Front-End Lead Engineer

This role is offered on a UK employment contract. Candidates must be based in the UK as we are unable to support remote working from outside the country due to local employment and tax legislation. This role sits within Deltatre's OTT delivery organisation, where front-end engineering teams build the applications millions of fans use to watch live and on-demand sport. The team combines hands-on engineering with the delivery discipline needed to ship reliably across major international projects. As Front-End Lead Engineer, you will drive the development of high-quality, scalable front-end solutions while staying hands-on with the code. You'll shape front-end architecture, set engineering standards across delivery teams, guide and mentor engineers, and act as the main technical point of contact between your team and stakeholders. Responsibilities Technical excellence Oversee all front-end engineering aspects of assigned projects, ensuring robust, scalable, secure, high-performing, and accessible solutionsPlan, schedule, coordinate, and monitor front-end development activities, driving task prioritisation and providing technical assessments and estimationsReview and validate the technical approach and code quality for all team deliverables, ensuring compliance with best practices, coding standards, and performance benchmarksIdentify and resolve technical issues and blockers, raising concerns with proposed architecture and escalating when necessaryDrive the adoption of automation, efficient tooling, and modern front-end technologies and methodologiesEstablish efficient front-end workflows and processes, and maintain supporting documentation, including architectural principlesLeadership and team growth Mentor, coach, and support the professional growth and onboarding of engineering team membersTrack and support performance feedback within the teamContribute to the recruitment and integration of new front-end team membersStrategy and process management Contribute technical insights to project planning, aligning team efforts with project goals and identifying opportunities for technical improvementCollaborate with Technical Directors to find innovative front-end solutions and share knowledgeSupport the team in grooming planned activities and detailing stories with the BA/PO, including defining acceptance criteriaManage and communicate technical risks, escalating to the Lead PM or Technical Director when necessaryCommunication and stakeholder engagement Act as the main technical point of contact for the team, engaging with customers and stakeholders on technical topics and bridging technical and business perspectivesTranslate business requirements into technical needs in collaboration with the Product OwnerPresent technical solutions and progress clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, escalating larger initiatives to the Technical Director when appropriateProvide on-call support when required Requirements You have done this before - here's what we're looking for. Required Proficiency in TypeScript and modern JavaScript (ES6+) fundamentalsThorough understanding of React.js and its core principlesExperience with Node.js, particularly with the Next.js framework and server-side/client-side rendering conceptsStrong knowledge of Tailwind CSS for building responsive, reusable user interfacesExpertise in front-end testing using JestExpertise designing scalable front-end architecture for complex applications, with a strong grasp of component-based and other modern design patternsStrong understanding of performance optimisation, benchmarking, security, and accessibility best practicesHigh proficiency with GitExperience guiding and mentoring engineers, including supporting their professional growthTrack record of making and owning architectural decisions, and communicating technical trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholdersValued Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approaches for deployment and release managementBasic knowledge of self-hosting Node.js applications in containerised environmentsUnderstanding of Docker and Kubernetes for deployment and orchestration of front-end applicationsExperience with front-end build tools and module bundlers Who Thrives Here This role sits between hands-on engineering and technical leadership - you're reviewing a pull request one moment and explaining an architectural trade-off to a client the next. It suits someone who wants to stay close to the code while also shaping how a team works. People who do well here are comfortable making and owning architectural decisions, give feedback that actually helps engineers grow rather than just flagging problems, and can translate a technical constraint into terms a non-technical stakeholder can act on. Process and what to expect Introductory conversation: a step for us to get to know each other better, and for us to answer all questions you might have around Deltatre.1-hour Technical round of Interview: we will deep dive on your experience and collect examples of the responsibilities you've been dealing with in your past experience. A chance to deep dive on the role and for you to ask questions.1-hour Competency Based Interview: we will ask you situational questions around how you deal with real-life scenarios at work. Easier doing it, more than explaining it.If any of these formats would be difficult for you, tell us - we adjust regularly and can usually accommodate. Accessibility and accommodation questions are welcome at any stage. Tell us what would work for you.