Senior iOS Swift Engineer - Contract Roles at Top Startups in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
Career positioning: This is a senior-level contract platform role, best suited for iOS engineers who are already established and want project variety over a single-company career path. The vetting process adds a credibility signal — being "Lemon.io approved" is increasingly recognized in the remote dev market.
Compensation context: No salary is published, but senior iOS/Swift engineers on platforms like Lemon.io typically earn $80–$140/hr depending on seniority and client location. US/EU clients tend to pay at the higher end. This can significantly outpace salaried roles in many markets, though without benefits.
Skills development: Contract work through Lemon.io exposes you to diverse codebases and product domains, which accelerates growth in:
- SwiftUI architecture patterns across multiple real-world apps
- Cross-platform Apple ecosystem (iOS, macOS, watchOS)
- Client communication and technical leadership — highly valued skills
Green flags:
- No screen trackers — signals trust-based culture
- Direct access to technical founders and eng leads at funded startups
- Project matching removes business development overhead
Red flags to consider:
- No benefits (health, PTO, retirement) — typical for contract, but worth budgeting for
- Project continuity is not guaranteed; gaps between contracts are possible
- Requires strong self-management and fast onboarding — not ideal for engineers who prefer gradual ramp-up periods
Lemon.io helps companies in the US and Europe hire experienced engineers, from funded startups to teams like Klarna, Retool, and Pinterest. We've been doing this since 2015, and more than 1,500 companies have hired engineers through us.
New roles for Senior Swift & SwiftUI Engineers come in all the time, and several are open right now.
Two ways to work with clients
- Contract: most roles are contract-based. You join the client's team and work as part of it.
- Direct hire: some clients hire engineers full-time, and we support you through the process.
Because companies trust our vetting, applying through Lemon.io is often a shortcut. You get to the client faster than going through their full hiring process on your own.
What you get
- Competitive rate, based on your seniority and skills
- We find the projects — no client hunting or rate negotiations. We match you manually based on your skills and preferences.
- Flexible schedule. Work async or with a small overlap with the team's hours.
- No micromanagement, no screen trackers
- Direct work with clients, most of them with technical backgrounds
- Ongoing support from your application through every project, plus a community of engineers from 75+ countries
Who we're looking for
Requirements:
- 5+ years of software development experience
- 5+ years of experience with Swift and 3+ years of experience with SwiftUI
- OR
- 3+ years of experience with iOS and 3+ years of experience developing applications for macOS/watchOS
- You own problems end-to-end: you spot the issue, design and build the solution, and ship it to production
- You can show the business impact of your work with concrete results (e.g., faster processing, lower costs, more users, fewer incidents)
- Advanced English: you discuss business tasks, explain your decisions, raise issues early, and present yourself and your results well on client calls
- You work full-time remotely and deliver without supervision
- You onboard quickly and start shipping in your first weeks
How it works
- Apply and complete your profile
- Verify your role
- Once approved, we match you with a project. Typical time to first project: 3 weeks
Ready? Apply and join the Lemon.io community.
NOT YOUR TECH STACK?
We're placing Senior Developers (4+ yrs commercial experience) across AI Agent Architecture, AI Automation Architecture, AI Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, Platform Engineering, Enterprise Software Engineering, React & Python, React & Golang, Golang, React & Java, React & Ruby, Ruby, PHP & Vue, Vue & Node.js, React & .NET, Android & iOS, Flutter & Firebase, Solutions Engineer, Blockchain (Ethereum/Ethers.js/Wagmi/Viem/Solana), Angular & Node.js, Vue & .NET, Python & Vue, DevOps, MLOps, Data Science, Angular & PHP, Angular & .NET, Symfony & React, Symfony & Vue, Symfony & Angular, Python, Symfony & JavaScript & Next.js & TypeScript, Data Analysis, React & PHP, Data Engineering, Project Management, Product Management, QA Automation, QA Manual, Embedded Software Engineering, React Native & Node, React Native & React, React Native & Ruby, React Native & Python, WordPress, Android, Angular, Python & Node, React & Node.js, Node & TypeScript, Java & Spring, Svelte & Python, Svelte & Node.js, Svelte & TypeScript, Rust, Shopify & JavaScript, Vue & Nuxt, PHP & Laravel, UI/UX Design, Animation, Graphic Design, React & Node & React Native, .NET & C#, Electron, Scala, C++, Unreal Engine & C++, Python & LLM, Unity, or Machine Learning Engineering and more. Reach out and we'll match you.
We do not provide visa assistance, and our cooperation model does not include the benefits typically offered with direct hire.
We work with developers from 75+ countries across Europe, Latin America, North America (the U.S. and Canada), selected countries in Asia (Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Israel), Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea), and Africa (including Morocco and South Africa).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a full-time job or a freelance contract?
How flexible are the working hours — can I work from any timezone?
How long does it take to get matched with a project after applying?
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Does Lemon.io provide visa sponsorship or work permits?
