Front End Developer - Outside IR35
2 days ago
Gloucester
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a hands-on Front End Lead / Interim Tech Lead to join a growing product engineering team and lead the development of a next-generation SaaS platform built on Microsoft Azure. This role is ideal for a senior engineer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building products from the ground up, and wants to remain deeply involved in coding while leading a small team. You'll be responsible for defining front-end engineering standards, implementing AI-assisted development practices, and driving delivery of a modern React-based application. Initially offered as a day-rate contract, there is a genuine intention to transition the successful candidate into a permanent Tech Lead position as the engineering function expands. As Front End Lead, you will take ownership of the front-end architecture and delivery of a new React/TypeScript application, working closely with Product, Platform and Data teams. This is a highly technical leadership position where you will: • Lead development of a greenfield React/TypeScript front end., • Remain hands-on in the codebase on a daily basis., • Line manage and mentor a small front-end engineering team., • Define and implement engineering best practices., • Drive AI-assisted software development across the team., • Establish scalable delivery processes, CI/CD pipelines and quality standards., • Collaborate with architects and back-end teams to ensure contract-first API integration., • Lead the design, architecture and delivery of a modern React/TypeScript application., • Act as the technical pace-setter for the front-end team through hands-on coding and code reviews., • Own front-end API contracts and work closely with back-end engineers to maintain contract-first delivery., • Build and maintain a scalable component library, design system and application framework., • Establish engineering standards covering code quality, testing, accessibility, security and performance., • Define and champion AI-assisted development practices., • Evaluate and implement tooling for:, • Code generation, • Agentic development workflows, • Automated testing, • Code review support, • Establish governance and guardrails around AI usage., • Measure and demonstrate improvements in engineering productivity and delivery outcomes., • Lead a co-located mobilisation period before transitioning to a hybrid working environment., • Mentor, coach and line manage front-end engineers., • Drive continuous improvement through pairing, reviews and knowledge sharing., • Establish clear ways of working, delivery metrics and quality measures., • Work closely with Product and Architecture teams to deliver against the product roadmap., • Ensure security remains a core part of the development lifecycle., • Support implementation of secure authentication and authorisation using Microsoft Entra ID / MSAL., • Contribute to customer security assurance activities and secure coding practices., • Maintain eligibility for work within security-conscious environments., • 8+ years' experience in software engineering., • Strong commercial experience with:, • TypeScript, • React, • Modern front-end architecture and tooling, • Proven experience leading small engineering teams while remaining hands-on., • Experience delivering SaaS products and greenfield applications., • Strong API-first / contract-first development experience., • Deep understanding of:, • Automated testing strategies, • CI/CD pipelines, • Code quality tooling, • Engineering governance, • Demonstrable experience implementing AI-assisted software development practices within production environments., • Eligibility for UK Security Check (SC) clearance., • Microsoft Azure., • Microsoft Entra ID / MSAL authentication., • Data-rich dashboard and analytics products., • Storybook and design system development., • Mantine UI framework., • Defence, regulated industries, logistics or supply chain environments., • Current SC clearance., • Experience introducing emerging AI development tooling and agentic workflows., • Previous contract roles that have transitioned into permanent leadership positions., • Initially based on-site in Bristol for a collaborative mobilisation period., • Hybrid working model thereafter., • 40-hour working week with flexibility based on project and business requirements., • Initial contract engagement of approximately three months with a clear route to a permanent leadership position for the right individual., • Build a market-leading SaaS product from the ground up., • Shape engineering culture, standards and ways of working., • Lead adoption of cutting-edge AI development practices., • Work within a growing technology team where your influence will directly impact product success., • Opportunity to move into a long-term permanent Technical Leadership role. #J-18808-Ljbffr