Lead Front-End Engineer

StarCompliance is seeking a Lead Front-End Engineer to lead how user interfaces are engineered and delivered across engineering. The role sets the technical direction for our frontend applications and shared foundations, combining hands-on React and TypeScript, team leadership and AI-assisted development to deliver fast, accessible, reliable product experiences. The successful candidate will be a hands-on frontend engineering leader who owns our enterprise design system and frontend foundations, evolves them for engineers and AI agents, sets frontend architecture, quality and testing standards, and delivers features end to end, including the APIs, services and data changes they need. They will work with Software Engineering, Product, Architecture, Security, Platform Engineering and AI Enablement on reusable components, patterns, agent instructions and governance for faster, more consistent and increasingly autonomous delivery in a regulated environment.

How We Think About AI At StarCompliance, AI is not a side experiment or an isolated specialist capability. We treat it as a foundational part of modern software engineering and SaaS platform development. We expect engineers to: Actively use AI-assisted engineering tools as part of their daily workflows.

Key Responsibilities

Frontend Architecture & Engineering

• Own frontend architecture and technical direction for scalable, secure, maintainable applications.
• Lead hands-on React and TypeScript development, contributing production code and setting the team standard.
• Set frontend standards for code structure, state management, API integration and code review.
• Own frontend performance and reliability, using telemetry and monitoring to find and fix issues.
• Build fast, clear interfaces for complex, data-intensive compliance workflows.

Full-Stack Delivery

• Deliver features end to end, including the backend services, APIs and data changes they need.
• Shape API contracts and service designs with backend, Architecture and Platform teams.
• Ensure frontend–backend integrations are secure, well tested and architecturally aligned.

Design System & Frontend Foundations

• Own the strategy, architecture and evolution of our enterprise design system.
• Evolve the design system into an AI-consumable platform for engineers, coding assistants and autonomous agents.
• Define reusable components, design tokens, interaction patterns, layouts and accessibility standards.
• Keep the design system and frontend foundations aligned with wider technical architecture.

Quality, Testing & Delivery

• Set automated testing strategy across unit, integration, end-to-end, visual regression and accessibility testing.
• Embed frontend quality gates for code quality, test coverage and security in CI/CD pipelines.
• Build accessibility into components, patterns and automated validation.
• Balance delivery speed with usability, consistency, maintainability, security and user trust.

Agentic Product Development

• Define how AI agents turn product intent into interfaces using approved components and standards.
• Maintain agent instructions, reference implementations, rules and machine-readable frontend context.
• Embed design system and frontend knowledge into agentic workflows with AI Enablement and Engineering.
• Govern agent-generated interfaces and code, including accessibility, visual regression and component conformance checks.

Technical Leadership & Team Management

• Line-manage a blended team of permanent and consultancy UI Engineers, covering performance, coaching, development, workload and hiring.
• Lead the Design System Forum with Product, Engineering and Architecture to govern standards and priorities.
• Act as frontend technical authority, aligning with Product, Architecture, Security and Platform on priorities and regulatory requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery predictability, system quality and team effectiveness.
• Carry out other duties as reasonably required at Associate Director level.

Skills and Experience

• Strong hands-on React and TypeScript background, guiding frontend architecture in complex, data-intensive environments.
• Experience building and integrating backend services and APIs to deliver features end to end.
• Experience creating or governing enterprise design systems, components, design tokens and interaction patterns.
• Deep knowledge of frontend performance, automated testing, CI, accessibility and operational readiness.
• Practical use of AI-assisted development tools and agentic delivery workflows.
• Proven leadership of high-performing engineering teams and effective engagement with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Desirable Skills

• SaaS, enterprise or regulated software experience, such as financial services or compliance.
• Storybook, visual regression, automated accessibility testing and frontend quality tooling.
• Cloud-based environments and secure engineering practices.
• Managing permanent employees alongside consultancy partner resources.
• Product analytics, usability testing and behavioural telemetry.

Minimum Qualifications Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience

StarCompliance Background Checks

All positions require pre-employment screening due to employees potentially having access to highly sensitive and confidential information involving finance and compliance; candidates must be trustworthy and have a heightened sensitivity to protecting confidential financial, professional information. To be eligible for employment with StarCompliance, candidates must undergo a rigorous background investigation with checks including, but not limited to, criminal record history, consumer credit, employment history, qualifications, and education checks.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, marital/civil union/domestic partnership status, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by country, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organisation, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. StarCompliance makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. For more information, please request a copy of our Equal Opportunities Policy.