Lead Frontend Developer (Remote-First)

Placements24; Kempton Park; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Frontend Developer to join a remote-first engineering team distributed across South Africa. Lead, mentor, and deliver high-quality, scalable frontend solutions using modern frameworks and tools.

You will collaborate with backend, design, and product teams to architect robust interfaces and drive performance, accessibility, and security best practices in a remote setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, Engineering, or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years in frontend development with 2+ years in lead/mentoring role.
• Expertise in JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3 and major frontend frameworks (React/Angular/Vue).
• Experience with state management (Redux/Zustand), build tools (Webpack/Vite), and testing (Jest/Cypress).
• Strong REST API knowledge and experience with Git & CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead frontend design, development, and implementation of complex features using modern JS frameworks.
• Architect and build scalable, reusable frontend components and systems.
• Mentor and guide a team of frontend developers, providing technical leadership.
• Conduct code reviews to ensure quality and best practices.
• Collaborate with backend, UI/UX, and product managers to translate requirements into interfaces.
• Address performance bottlenecks for speed and responsiveness.
• Champion frontend best practices: accessibility, security, performance.

Skills

JavaScript

HTML/CSS

React

Angular

Vue.js

Leadership

Mentoring

REST APIs

Git

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Webpack/Vite

Jest/Cypress

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Frontend Developer to join their entirely remote-first engineering team. This position is perfect for a motivated individual who thrives in a distributed work environment and is passionate about building cutting-edge, scalable web applications. You will be responsible for leading the frontend development efforts, mentoring junior developers, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, performant, and maintainable code. The role requires a strategic thinker who can contribute to architectural decisions and drive best practices across the development lifecycle. As a remote-first role, we leverage asynchronous communication and robust digital collaboration tools to ensure seamless teamwork. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our digital products from anywhere within South Africa, contributing significantly to our innovative tech landscape.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of complex frontend features for web applications using modern JavaScript frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js).
• Architect and build scalable, reusable, and robust frontend components and systems.
• Mentor and guide a team of frontend developers, providing technical leadership and fostering a collaborative environment.
• Conduct code reviews to ensure code quality, maintainability, and adherence to best practices.
• Collaborate closely with backend developers, UI/UX designers, and product managers to translate requirements into functional and elegant user interfaces.
• Identify and address performance bottlenecks, ensuring optimal application speed and responsiveness.
• Champion frontend best practices, including accessibility, security, and performance optimization.
• Contribute to the overall technical strategy and roadmap for frontend development.
• Effectively communicate technical decisions and project status in a remote setting.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional experience in frontend development, with at least 2 years in a lead or mentoring role.
• Expertise in JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3, along with deep knowledge of at least one major frontend framework (React, Angular, or Vue.js).
• Proven experience with state management libraries (e.g., Redux, Zustand), build tools (e.g., Webpack, Vite), and testing frameworks (e.g., Jest, Cypress).
• Strong understanding of RESTful APIs and asynchronous request handling.
• Experience with Git and CI/CD pipelines.
• Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and analytical skills.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, adept at working effectively in a remote team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor other developers remotely.

Benefits

As a remote-first company, we offer the flexibility to work from anywhere within South Africa. Our benefits package includes a competitive salary, comprehensive health and wellness programs, generous paid time off, opportunities for continuous learning and professional development, and a stipend for home office setup.

Join a forward-thinking company that values innovation, collaboration, and employee well-being.