Lead React Developer

Talent; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 185,000 - 221,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent is seeking an experienced Lead React Developer (Front-End) for a 12-month rolling contract in Melbourne, with hybrid work from home up to 4 days per week. You will provide hands-on technical leadership across modern front-end development, delivering scalable, accessible React/TypeScript applications for a major Federal Government agency.

You will mentor frontend teams, drive engineering standards, and collaborate with UX, architecture and backend groups to ensure API-driven experiences.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience building complex React/TypeScript apps in enterprise environments.
• Expertise in component-based architecture, state management, REST APIs, and responsive UI.
• Strong knowledge of WCAG and inclusive design principles.
• Experience establishing coding standards, reviews, tests, CI/CD and release management.
• Hands-on with AI-assisted development tools for coding, testing and reviews.
• Proven ability to mentor teams and uplift engineering capability.
• Strong stakeholder engagement with product, UX, architecture and backend teams.
• Experience building reusable components, design systems and scalable frontend platforms.
• Exposure to cloud-native, API-driven architectures and modern frontend tooling.
• Experience with specification-driven development and AI-augmented software practices.
• Prior federal government or regulated environment delivery is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and delivery of complex enterprise applications using React and TypeScript.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership, mentoring and guidance to frontend developers.
• Establish and promote engineering standards, reusable components, coding practices and quality assurance processes.
• Collaborate with UX, accessibility, architecture and backend teams to deliver seamless, API-driven digital experiences.
• Drive modern engineering practices, including AI-assisted development, automated testing, CI/CD and Agile delivery.
• Champion accessibility, inclusive design and responsive user experiences across digital platforms.
• Contribute to technical design decisions, architecture, performance optimisation and continuous improvement.
• Mentor developers to uplift engineering capability and foster high-performing teams.
• Engage with product owners and stakeholders to align delivery with business goals.
• Develop reusable component libraries and scalable frontend platforms for large-scale adoption.
• Support cloud-native deployments and API-driven integrations across services.

Skills

React

TypeScript

Web accessibility

CI/CD

Code reviews

AI-assisted tooling

Mentoring

Stakeholder engagement

Design systems

Component libraries

REST APIs

Agile delivery

Cloud-native

API-driven

WCAG

Job description

Lead React Developer (Front-End)
12-Month Rolling Contract | Long-Term Opportunity
$1,000-$1,200 per day including superannuation
Melbourne | Hybrid work from home up to 4 days per week

An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced Lead React Developer to join a major Federal Government agency delivering innovative, accessible digital services. Working within the Digital team, you will provide hands-on technical leadership across modern front-end development, helping deliver scalable, high-quality React web applications that improve digital experiences for Australians.

The Role
Joining a multidisciplinary delivery team comprising multiple Agile squads, you will work alongside developers, business analysts, UX designers, accessibility specialists, testers, architects, and product teams.

• Lead the design, development and delivery of complex enterprise applications using React and TypeScript.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership, mentoring and guidance to frontend developers.
• Establish and promote engineering standards, reusable components, coding practices and quality assurance processes.
• Collaborate with UX, accessibility, architecture and backend teams to deliver seamless, API-driven digital experiences.
• Drive modern engineering practices, including AI-assisted development, automated testing, CI/CD and Agile delivery.
• Champion accessibility, inclusive design and responsive user experiences across digital platforms.
• Contribute to technical design decisions, architecture, performance optimisation and continuous improvement.

About You
We are seeking a technically strong Lead React Developer who combines hands-on engineering expertise with proven leadership capabilities. You will demonstrate:

• Extensive commercial experience developing complex React and TypeScript applications within enterprise environments.
• Advanced knowledge of component-based architecture, state management, REST APIs, responsive UI development and modern frontend frameworks.
• Strong experience implementing web accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design principles.
• Proven experience establishing development standards across code reviews, automated testing, source control, CI/CD pipelines and release management.
• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools, including agentic coding assistants, automated code generation, testing and code review.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor developers, uplift engineering capability and foster high-performing teams.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, working collaboratively with product owners, UX designers, architects and backend engineering teams.
• Experience developing reusable component libraries, design systems and scalable frontend platforms.
• Exposure to cloud-native applications, API-driven architectures and modern frontend tooling.
• Experience with specification-driven development and AI-augmented software engineering practices.
• Previous experience delivering digital solutions within Federal Government or highly regulated environments.