, weekly meetings, daily standups and weekly demos (Fridays).
• Key projects or initiatives for the role:
  • Desktop browser feature development: AI-driven features, custom browser UI, and service integrations
  • Performance, stability, and quality improvements across the Desktop app
  • Developer tooling, CI/CD, and build system improvements as needed
• Success metrics or KPIs for this role:
  • Quality and stability of patches — PRs pass CI, don''t regress existing features, and maintain clean separation from upstream
  • Feature velocity — shipping user-facing desktop features within our 1-week cycle cadence
  • Effective use of AI coding tools — leveraging agents for implementation while providing expert Chromium review and architectural guidance
  • Ability to ramp quickly on unfamiliar parts of the codebase (our specific fork, patch system, build pipeline) using AI tools to bridge knowledge gaps
• How is success measured? 
  • PRs shipped per week
  • Stability metrics — crash rates, bug count, CI pass rate on desktop builds
  • Peer feedback and ability to unblock other engineers on Chromium-related questions

Candidate Profile

• Must-have skills/qualifications (technical, soft skills, certifications, tools):
• 6+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Strong C++ proficiency (Chromium is ~35M lines of C++)
• Direct experience working in the Chromium codebase — not just "browser experience," but actually building on, patching, or forking Chromium
• Experience maintaining a Chromium fork or downstream browser (e.g., Brave, Vivaldi, Edge, Opera, Arc, or similar)
• Experience with Chromium''s build system (GN/Ninja) and development workflow (depot_tools, gclient)
• Comfort with large codebases (Chromium is one of the largest open-source projects in existence)
• Willingness and ability to use AI coding tools (Claude Code) as the primary development method
• Ideal experience level (years, leadership, industries):
• 6-10+ years of software engineering, with at least 2+ years working directly in or with Chromium
• Prior experience at a company that ships a Chromium-based browser or embedded WebView product is ideal
• No management or leadership requirement — this is a hands-on IC role
• Any preferred industries or companies for background?
• Browser companies: Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, Arc (The Browser Company), Microsoft Edge, Mighty, Sidekick
• Former Chromium/Google Chrome team members
• Companies shipping Chromium-based desktop apps: Electron-based apps (Slack, VS Code, Discord) — though native Chromium fork experience is strongly preferred over Electron
• Embedded browser/WebView companies
• Desired personality or work style:
• Self-directed and autonomous — our team runs 1-week cycles with minimal process, no sprint planning or backlog grooming
• Comfortable with AI-first development — must be willing to use AI agents as the primary coding method, not just autocomplete
• Pragmatic and ship-oriented — we demo every Friday, everyone presents
• Collaborative — ideas come from everywhere (engineering, design, product), and this person will need to share Chromium expertise across the team
• Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration — "ship-to-learn, not plan-to-ship"
• Key attributes or values sought in the candidate:
• Deep Chromium systems knowledge that can accelerate the whole team
• Ability to navigate and explain Chromium internals to teammates who are less familiar
• Bias toward action
• Comfort being an expert resource while still being hands-on
• Resourcefulness with AI tools — uses agents to bridge knowledge gaps rather than waiting to become an expert before contributing
• Strong communication — reaches out early for clarity rather than spinning in isolation