diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 50ec7dcb5e2d..67f3829618a3 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ android_config: &android_config
   docker:
     - image: circleci/android:api-27-alpha
   environment:
-    GRADLE: "./gradlew --build-cache --stacktrace -PdisablePreDex -PjavaMaxHeapSize=2g"
+    # kotlin.incremental=false and kotlin.compiler.execution.strategy=in-process are required due to an issue with the Kotlin compiler in
+    # memory constrained environments: https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/KT-15562
+    GRADLE_OPTS: -Xmx1536m -XX:+HeapDumpOnOutOfMemoryError -Dkotlin.compiler.execution.strategy=in-process -Dkotlin.incremental=false
+    GRADLEW: "./gradlew --stacktrace --no-parallel --build-cache --configure-on-demand -PdisablePreDex -PjavaMaxHeapSize=1536m"
 
 copy_gradle_properties: &copy_gradle_properties
   run:
@@ -26,7 +29,7 @@ jobs:
           command: ./tools/validate-login-strings.sh
       - run:
           name: Test
-          command: $GRADLE testVanillaRelease
+          command: $GRADLEW testVanillaRelease
       - save_cache:
           paths:
             - ~/.gradle
@@ -45,13 +48,13 @@ jobs:
       - <<: *copy_gradle_properties
       - run:
           name: Checkstyle
-          command: $GRADLE checkstyle
+          command: $GRADLEW checkstyle
       - run:
           name: ktlint
-          command: $GRADLE ktlint
+          command: $GRADLEW ktlint
       - run:
           name: Lint
-          command: $GRADLE lintVanillaRelease || (grep -A20 -B2 'severity="Error"' -r --include="*.xml" WordPress libs; exit 1)
+          command: $GRADLEW lintVanillaRelease || (grep -A20 -B2 'severity="Error"' -r --include="*.xml" WordPress libs; exit 1)
       - save_cache:
           paths:
             - ~/.gradle