Principal React Engineer

My client is looking for a Principal React Engineer to take ownership of front-end architecture, set engineering standards, and act as a technical authority across multiple product teams. This role is for someone who still enjoys writing code, but whose real impact comes from designing systems, mentoring engineers, and influencing technical direction.

What you'll be responsible for

• Owning and evolving the front-end architecture across complex React applications
• Defining standards for performance, accessibility, testing, and maintainability
• Leading technical decision-making and architectural reviews
• Partnering closely with product, design, and backend leadership
• Mentoring senior and mid-level engineers and raising the bar across teams
• Driving best practice in modern React (hooks, composition, state management)
• Evaluating and introducing new technologies where they add real value

Tech environment

• React (modern patterns, hooks, context, performance optimisation)
• TypeScript
• Component-driven development and design systems
• State management (Redux, Zustand, React Query, etc.)
• Testing frameworks (Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress)
• CI/CD pipelines and modern build tooling
• Cloud-hosted platforms and APIs

Have you spent years building front-end systems that scale - and now want a role where your decisions genuinely shape how products and teams operate?, * 10+ years' experience in software engineering, with deep front-end expertise

• Extensive experience building large-scale React applications in production
• Proven ownership of front-end architecture in complex systems
• Strong understanding of performance, accessibility, and browser fundamentals
• Experience influencing technical direction across multiple teams
• Comfortable balancing hands-on development with high-level architectural work
• Clear communicator who can explain complex technical decisions simply

Nice to have (but not essential)

• Experience designing and maintaining shared design systems
• Exposure to backend or full-stack architectures
• Experience working in regulated or high-scale environments
• Previous experience in a Principal, Staff, or Lead role

Why this role?

• Genuine influence over technical direction and standards
• Complex, real-world engineering challenges
• A senior engineering culture that values thoughtful decision-making
• The chance to shape both systems and people

If you have any further questions on the role, please feel free to reach out to Brendan McCrory directly.