Google hiring engineers in Singapore to build apps for emerging markets

Image credit: Tsahi Levent-Levi

Google has its eyes on emerging markets, especially countries like India, Indonesia, Philippines, and Brazil. It’s building new products touching “mobile data management, local communities, payments and commerce, and more.”

Now, it’s hiring a couple of engineers in Singapore to help do that. The search giant seeks developers proficient in Android, or at least generalists who want to pick up Android. One role calls for a fresh university graduate, the other an engineer with at least three years of experience.

Android development will be the initial focus for the Singapore team, which means the team might branch out into other platforms later and hire engineers with other specializations.

The fresh grad position though does list a requirement for the person to have the “ability to speak and write in English fluently and idiomatically,” which seems unusual for an engineering job.

“With its central location in Asia, diverse demographic, and a strong pool of technical talent, Singapore is well suited to be a key engineering hub for the Next Billion Users team,” the job ad states.

The Singapore team will collaborate with Google engineers in Hyderabad, Sydney, and Mountain View.

This news is notable because while many tech companies have established offices in Singapore, they usually perform sales and marketing functions.