Front End Developer - Outside IR35

Overview An exciting opportunity has arisen for a hands-on Front End Lead / Interim Tech Lead to join a growing product engineering team and lead the development of a next-generation SaaS platform built on Microsoft Azure. This role is ideal for a senior engineer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building products from the ground up, and wants to remain deeply involved in coding while leading a small team. You'll be responsible for defining front-end engineering standards, implementing AI-assisted development practices, and driving delivery of a modern React-based application. Initially offered as a day-rate contract, there is a genuine intention to transition the successful candidate into a permanent Tech Lead position as the engineering function expands. The Role As Front End Lead, you will take ownership of the front-end architecture and delivery of a new React/TypeScript application, working closely with Product, Platform and Data teams. This is a highly technical leadership position where you will: Lead development of a greenfield React/TypeScript front end.<br />Remain hands-on in the codebase on a daily basis.<br />Line manage and mentor a small front-end engineering team.<br />Define and implement engineering best practices.<br />Drive AI-assisted software development across the team.<br />Establish scalable delivery processes, CI/CD pipelines and quality standards.<br />Collaborate with architects and back-end teams to ensure contract-first API integration. Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership Lead the design, architecture and delivery of a modern React/TypeScript application.<br />Act as the technical pace-setter for the front-end team through hands-on coding and code reviews.<br />Own front-end API contracts and work closely with back-end engineers to maintain contract-first delivery.<br />Build and maintain a scalable component library, design system and application framework.<br />Establish engineering standards covering code quality, testing, accessibility, security and performance. AI-Driven Engineering Define and champion AI-assisted development practices.<br />Evaluate and implement tooling for: Code generation<br />Agentic development workflows<br />Automated testing<br />Code review support<br />Establish governance and guardrails around AI usage.<br />Measure and demonstrate improvements in engineering productivity and delivery outcomes. Delivery &amp; Team Management Lead a co-located mobilisation period before transitioning to a hybrid working environment.<br />Mentor, coach and line manage front-end engineers.<br />Drive continuous improvement through pairing, reviews and knowledge sharing.<br />Establish clear ways of working, delivery metrics and quality measures.<br />Work closely with Product and Architecture teams to deliver against the product roadmap. Security &amp; Governance Ensure security remains a core part of the development lifecycle.<br />Support implementation of secure authentication and authorisation using Microsoft Entra ID / MSAL.<br />Contribute to customer security assurance activities and secure coding practices.<br />Maintain eligibility for work within security-conscious environments. Essential Experience 8+ years' experience in software engineering.<br />Strong commercial experience with: TypeScript<br />React<br />Modern front-end architecture and tooling<br />Proven experience leading small engineering teams while remaining hands-on.<br />Experience delivering SaaS products and greenfield applications.<br />Strong API-first / contract-first development experience.<br />Deep understanding of: Automated testing strategies<br />CI/CD pipelines<br />Code quality tooling<br />Engineering governance<br />Demonstrable experience implementing AI-assisted software development practices within production environments.<br />Eligibility for UK Security Check (SC) clearance. Desirable Experience Microsoft Azure.<br />Microsoft Entra ID / MSAL authentication.<br />Data-rich dashboard and analytics products.<br />Storybook and design system development.<br />Mantine UI framework.<br />Defence, regulated industries, logistics or supply chain environments.<br />Current SC clearance.<br />Experience introducing emerging AI development tooling and agentic workflows.<br />Previous contract roles that have transitioned into permanent leadership positions. Working Arrangements Initially based on-site in Bristol for a collaborative mobilisation period.<br />Hybrid working model thereafter.<br />40-hour working week with flexibility based on project and business requirements.<br />Initial contract engagement of approximately three months with a clear route to a permanent leadership position for the right individual.

Why Join?

Build a market-leading SaaS product from the ground up.<br />Shape engineering culture, standards and ways of working.<br />Lead adoption of cutting-edge AI development practices.<br />Work within a growing technology team where your influence will directly impact product success.<br />Opportunity to move into a long-term permanent Technical Leadership role