Lead Frontend Engineer

Vaimo; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Diverse project portfolio

Impactful Contribution

Sustainable Growth

Modern Toolkit

Job summary

Vaimo is seeking a Lead Frontend Engineer to steward the development of a new web application built with Next.js 16 (App Router), React 19, and TypeScript.

You will lead architecture decisions, partner with stakeholders, and guide a team within a microservices ecosystem on AKS, delivering production-ready code daily and shaping the frontend strategy for US clients.

Qualifications

• Advanced proficiency with React and Next.js (App Router) in production environments.
• Strong TS knowledge and frontend architecture design.
• Experience with SSR/SSG/ISR and hybrid rendering strategies.
• Experience integrating frontend apps within distributed microservices and API contracts.
• Proficiency with frontend testing frameworks (Playwright/Jest) to ensure health.
• Ability to maintain architectural standards and lead technical decisions.
• Experience supporting engineers and contributing to code reviews.

Responsibilities

• Guide the design and delivery of resilient frontend solutions for medium and large-scale projects.
• Oversee planning, estimation, and technical design to maintain high-quality outcomes.
• Define and maintain frontend architecture standards and best practices.
• Provide mentorship and constructive code-review feedback to team members.
• Collaborate with backend, UX/UI, QA, DevOps, and Product for cohesive results.
• Share knowledge and drive continuous learning within the team.
• Represent the technical voice in client discussions and workshops.
• Support pre-sales with thoughtful scoping and estimations.

Skills

React

Next.js

TypeScript

Frontend architecture

Testing (Playwright/Jest)

Leadership/mentorship

Communication with stakeholders

Tools

Playwright

Jest

Docker

AKS

Contentful

Sanity

CI/CD

Job description

Vaimo is a full-service digital experience agency that helps brands and businesses grow by unitingcommerce, content, data, and insights into seamless, engaging, and beautifully designed customer experiences.

With 16+ years of experience and offices acrossthe Nordics, EMEA, and North America, we combine strategy, design, and technology to create digital experiences that drive measurable results.

What unites our work is a simple belief:Experience is Everything.

We design and build digital experiences that connect people and brands - seamlessly, meaningfully, and for impact.

We are looking for a Lead Frontend Engineer to steward the development of a new web application built with Next.js 16 (App Router), React 19, and TypeScript. As a cornerstone of a broader microservices architecture on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), this role offers a blend of technical craft and team mentorship. You will cultivate the application from the ground up, contributing to production-ready code daily while guiding architectural decisions and partnering with stakeholders and clients to realize a shared vision.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide the design and delivery of resilient frontend solutions for medium and large-scale projects.
• Oversee planning, estimation, and technical design, ensuring a high standard of collective quality assurance.
• Facilitate the definition and maintenance of frontend architecture standards and best practices.
• Provide supportive leadership, mentorship, and code review feedback to foster the growth of team members.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with backend, UX/UI, QA, DevOps, and Product teams to ensure cohesive outcomes.
• Enrich team capabilities through continuous knowledge sharing and professional development.
• Serve as a technical ambassador in client-facing discussions, facilitating workshops and architectural dialogues.
• Support commercial activities by providing thoughtful solution scoping, estimations, and pre-sales engagement.

Skills & Requirements

Core Expertise

• Advanced proficiency with React and Next.js (App Router) in production environments.
• Comprehensive understanding of SSR, SSG, ISR, and hybrid rendering strategies.
• Strong command of TypeScript and modern frontend architecture design.
• Experience integrating frontend applications within distributed microservices, with an awareness of API contracts.
• Adept at frontend testing frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Jest) to ensure software health.
• Ability to nurture and maintain architectural standards across the team.
• Experience supporting technical decisions and empowering fellow engineers.

Value-Add Skills

• Collaborative experience with REST or GraphQL APIs in distributed systems.
• Familiarity with headless CMS platforms (e.g., Contentful, Sanity).
• Experience contributing to CI/CD pipelines and containerized cloud environments (e.g., Docker, AKS).
• A commitment to performance optimization and accessibility best practices.
• Openness to utilizing AI-assisted development tools to enhance workflow.

Nice to Have

• Understanding of Terraform or infrastructure definitions.
• Background in commerce platforms (Shopify, Adobe Commerce, etc.).
• Exposure to monitoring and observability tools (Application Insights or similar).
• General awareness of backend technologies (.NET, Node.js, PHP).

What we offer

• Diverse project portfolio: Engage with a variety of small and large digital commerce projects for global brands.
• Impactful Contribution: A chance to shape our delivery for US clients with a supportive EU-based team.
• Sustainable Growth: A flexible, modern working environment that prioritizes work-life balance.
• Modern Toolkit: Competitive salary and benefits, with access to the latest tools including AI resources, Slack, Jira, and Confluence.