Atlas Obscura

Position Overview

Atlas Obscura is building a platform that helps millions of people discover the world's most extraordinary places and experiences. We're looking for a scrappy, design-obsessed engineer who builds consumer products the way great product teams do — fast, feel-first, and AI-to-the-core.

This isn't a traditional engineering role. We don't need someone who's spent years maintaining legacy systems. We need someone who wakes up thinking about how to make a product feel magical, reaches for AI tools before reaching for boilerplate, and ships things that make people go "wait, how did they build that so fast?"

You'll report to the SVP, Head of Engineering & Technology and work closely with Product and Design to build our new native mobile app from the ground up — alongside our web experience.

Who You Are

You're an AI-native builder. Claude, Codex, or Cursor aren't novelties for you. They're how you prototype, build, refactor, and ship. You've probably already built things with AI that have surprised people.

You're a native mobile developer first. You know Swift and understand what makes an iOS app feel genuinely great versus one that feels like a website in a wrapper. 

You care deeply about how things feel. You've shipped consumer apps and sweated the details: animation curves, responsiveness, and the difference between a tap that feels good and one that doesn't. You think like a designer even if your title has never said so.

You move fast and you like it that way. You're not waiting for a perfect spec. You prototype, learn, test, and iterate. You've probably iterated on something multiple times in the time it would take someone else to finish the first version.

You come from the startup world. You know what it means to do a lot with a little. You're scrappy in the good sense: resourceful, low-ego, outcome-focused.

What You’ll Build

• A new native iOS app from scratch — this is a greenfield opportunity
• AI-powered product experiences that feel like the future, not like a chatbot bolted on
• Consumer-facing features on mobile that delight millions of people
• Fast prototypes that go from idea to something real in hours or days
• Brand partnership and editorial experiences that look great and work beautifully

What We’re Looking For

• You build with AI by default. Claude, Codex, Cursor, agents, and orchestrators are your everyday toolkit
• Strong native iOS development in Swift — this is a must
• React Native or similar experience for cross-platform flexibility
• You have shipped at least one app to the App Store — you know the submission process, crash analytics, push notifications, and what it actually takes to get something live in people's hands
• You think like a designer: obsessed with feel, flow, and delight
• You're strong on front-end and comfortable enough on the back end to not be blocked, but you don't need to be an infrastructure expert
• You've worked at a startup or early-stage product team
• You can prototype something compelling faster than most people can write a spec
• NYC-based or open to it (we're hybrid)

Nice to Have

• Android / Kotlin experience
• Experience with AWS and basic DevOps
• Experience building APIs or working with geospatial data

Experience Level

We genuinely don't care how many years are on your resume. If you've shipped beautiful consumer apps using AI-accelerated workflows, you're exactly who we're looking for.

Our Stack

Swift · React Native/Hotwire · AI coding agents (Claude, Codex, Cursor) · Ruby on Rails · Postgres · AWS · Tailwind · Redis

About Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura is a community platform for travelers looking to explore the world’s hidden wonders. Through our website, mobile app, books, podcasts and other channels, we celebrate the world's most curious places, extraordinary experiences, and passionate communities. We blend high-quality editorial content with public submissions to create a unique platform that we are building out to feature more planning, memory sharing, and real-time travel tools.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape the foundation of a platform in growth mode
• Chance to work with a passionate team dedicated to celebrating the world's hidden wonders
• A collaborative culture that values curiosity, creativity, and exploration
• Competitive salary of $115,000-$120,000 commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible work arrangements

Atlas Obscura is committed to building a diverse team that reflects the community we serve. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.

Location

This role is based in our New York City headquarters and requires in-office work two days per week as part of our hybrid schedule.

Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.