Lead Front End Developer - Defence

IBM Computing; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company based in the UK is looking for a Lead Front End Developer to innovate digital services for large-scale government transformation. The successful candidate will have substantial experience in modern JavaScript frameworks like React or Vue.js. This role offers substantial responsibilities in technical architecture, team leadership, and agile methodologies. The ideal candidate will enhance their career in a dynamic environment focused on collaboration and creativity.

Benefits

Training opportunities

Internal recognition programs

Flexible working approaches

Private medical cover

Life assurance

Qualifications

• Deep practical experience with modern JavaScript and frameworks.
• Proven track record in technical leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of front-end architecture including performance and security.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of user-focused web applications using frameworks like React.
• Define technical architectures and best practices for delivery.
• Communicate technical decisions and constraints effectively.

Skills

Modern JavaScript

React

Next.js

Vue.js

Technical Leadership

Frontend architecture

Agile methodologies

Communication skills

Tools

CI/CD tools

Testing frameworks

Job description

Introduction

At IBM CIC, we provide technical and industry expertise to a wide range of public and private sector clients in the UK.

A career in IBM CIC means you'll have the opportunity to work with leading professionals across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. You will get the chance to deliver effective solutions, driving meaningful business change for our clients, using some of the latest technology platforms.

Curiosity and a constant quest for knowledge serve as the foundation to success here. You'll be encouraged and supported to constantly reinvent yourself, focusing on skills in demand in an ever changing market. You'll be working with diverse teams, coming up with creative solutions which impact a wide network of clients, who may be at their site or one of our CIC or IBM locations. Our culture of evolution centres on long‑term career growth and development opportunities in an environment that embraces your unique skills and experience.

Benefits

• Many training opportunities from classroom to e‑learning, mentoring and coaching programs and the chance to gain industry recognised certifications
• Regular and frequent promotion opportunities to ensure you can drive and develop your career with us
• Feedback and checkpoints throughout the year
• Diversity & Inclusion as an essential and authentic component of our culture through our policies and process as well as our Employee Champion teams and support networks
• A culture where your ideas for growth and innovation are always welcome
• Internal recognition programs for peer‑to‑peer appreciation as well as from manager to employees
• Tools and policies to support your work‑life balance from flexible working approaches, sabbatical programmes, paid paternity leave, maternity leave and an innovative maternity returners scheme
• More traditional benefits, such as 25 days holiday (in addition to public holidays), private medical, dental & optical cover, online shopping discounts, an Employee Assistance Programme, life assurance and a group personal pension plan of an additional 5% of your base salary paid by us monthly to save for your future.

Your role and responsibilities

As a Lead Front End Developer working within IBM’s Public Sector team, you will play a key role in delivering innovative digital services that support large‑scale government transformation. You will lead the development of high‑quality front‑end solutions, set engineering standards, shape technical architecture, and guide the team through complex challenges across major public sector programmes. As part of the senior technical leadership group, you will also contribute to stakeholder engagement and strategic planning at the account level.

Responsibilities

• Lead the front‑end development of complex, user‑focused web applications using modern JavaScript frameworks such as React, Next.js, or Vue.js.
• Define scalable, maintainable technical architectures, patterns, and best practices for front‑end delivery across public sector projects.
• Serve as technical lead — setting direction, ensuring code quality, and aligning delivery with government and client objectives.
• Mentor and support junior and mid‑level developers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and engineering excellence.
• Work closely with designers, backend engineers, DevOps teams, QA, and other partners to deliver robust, end‑to‑end digital services.
>Translate public sector business requirements into clear technical designs and, ultimately, intuitive user experiences.
• Design and lead the implementation of development workflows, CI/CD pipelines, testing strategies, and release processes.
• Communicate technical decisions, constraints, and trade‑offs effectively to IBM stakeholders and public sector clients.

Required technical and professional expertise

• Deep practical experience with modern JavaScript and its libraries and frameworks like React, Next.js, Vue.js or similar.
• Strong understanding of design systems, component libraries, and working closely with UX/UI teams.
• Proven track record in technical leadership roles, leading delivery teams in complex, multi‑environment projects.
• Strong understanding of front‑end architecture, including performance, security and compliance, accessibility, and scalability considerations.
• Experience defining the implementation of robust testing strategies (unit, integration, E2E) and managing quality in delivery pipelines.
• Strong understanding of DevOps practices and tooling relevant to front‑end development.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to engage with clients, present solutions, and explain technical concepts clearly.
• Experience working in agile, cross‑functional teams, with an understanding of effective delivery methodologies.
• Outstanding problem‑solving skills and ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience in consulting or client‑facing roles, ideally in a digital or enterprise environment.
• Familiarity with backend technologies (e.g., Node.js, APIs) and how front‑end integrates into broader systems.
• Exposure to cloud‑native architectures (e.g., AWS, Azure, serverless, containerised environments).
• Experience contributing to pre‑sales and project discovery phases by advising on technical feasibility and shaping solutions.
• Involvement in technical communities or thought leadership (e.g., speaking, blogging, OSS contributions).

Equal Opportunity Statement

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. However, for you to be eligible for this role, you must have the valid right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we do not offer visa sponsorship and have no future plans to do so. You must be a resident in the UK and have been living continuously in the UK for the last 10 years. You must be able to hold or gain a UK government security clearance.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.