Principal React Engineer

Ocho; Northern Ireland; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned technology organization in the UK is seeking a Principal React Engineer to modernize and evolve their front-end architecture in a major transformation program. The role includes leading technical direction, collaborating with diverse teams, and influencing engineering standards while being hands-on. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience with React and TypeScript, strong communication skills, and a commitment to best practices in software development. Hybrid work model with only 2 days on-site in Derry.

Benefits

Exceptional salary package

Strong engineering culture

Opportunities to influence architecture

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience building complex front-end applications at scale.
• Strong understanding of micro-frontend architecture and domain-driven design.
• Experience writing high-quality unit, integration, and functional tests.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve front-end architecture for complex, distributed systems.
• Implement information architecture and interaction design aligned with backend specifications.
• Build and maintain internal design systems and reusable component libraries.

Skills

React 18+

TypeScript

Advanced hooks

Performance optimisation

Component-driven development

Strong communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Vite

Cypress

Tailwind CSS

Storybook 8

Job description

Principal React Engineer The Opportunity We’re partnering with a highly regarded technology organisation delivering enterprise-scale digital platforms used by some of the world’s leading brands. They are now seeking a Principal React Engineer to play a key role in modernising and evolving their front-end architecture as part of a major multi-year transformation programme. In this role, you will act as the technical leader in the React space - shaping front‑end architecture, improving performance, introducing best‑practice engineering standards, and contributing significantly to shared codebases. You’ll collaborate closely with product, UX, backend engineering, and data teams to deliver seamless, scalable, customer‑facing applications used globally. This is an opportunity to influence technical direction, set standards, and mentor others, while remaining deeply hands‑on in building world‑class front‑end solutions.
Key Responsibilities Front‑End Engineering & Architecture (80%) Design and evolve front‑end architecture for complex, distributed systems.

• Ensure UI / UX designs are technically feasible, performant, and accessible.
• Implement information architecture and interaction design aligned with backend specifications.
• Develop new user‑facing features using modern, component‑driven development.
• Build and maintain internal design systems and reusable component libraries.
• Write clean, test‑driven, production‑quality React and TypeScript code.
• Optimise applications for speed, scalability, maintainability, and accessibility.
• Contribute regularly to shared codebases with minimal oversight.
• Participate in the full software development lifecycle and communicate progress to the Development Director.
• Update, maintain, and modernise existing front‑end applications.
• Product Analysis & Support (15%) Work with Customer Support and Implementation teams to resolve issues and bugs.
• Support cross‑functional teams with technical insights, solutions, and guidance.
• Engage with customers and internal teams on technical requirements or project status.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement (5%) Stay ahead of front‑end trends and emerging technologies.
• Contribute ideas to improve processes, tools, and product capabilities.
• Identify opportunities to drive innovation across the engineering function.
• Essential Skills & Experience Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or similar discipline (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years' experience building complex front‑end applications at scale.
• React 18+ & TypeScript expertise, including:
  - Advanced hooks
  - Strict typing, generics
  - Composition patterns
  - Performance optimisation
• Experience with:
  - TanStack Query, Router, Table, Virtual
  - Vite
  - React Hook Form & Zod
  - Nx Workspace
  - Tailwind CSS
  - Vitest, Cypress, MSW
  - Storybook 8
• Strong understanding of component‑driven development and design systems.
• Knowledge of micro‑frontend architecture, Nx monorepos, and domain‑driven design.
• Experience writing high‑quality unit, integration, and functional tests.
• Ability to break down complex problems and collaborate with cross‑functional teams.
• Strong communication, documentation, and mentoring skills.
• Desirable Skills Experience working with large‑scale API‑driven platforms.
• Understanding of cloud‑native architecture (Azure, AWS, or GCP).
• Knowledge of CI / CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices.
• Exposure to back‑end or full‑stack environments.
• Experience working in fast‑moving or customer‑facing product environments.
• Why Join? Play a pivotal role in a major front‑end platform modernisation.
• Lead technical direction in React while remaining fully hands‑on.
• Work across enterprise‑scale products used globally.
• Hybrid working with only 2 days on‑site in Derry
• Exceptional salary package
• Strong engineering culture, collaborative environment, and real autonomy.
• Opportunities to influence architecture, standards, and front‑end strategy.