Principal Frontend Developer

Quick Facts

Principal Frontend Consultant (Engineering Practice)

Description

This senior leadership role sits at the intersection of technical strategy, people development, and client impact. You will define and uphold frontend engineering standards, lead Communities of Practice, develop engineers around you, and act as a trusted technical partner to clients—while remaining hands-on with Tech Lead responsibilities when needed.

Responsibilities

Technical Strategy & Standards

• Define and own frontend engineering standards across the practice (architecture patterns, testing philosophy, accessibility compliance, and performance benchmarks).
• Contribute to broader engineering strategy alongside Heads of Practice and other Principals.
• Establish what good looks like across Core Web Vitals, WCAG compliance, and developer experience; embed standards into delivery processes across all engagements.
• Lead by example in complex architectural challenges, performance problems, and high-stakes delivery moments.

People Leadership & Development

• Line manage engineers up to Senior level; support growth, contribute to performance reviews, and provide clear evidence-based guidance.
• Mentor engineers across the practice to develop next-generation Senior and Principal-level talent.
• Define and maintain the hiring bar for frontend engineering; lead and shape the interview process.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and high standards.

Community of Practice Leadership

• Lead the Frontend Engineering Community of Practice (set agenda, drive output, ensure real value).
• Champion best practices (component architecture, testing, accessibility, performance, developer tooling).
• Collaborate with Principal Consultants across Delivery, UCD, QA, and DevOps to align strategy and drive cross-functional improvements.
• Drive internal initiatives that produce lasting, measurable improvements to how the team works.

Client Engagement & Delivery

• Act as a trusted technical advisor to senior client stakeholders; translate business challenges into scalable frontend engineering approaches.
• Lead or materially contribute to technical proposals, architecture sessions, and pre-sales conversations.
• Take on Tech Lead or Senior Developer responsibilities within client engagements, setting technical direction and ensuring engineering excellence across the delivery lifecycle.
• Handle complex client situations including escalations and high-pressure delivery moments.
• Contribute to retention and growth of client accounts through technical leadership and relationships.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in frontend software engineering, with meaningful time at Senior Consultant level or equivalent.
• Track record of technical leadership on complex, client-facing engagements.
• Demonstrable experience mentoring or managing engineers and helping them grow.
• Prior experience in a consultancy or agency environment strongly preferred.
• Deep expertise in modern frontend development (component architecture, state management, build tooling, and wider ecosystem).
• Strong, practical knowledge of accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA as a baseline).
• Strong, practical knowledge of web performance (Core Web Vitals).
• Testing experience across unit, integration, and E2E.
• Ability to make high-quality architectural decisions in complex, ambiguous environments and articulate trade-offs.
• Comfortable hands-on in critical delivery situations (not purely strategic).
• Proven ability to lead Communities of Practice and shape engineering culture.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Collaborative across disciplines (Delivery, UCD, QA, DevOps).
• Willing to attend the Poland office as needed.

Benefits

Not specified in the provided text.