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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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If you have any further questions on the role, please feel free to reach out to Brendan McCrory directly.