iOS Developer Job Description: What To Know When Hiring

An iOS developer job description is your first step to choosing a qualified developer for your next project.

The iOS App Store launched in 2008 with merely 500 apps. Now, it sports 1.85 million different apps from an array of categories.

How does this happen? Well, you can thank iOS developers.

Hiring the right iOS developer can make or break your app’s success. Many businesses struggle because their job descriptions are too vague or too broad, leading to mismatched candidates and costly turnover.

While this activity doesn’t sound in the least bit tantalizing, it might be what’s required to scale your business. If you have any interest in hiring an iOS developer, keep reading. You’ll find all you need to know here.

At Trio, we’ve helped companies around the world build stronger teams by connecting them with experienced developers from Latin America.

Drawing from that expertise, this guide combines technical insight with hiring best practices to help you find the right fit for your next project.

If you’d like to skip the hassle of the search, get in touch to schedule a meeting and find out if we have the right developers for you.

What Does an iOS Developer Do?

An iOS developer creates iOS apps that can be downloaded on an Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod. These applications can be accessed via the Apple App Store. 

Of course, the reality of this occupation gets a bit more complicated. For example, in order to create iOS apps, you must know how to code in Objective-C or Swift. Both programming languages can be used to write iOS software, but Swift was developed by Apple, Inc.

iOS developers also fall under the category of mobile app developers. The mobile app development industry has been booming since the modern smartphone made its debut in the early 2000s.

Now, nearly 90% of the time smartphone users spend on their mobile devices is app-related. Mobile development is an industry with potential for exponential growth as apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook Messenger impact how people all over the world interact with one another and absorb information.

While Android has a rightful throne overlooking this phenomenon, the iPhone continues to dominate the United States market. In effect, iOS developers can be an invaluable asset to business growth. And this all starts with an iOS developer job description. 

What Are the Roles and Responsibilities of an iOS Developer?

An iOS developer’s role involves more than just writing code. They are expected to understand Apple’s entire development ecosystem, including SwiftUI, Combine, and the latest iOS SDKs, to build responsive and visually consistent user interfaces across Apple devices.

Modern iOS developers also need to be fluent in performance optimization, version control, and secure data handling. They integrate apps with APIs and cloud services, follow Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, and prepare releases through App Store Connect.

Every job description, and therein an iOS developer job description, should have a section delineating the roles and responsibilities of a specific job title.

It goes without saying that iOS developers should be familiar with the ins and outs of mobile app development. And this skill set should be applied to iOS development directly.

Here are a few things your iOS developer should be able to do:

• Design and build iOS applications for Apple mobile platforms
• Use object-oriented development principles in Swift or Objective-C to reach project solutions
• Work and collaborate effectively on a team
• Regularly maintain iOS applications via debugging and continuous updates
• Recognize and resolve bottlenecks when they occur

Depending on seniority, developers may also:

• Implement user interfaces using SwiftUI and UIKit for adaptive layouts across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
• Integrate APIs, SDKs, and third-party services such as Firebase or Stripe.
• Manage version control and branching workflows using Git or Bitbucket.
• Perform continuous integration and deployment through tools like Xcode Cloud or GitHub Actions.
• Conduct peer code reviews and uphold best practices in documentation and testing.

On your end, you’ll take more of a managerial role, ensuring that the developers you hire are up to the task(s) at hand and perform them effectively.

You should also give your mobile app business plan due diligence and make certain your goals coincide with your developers’ work. 

What Are the Skills Needed for iOS Developers?

An iOS developer job description should also include a list of skills you expect your iOS developer to have.

Admittedly, this might look similar to the roles and responsibilities of an iOS developer. But rather than give an overview of the day-to-day expectations of an iOS developer, you should outline the skills the developer should have to complete these tasks in the first place. 

A mid to high-level iOS developer should have the following skills and capabilities:

• Knowledge related to publishing on the App Store
• Can utilize iOS databases efficiently
• Proficiency using an IDE for iOS development, such as XCode
• Experience building user interfaces (UIs)
• Able to use APIs and third-party libraries to improve app functionality
• Competence in version control software like GitHub or BitBucket
• Can perform or automate unit tests

There are a plethora of other skills an iOS developer needs to have in their tool belt, but the aforementioned should give you a pretty good idea of what to look out for.

These days, the skill set expected of an iOS developer has stretched far beyond writing clean Swift code.

A strong candidate usually knows how to build with SwiftUI and Combine, but also when not to. They can design asynchronous systems using async/await and organize code around patterns like MVVM or VIPER without making the app feel over-engineered.

Experience with CI/CD pipelines has become common, too.

Many developers set up automated builds through GitHub Actions or Xcode Cloud to catch issues early. Others go further, writing tests that check not only functionality but also how the app performs on different iPhone generations.

Security awareness matters as well.

The best iOS developers tend to think carefully about how user data is stored, which APIs they trust, and how privacy changes from Apple might affect an app’s release.

