Principal Frontend Architect

Cleverbridge; Germany (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Cleverbridge is seeking aSenior Frontend Architect to define and drive frontend architecture, standards, and technology direction. This role exists to help teams build scalable, high-performance web applications while aligning technical choices with business goals.

The position focuses on creating practical guardrails, milestones, and coaching across teams. You will partner with product managers, design leadership, and engineering teams to steer solution direction, promote best practices, and

Qualifications

• Expert in modern frontend development with Next.js, TypeScript, React, and accessible HTML.
• Strong understanding of SOLID, DRY, YAGNI, and KISS design principles.
• Experience leading complex frontend initiatives as a principal or senior engineer.
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Hands-on experience with CSS, including CSS preprocessors and CSS-in-JS.
• Strong knowledge of API design using REST and GraphQL.
• Experience interviewing engineering candidates and promoting best practices.
• Experience leveraging AI to accelerate development while maintaining standards.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall architecture of frontend systems and define milestones and requirements.
• Drive performance, scalability, and cross-team code reuse across frontend solutions.
• Translate business problems into practical frontend solutions and proofs of concept.
• Partner with product, design, and engineering leaders on solution direction and decisions.
• Set coding standards and promote accessibility, maintainability, and performance.
• Communicate technical topics clearly to non-technical stakeholders and maintain transparency.
• Mentor engineers and support growth in architectural thinking and decision-making.
• Stay current on industry trends and introduce innovations to improve user experience.

Skills

Next.js

TypeScript

React

Semantic HTML

Architectural leadership

Code quality

REST/GraphQL

AI in development

Mentoring

Communication

Tools

CSS

CSS-in-JS

REST tooling

GraphQL tooling

Job description

Cleverbridge is the smarter way to sell globally. As a premium Merchant of Record (MoR), we simplify global software sales by combining powerful platform capabilities — including payments, subscriptions, taxes, and compliance — with expert services that fuel growth across the entire customer lifecycle. From onboarding and implementation to ongoing optimization and strategic guidance, our team works as an extension of our clients', helping them remove friction, reduce risk, and expand into new markets with confidence.

About the Role

This role defines and advances Cleverbridge's frontend architecture, standards, and technology direction. It exists to help teams build scalable, high-performance, and user-friendly web applications while aligning technical choices with business goals. The role contributes by turning architectural vision into practical guardrails, technical milestones, and coaching that enable multiple teams to deliver consistently.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the overall architecture of frontend systems and define key architectural milestones and critical technical requirements.
• Drive improvements in scalability, performance, and cross-team code reuse across frontend solutions.
• Validate ideas through proofs of concept and translate business problems into practical frontend solutions.
• Partner closely with product managers, design leadership, engineering managers, and senior frontend engineers on solution direction and technical decision-making.
• Set coding standards and promote best practices for code quality, maintainability, accessibility, and performance.
• Communicate complex technical topics clearly to non-technical stakeholders and create transparency around critical technical requirements.
• Mentor engineers and support their growth in architectural thinking, technical decision-making, and community learning.
• Stay current on industry trends and emerging technologies and introduce innovations that improve user experience and support company strategy.

Qualifications

Required

• Strong proficiency in modern frontend development, including Next.js, TypeScript, React, and accessible, semantic HTML.
• Strong understanding of software design and engineering principles, such as SOLID, DRY, YAGNI, and KISS.
• Experience leading complex frontend initiatives as a principal, technical lead, project lead, or senior engineer.
• Proven ability to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Hands‑on experience with CSS, including pure CSS, preprocessors, and CSS‑in‑JS.
• Strong knowledge of API design and service communication, including REST and GraphQL.
• Experience interviewing and assessing engineering candidates.
• Experience communicating technical concepts to diverse audiences and promoting engineering best practices.
• Experience leveraging AI to accelerate software development while ensuring adherence to engineering standards and technical guardrails.

Preferred (Optional)

• Experience with NestJs.
• Experience building shared frontend platforms, design systems, or component libraries.
• Experience optimizing performance for large-scale web applications.