Frontend Lead

General Dynamics Information Technology; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology is seeking an experienced Frontend Lead to own the architecture and construction of the operator web application used in national cyber defense. You will design and implement the front-end architecture, establish a common state model, and maintain a shared component library.

The role emphasizes real-time data handling, permission-driven rendering, and performance optimization across multiple views and displays.

Qualifications

• Senior-level front-end experience with modern component-based frameworks.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards and secure coding practices.

Responsibilities

• Own the front-end architecture, module structure, routing, build tooling, and dependencies.
• Design and maintain a shared state model and component library.
• Implement real-time data handling with WebSocket or similar streaming interfaces.
• Render content based on user role/permissions and enforce entitlements.
• Profile, optimize, and ensure performance across high data volumes.
• Lead quality efforts: automated tests, code reviews, and standards.
• Provide technical direction and break work into deliverable increments.

Skills

Frontend architecture

WebSocket streaming

Role-based rendering

React/TypeScript

Code reviews

Performance optimization

Accessibility (508/ WCAG)

Technical leadership

Industry security/US citizenship

5+ years experience

Education

Degree in a related field

Tools

React

TypeScript

Build tooling

Job description

Position Summary

The Frontend Lead owns the architecture and construction of the web application used by operators in a cyber command center supporting national cyber defense across Critical Infrastructure, State, Local, Tribal and Territorial, and Federal Civilian Executive Branch partners. Successful candidate designs the front-end architecture that supports that, builds a substantial share of it, and sets the standards the other interface engineers work to.

Key Responsibilities

Application Architecture

• Own the front-end architecture, including module structure, composition, routing, build tooling, and dependency management
• Design the application so functional areas can be developed, tested, and released independently without destabilizing the whole
• Design and own the shared application state model, including context that persists as a user moves between functional areas
• Establish and maintain the shared component library and the conventions governing its use

Real-Time Data Handling

• Implement consumption of continuously updating data over WebSocket, server-sent event, or comparable streaming interfaces
• Handle connection lifecycle, authentication on the stream, reconnection, and recovery of state missed during an interruption
• Implement update strategies that keep the interface responsive under sustained high-frequency change
• Implement stale, degraded, and disconnected states so the currency of displayed data is always evident

Access-Driven Rendering

• Implement rendering driven by user role and permission, so available content and actions are determined by entitlement
• Implement client-side handling of content-level restrictions supplied by the service layer
• Ensure entitlement logic is testable and that failures fail closed

Performance & Display Targets

• Profile and optimize rendering, update, and interaction performance against realistic data volumes
• Ensure the application performs on the managed workstation configuration and restricted browser baseline deployed in the operating environment
• Support use across multiple simultaneous views and multiple displays, and rendering on large-format shared displays

Quality, Accessibility & Standards

• Ensure the application meets Section 508 and WCAG requirements as a condition of delivery
• Own the automated test approach across component, integration, and end-to-end levels
• Enforce code quality standards through review, static analysis, and shared conventions
• Obtain and maintain the training and certifications required for the position. Certification currency is tracked and reported to the customer monthly.

Technical Leadership & Delivery

• Provide technical direction and code review to the engineers building the interface
• Break work into deliverable increments and estimate credibly against a fixed delivery date
• Work with the design function so designs are implementable and applied consistently
• Work with the service layer engineers on interface contracts and data delivery patterns, and with platform engineers on build and deployment
• Identify and escalated technical risk affecting the delivery schedule

Required Qualifications

• Senior hands-on experience architecting and building production single-page web applications in a modern component-based framework.
• Experience with modular or independently deployable front-end architectures.
• Experience owning shared application state, including context that persists across functional areas.
• Experience building interfaces driven by continuously updating data over WebSocket, server-sent events, or an equivalent, including reconnection and state recovery.
• Experience implementing role or permission-driven rendering.
• Demonstrated ability to sustain rendering and interaction performance under high-frequency updates and large data volumes.
• Strong proficiency in a statically typed JavaScript environment, modern build tooling, and automated testing practice.
• Working knowledge of Section 508 and WCAG requirements and how to satisfy them in a shared component library.
• Experience providing technical direction and code review to other engineers.
• Technical training, certification, or a degree in a related field, and 5 years of relevant experience. Additional years of directly relevant experience may substitute for the degree requirement in accordance with company labor category policy.
• Public Trust eligibility.
• United States citizenship is required.
• Work on site at a government facility in the DMV area.

Preferred Qualifications

• Production experience with React and TypeScript specifically. The application is currently expected to be built in React.
• Experience building operational or monitoring interfaces intended for sustained use.
• Experience with micro-frontend composition or equivalent independent-deployment patterns.
• Specific experience with content delivery and static hosting services such as CloudFront and S3, or Azure Front Door and Blob Storage.
• Experience with large-format or shared-display rendering targets.
• Experience delivering software in a government or otherwise regulated environment.
• Experience establishing a design system or component library from scratch.
• IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist, or demonstrable equivalent accessibility practice.