Soft skills have quietly taken on equal importance. Developers who can explain a technical choice in plain language, document their work, or respond constructively to code reviews often make a project run more smoothly.

iOS Developer Job Description Template

Perusing through Indeed or ZipRecruiter, you’ve probably glimpsed several hundred job descriptions and titles. The grand majority of them have a shared template.

Though not unique, this template helps job seekers understand whether or not they can be the right fit for the role.

About the Job

Position listings should start with a couple of paragraphs explaining briefly what the job is and the background of the hiring company. Ideally, you should mention the mission behind your business as well.

Make a point to describe your expectations with accountability in mind. That is, whatever expectations you have for a job candidate should be juxtaposed with what you’re able to provide for the candidate in return.

It also helps to be upfront about expectations. If you value clean architecture, say so. If you expect candidates to be comfortable mentoring juniors or contributing to technical discussions, include that too.

The more clarity you give, the more seriously good developers will take your post.

iOS Developer Job Description Example 

Trio is more than just a group of software engineers solving problems. We are people who believe in innovation, global responsibility, and fair business. We are passionate about overcoming challenges using software engineering, forward-thinking, cutting-edge technology, and creative ideas to produce amazing products.

At Trio, our greatest assets are our engineers! We value their knowledge and skill set. When we collaborate, we grow from one another! Join us to discover opportunities for career growth and a competitive software engineer salary.

Responsibilities & Duties

Here is an example of things your iOS developer should be able to do:

• Design and build iOS applications for Apple mobile platforms
• Use object-oriented development principles in Swift or Objective-C to reach project solutions
• Work and collaborate effectively on a team
• Regularly maintain iOS applications via debugging and continuous updates
• Recognize and resolve bottlenecks when they occur
• Building modern UIs using SwiftUI and UIKit
• Integrating APIs and third-party SDKs
• Managing CI/CD pipelines through tools like Xcode Cloud or GitHub Actions
• Participating in code reviews and technical discussions

Qualifications & Skills

A bullet point list of qualifications and skills on an iOS developer job description can be similar to the following:

• Knowledge related to publishing on the App Store
• Can utilize iOS databases efficiently
• Proficiency using an IDE for iOS development, such as XCode
• Experience building user interfaces (UIs)
• Able to use APIs and third-party libraries to improve app functionality
• Competence in version control software like GitHub or BitBucket
• Can perform or automate unit tests
• Experience with SwiftUI and Combine
• Familiarity with continuous integration tools
• Knowledge of Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines and App Store policies

Required Experience

The last part of an iOS job description is often referenced as required experience or minimum qualifications. Basically, this is for job seekers to know whether they should even apply for the job in the first place.

Hiring a developer of any kind involves combing through many resumes and CVs that don’t even come close to what you’re looking for. Being explicit about what you want helps narrow down the talent pool.

A list of minimum qualifications for an iOS developer job description might look something like this:

• 7-10 years of experience in mobile app development
• A fleshed-out portfolio of software development projects
• Familiarity with the MVVM architectural pattern
• Strong Swift, iOS SDK, Objective-C, multi-threading, and object-oriented programming skills

What Is the Average Salary of an iOS Developer?

In a world largely informed by technological evolution, software developers in general typically make a high salary. An iOS developer is no different. In 2025, they bring in $ 130,518 on average in the United States, according to Glassdoor.

Business managers can cut the cost of hiring developers by choosing to outsource talent nearshore or offshore. Lately, South America has been a popular location for outsourcing due to the financial benefits and the technical expertise of many developers in the region.

Why Should You Consider Hiring Remote iOS Developers?

Remote work has been especially popular since the pandemic.

Working remotely has a slew of benefits for both employees and employers:

• Employees appreciate a flexible schedule, which ultimately encourages a better work-life balance.
• Employers find that remote workers are more productive when they’re not micro-managed, and the savings on infrastructure are a natural advantage.

Many industries have the capacity to shift to a remote work lifestyle. But software development, especially, is suited for a work-from-home environment. Much of software development revolves around self-management and problem-solving skills. These skills are not under-appreciated in a remote work environment.

The other advantage of hiring remotely is access to global talent. Hiring iOS developers locally can be a challenge. But sourcing candidates locally can “dramatically cut down your time/cost to hire,” maintains an executive at Trio.

However, this only rings true if your interviewing process “aligns with the values of your company.”

Conclusion

Your iOS developer job description should be detailed enough that your potential hire knows what they’re getting into; succinct enough that they don’t walk away from the listing; and also expressive enough that your hire genuinely wants to apply for the job and won’t just do it for the paycheck.

Hopefully, this piece has inspired you to write an iOS developer job description of that caliber.

But if not, talk to Trio about how you can hire remote iOS developers through our company who have already been pre-vetted to meet the needs of your next project. 

Trio excels in software knowledge and Latin American developer connections. Discover our exceptional Chilean, Brazilian, and Argentine developers for outsourcing excellence.

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