Job Title
Contract iOS Developer (iPad Creative Canvas App)
6-Month Contract | Remote (Time Zone Overlap Preferred)
Project Overview
We're building a professional-grade visual composition app for iPad where users:
-Work across multiple canvases,
-Place and drag transparent images into customizable squares on a zoomable canvas,
-Use undo/redo,
-Import images from Photos or the web,
-Export canvases as transparent PNGs,
-And sync/share projects via cloud (iCloud or Firebase).
-This is a high-fidelity creative tool — performance, responsiveness, and pixel-perfect rendering are non-negotiable.
-We're seeking a senior iOS contractor to lead native iPad development from prototype to App Store submission (or near-submission, depending on timeline).
Key Responsibilities
-Architect and implement a responsive, zoomable canvas using UIKit (with SwiftUI interoperability as needed).
-Build robust drag-and-drop interactions with precise hit detection, visual feedback, and smooth 60/120fps performance.
-Implement a scalable undo/redo system using command pattern or immutable state snapshots.
-Integrate image import (Photos via PHPickerViewController, web via async loading/caching).
-Design and code the PNG export pipeline (transparent, high-res, offscreen rendering).
-Implement cloud sync (iCloud preferred, Firebase acceptable) for canvas metadata and image assets — with conflict resolution and offline support.
-Optimize memory and CPU usage for image-heavy workflows (e.g., downsample previews, cache eviction, Instruments profiling).
-Collaborate closely with product/design on UX refinements and technical feasibility.
-Prepare build for TestFlight and assist in App Store submission (metadata, screenshots, etc.).
Required Qualifications
-5+ years iOS development experience; 2+ shipped iPad apps in App Store (portfolio or links required).
-Expert in UIKit — UIScrollView, gesture recognizers, CALayer, UIGraphicsImageRenderer, PHPickerViewController.
Proven experience with:
-Zoomable/pannable custom canvases (e.g., design, drawing, diagramming apps),
-Drag-and-drop with visual feedback and transparency support,
-Undo/redo systems (command pattern, state history),
-iCloud integration (NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore, ubiquity containers) or Firebase (Firestore + Storage).
-Strong grasp of Swift concurrency (async/await, Task, @MainActor).
-Experience profiling and optimizing image-heavy apps using Instruments (Allocations, Core Animation, Time Profiler).
-Excellent communication, self-direction, and ability to deliver iteratively.
Nice-to-Haves
-Experience with SwiftUI/UIKit hybrid apps (e.g., UIViewRepresentable, UIViewControllerRepresentable).
-Background in creative tools (Figma/Photoshop-like apps, mood boards, presentation builders).
-Familiarity with Core Graphics (CGContext, masking, clipping) for advanced rendering.
-Knowledge of accessibility (VoiceOver, Dynamic Type) and localization.
-Prior work with Apple's PencilKit or drag-and-drop between apps (future extensibility).
Engagement Details
-Duration: Up to 6 months (possibility of extension based on scope/success).
-Time Commitment: Full-time (40 hrs/week); flexible hours with ~4-hour overlap with GMT+8 (e.g., Asia/Europe morning or Americas evening) preferred for sync-ups.
-Compensation: Competitive fixed-bid or hourly — please include rate and availability.
Deliverables:
Working prototype (MVP) in 6–8 weeks,
Feature-complete beta (TestFlight) by Month 4–5,
Ready-for-submission build + documentation by Month 6.