About the Position

The Front End Architect role is a mix of technical adviser, team leader, coder, and evangelist. On a project the Front End Architect is responsible for all front end tasks including: estimation, requirements gathering, advising, overseeing other developers, and directing the implementation. Within the department the Front End Architect works with the Director of Front End and other Architects to push the team towards the latest tools, technologies, and best practices. Strong technical ability in HTML, CSS and JavaScript and effective organization and communication skills are a must. This job requires roughly 5% travel during the year. 

Primary Responsibilities 

• Be capable of taking on medium complexity projects.
• Be able to manage multiple projects and responsibilities in a fast paced environment.
• Work closely with other departments, team members, vendors, and clients
  • Collaborate with experience architects to validate prototypes meet conditions of the project and suggest improvements or changes as needed.
  • Collaborate with experience designers to validate designs meet conditions of the project and suggest improvements or changes as needed.
  • Collaborate with technical architects and back end engineers to determine technical requirements and implementation approaches for the project.
  • Work with clients to define and understand requirements and to resolve issues or questions during development.
  • Work with vendors to understand their systems and integrations and how it will impact our projects.
• Estimation
  • Continually update front end estimates throughout the project life-cycle.
  • Capture and continually update all assumptions used to create estimations.
• Team Oversight
  • Oversee and mentor front end engineers on the project.
  • Conduct code reviews and provide feedback and guidance to developers based on the code.
  • Assign out tasks to team members effectively.
• Project Responsibilities
  • Ensure all front end aspects of projects proceed efficiently, predictably and on time.
  • Review the statement of work, functional spec, and other documents to understand the project goals and front end specifics such as: hours sold, timeline, browser support, coding standards, framework requirements, etc.
  • Participate in requirements gathering and validation.
  • Create technical documentation for front end aspects of the project.
  • Identify and raise potential project risks to the team and help to alleviate those risks.
  • Architect and write front end code for the foundation and complex features of each project and set establish API endpoints.
  • Perform smoke tests on various devices and browsers.
  • Feature development.
  • Bug fixing.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Evaluate frameworks, technologies and tools and determine their relevance to a particular project or the wider department.
• Help drive department standards and best practices.

Technical Expertise

• At least 5 or more years of software development experience using an object oriented programming language, preferably Javascript, but other backgrounds are considered.
• At least 3 or more years of experience creating responsive experiences using SASS/LESS/PostCSS and semantic HTML5.
• At least 2 to 3 years of professional Javascript MVC experience using any library -- high preference towards React.
• At least 2 to 3 years experience leading a team of engineers on mid to large scale projects.
• Strong development fundamentals including clean, reusable code.
• Strong Expertise with front-end technologies: JavaScript (ES6), React, Webpack, Babel, HTML5, CSS/SASS
• At least 1 year of working with an Agile/SCRUM workflow.
• At least 1 year experience using Git and git-flow.

Other Skills

• Attention to detail. Be able to replicate provided designs and meet all functional requirements of the project.
• Strong collaboration skills and desire to work in a highly collaborative environment.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills (written, verbal and listening)
• Good judgment, strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, and a finely tuned balance of technical purity and pragmatism.
• Knowledge of common code design patterns, design principles and industry best practices.
• Agency experience
• Remain up to date with industry trends and technologies and be able to apply this knowledge to project work.
• Sitecore or other enterprise CMS experience a plus.

Amount of Travel

• 5% of the year

Ten great reasons to work for Verndale

1. Rapid growth company of 20 years maintaining start-up company feel

2. Laser focus on cutting-edge technology and killer service offerings to clients

3. Internal promotions that are frequent and do not take years to achieve

4. Collaborative, open, work environment and no formal dress code

5. Exchange program with our Boston, Quito, and LA offices

6. Company that values collaboration and communication 

7. Top of the line benefits including health, dental, vision, 401K, LTD, STD, Life Insurance, EAP program, HRA account and more

8. Management and employee trainings offered regularly 

9. Flexible schedule options to support work/life integration 

10. Nine company paid holidays and 3 weeks paid vacation at date of hire

About Verndale

Verndale is a customer experience agency, purpose-built to help marketing and technology leaders connect the dots of the consumer journey. From our offices in Boston, Los Angeles and Quito, we design and build digital experiences, and enable marketing technologies that bring brands and their customers closer together.

We know that in order to do great work, you have to make work great. Verndale is committed to always being a company that celebrates diversity, equality and inclusion. We strive to recruit and retain people who are committed to creating the climate of respect that is essential for individual and company success.

Verndale’s services are built around a core methodology that encompasses Growth Strategy, Experience Design, Technology Enablement, and Experience Optimization.

Learn more at www.verndale.com

Compensation & Benefits
Verndale is proud of the fun, diverse, and respectful company environment we enjoy on a daily basis. Competitive compensation and comprehensive coverage for medical, dental, life, disability and a 401(k) savings plan are offered to all full-time employees. Ample company paid holidays and personal time off make having a work-life balance possible. For some roles working from home on an as-needed basis is a definite possibility; we believe in hiring the best and keeping our own happy and motivated.

Verndale is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.