Principal Front-End Engineer (React)
Experience level: 10+ years
Have you spent years building front-end systems that scale - and now want a role where your decisions genuinely shape how products and teams operate?
My client is looking for a Principal React Engineer to take ownership of front-end architecture, set engineering standards, and act as a technical authority across multiple product teams. This role is for someone who still enjoys writing code, but whose real impact comes from designing systems, mentoring engineers, and influencing technical direction.
What you'll be responsible for
Owning and evolving the front-end architecture across complex React applications
Defining standards for performance, accessibility, testing, and maintainability
Leading technical decision-making and architectural reviews
Partnering closely with product, design, and backend leadership
Mentoring senior and mid-level engineers and raising the bar across teams
Driving best practice in modern React (hooks, composition, state management)
Evaluating and introducing new technologies where they add real value
Tech environment
React (modern patterns, hooks, context, performance optimisation)
TypeScript
Component-driven development and design systems
State management (Redux, Zustand, React Query, etc.)
Testing frameworks (Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress)
CI/CD pipelines and modern build tooling
Cloud-hosted platforms and APIs
What we're looking for
10+ years' experience in software engineering, with deep front-end expertise
Extensive experience building large-scale React applications in production
Proven ownership of front-end architecture in complex systems
Strong understanding of performance, accessibility, and browser fundamentals
Experience influencing technical direction across multiple teams
Comfortable balancing hands-on development with high-level architectural work
Clear communicator who can explain complex technical decisions simply
Nice to have (but not essential)
Experience designing and maintaining shared design systems
Exposure to backend or full-stack architectures
Experience working in regulated or high-scale environments
Previous experience in a Principal, Staff, or Lead role
Why this role?
Genuine influence over technical direction and standards
Complex, real-world engineering challenges
A senior engineering culture that values thoughtful decision-making
The chance to shape both systems and people
If you have any further questions on the role, please feel free to reach out to Brendan McCrory directly.
