Principal User Interface Engineer

A design isn't real until it's in a browser. Until then it's an intention. It hasn't met a slow connection, a screen reader, a heading three times longer than the one in the file, or a phone that's four years old. Whoever builds it decides what survives contact with all of that. That isn't translation work. It's judgement, applied at the point where decisions stop being theoretical. We're looking for someone who builds at the top end. Websites and applications where the interaction, the motion, and the feel of the thing are the point, not decoration added once the layout is done. We're hiring for ability more than years. Our honest expectation is somewhere around ten years of building interfaces professionally, because that's usually how long it takes to develop this kind of judgement. If you're further back and the work says otherwise, show us and we'll change our minds. We're ambitious about this. We want to make work that stands up next to the best in the world and holds together on a bad connection for someone using a keyboard. Both at once. That's the bar we're climbing toward, and this role is a big part of getting there. The role, plainly You'll build the front end for high-end client websites and web applications, working in the same team as our principal digital designer. That pairing is the point. One of you decides what the interface should be. Both of you decide what it becomes once it's real. It works when you can hold your ground where something won't build well, and change your mind when the design is right. August works in teams. You'll lead the front-end craft on one of our most important ones, close to the clients, the work, and the people delivering it. The standard for what gets built there is yours to set. The work sits at two ends. Some of it is sites where craft is the whole argument: interaction, motion, typography, and performance working together well enough that people notice. Some of it is applications where people spend hours, and the interface has to stay clear, fast, and predictable under real use. Both need the same engineering underneath. You'll be involved while decisions are still being made. You'll work with platform engineers on how the front end meets the systems behind it, and with producers on what's achievable in the time available. You'll own the quality of what you ship, including accessibility, performance, and whether the next person can extend it confidently. You'll lead through the work rather than through a reporting line. There are no direct reports. People take their cues from whoever holds the highest standard in the room, so how you critique, explain, and behave when something goes sideways matters as much as what you produce. How people grow here is written down. We assess how far ahead you work, what you're trusted to commit without checking first, what you take responsibility for, how deep the craft runs, and whether your judgement sets a standard others follow. It measures what you reliably do under normal load, not what you manage on a good day. You'll know where you sit and what would move you. What you'll actually be doing Owning the front-end architecture across your team's work, and the standard it gets built toMaking the framework, tooling, and structure calls, then living with them for yearsBuilding the hardest parts yourself, where the craft decides whether the thing worksSetting performance and accessibility budgets, and holding them when the pressure comes onMaking design ambition buildable, and saying early where something won't survive real useJudging feasibility while scope and commercials are still being decidedEstablishing the patterns and components other developers build onDeciding where AI-assisted code belongs in the build, and where it costs more than it savesLifting the front-end standard around you through review, direction, and worked examplesOwning what happens after launch: performance, regressions, and how easily it changes This work includes detail, repetition, clean-up, and follow-through. Senior ownership means taking responsibility for all of it. You will need You have advanced command of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and real depth in a modern frameworkYou set technical direction, explain the trade-offs behind it, and live with the consequencesYou've built interaction and motion people notice, not static layouts made responsiveYou know performance properly: what costs what, what to measure, and what to do about itYou know WCAG 2.1 well, and how accessibility shapes what gets builtYou've built component architecture that other people then worked insideYou use AI where it speeds the work, and you can tell when the output only looks rightYou question a design that won't hold up, and you're right often enough that people listenYou see problems coming and act early, rather than owning them after they landYou're clear with designers, producers, and developers, especially about trade-offs If you're looking for a role where designs arrive finished and you build them exactly as drawn, this won't be the right fit. Non-negotiables You have the right to work in AustraliaYou are able to work onsite from our Richmond officeThis is a full-time role Extra credit, not essentials Motion and animation work: GSAP, Framer Motion, or whatever you've settled onWebGL, canvas, or shader work used for a reason rather than for showExperience with CMS platforms such as WordPress or Drupal, and some PHPNode-based tooling, build pipelines, and a view on what's worth the setupAn understanding of how front-end decisions affect search, performance, and measurementWork in the open: writing, speaking, or open source that brings people toward the team You'll probably enjoy this role if You want to build the kind of work people send each other links toYou care what happens on a slow phone with three times the expected contentYou want accessibility treated as craft, held to the same standard as everything elseYou'd rather settle a design question before it's built than work around it afterwardsYou want to work with a designer who has strong opinions and expects you to have them tooYou've formed your own view on AI in front-end work rather than inheriting someone else'sYou want to leave the way work gets done here better than you found it Working at August Working at August is deliberate. It's not chaotic, and it's not rigid. It's designed to give experienced people room to do their best work without unnecessary friction. We're building something here. Not in a rush, and not for scale at any cost, but with intent. We want our work to influence how organisations make decisions, not just how they market themselves. That ambition shows up in the standard we expect of the work and the problems we choose to take on. You'll work with smart, pragmatic people across design, strategy, production, and development. You'll have autonomy, paired with clear expectations about quality, judgement, and follow-through. The work is thoughtful and often complex. It rewards people who like to think things through, ask better questions, and take responsibility for outcomes. A sense of play still matters, but it's grounded in craft, not chaos. As a team member, you can also expect: A competitive salary package with various incentives and rewardsFlexible and hybrid arrangements, built around a team that works together onsiteTo work within a highly motivated, talented, and technology-driven teamA team of people who will invest in your career progression and developmentGenerous company policies that help you grow and balance life If this feels worth exploring If you've read this far and it sounds like your kind of work, we'd like to hear from you. Everyone who expresses interest gets a reply from a person. If you'd like to express interest, send us: Your CVA note (aka cover letter) about why this role caught your attentionMention the name of one August client you've looked into in your note ⬅️ This one is important. If you have a personal site, GitHub, or work you're proud of, include it. For this role, we'd rather see the work than read about it. If you've got questions, please ask them. Call 03 9445 0326 and ask for Dan. We pay attention to how people think, not just what they've done. Are you a recruiter? We know it's a competitive field, and a listing like this is an obvious lead. We're running this one ourselves, so please don't contact us about people for this role. We'd rather hear from them directly.