Senior Frontend Developer/ Tech Lead

We’re a full-service digital design agency that believes anything is possible through good design.

At Brave, we partner with ambitious organisations to create digital experiences that drive meaningful business outcomes. From large-scale ecomm platforms to innovative digital products and campaign experiences, we combine strategy, design and technology to build work that makes an impact.

We believe great digital products happen when design and technology work together - where thoughtful UX, strong engineering foundations and commercial thinking come together to solve real customer problems.

We’re looking for a Senior Frontend Developer/ Tech Lead to join our team and help drive the next stage of our digital capability. This is a role for someone who loves being hands-on with technology, but is equally passionate about raising the bar across a team - improving ways of working, mentoring others, and helping deliver exceptional digital experiences for our partners.

You’ll work closely with our Digital Project Manager, Designers and Leadership team to create a more efficient, scalable and high-performing delivery environment while maintaining the high standards Brave is known for.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

Technical leadership & delivery

• Lead frontend development across a range of digital projects, from ecomm platforms and CMS-driven websites to bespoke digital experiences.

• Stay hands-on building modern, high-performance frontend applications using TypeScript and Next.js.

• Own technical decision-making, architecture discussions and delivery standards across projects.

• Identify risks early, solve complex problems and help teams make informed technical decisions.

• Work closely with Digital PM to improve planning, estimation, delivery processes and overall project efficiency.

• Balance technical excellence with commercial realities - understanding timelines, budgets, client expectations and delivery constraints.

Team capability & mentoring

• Support and mentor frontend developers, helping grow capability and confidence across the team.

• Establish and maintain strong development practices, standards and workflows.

• Encourage knowledge sharing, continuous improvement and a culture of learning.

• Review code, provide constructive feedback and help maintain a high quality bar.

• Help shape the future direction of Brave’s technology offering and digital capability.

Design & user experience collaboration

• Work closely with our design team to translate ambitious creative concepts into robust digital experiences.

• Contribute to UX strategy and technical thinking during discovery and design phases.

• Understand the importance of designing for real people - creating experiences that are intuitive and accessible for non-technical users.

• Bring empathy and a user-first mindset to technical decisions.

• Understand that great digital experiences require equal consideration of design, usability, performance and maintainability.

Client & agency collaboration

• Confidently communicate technical concepts in plain English with partners and internal teams.

• Help guide partners through technical decisions and opportunities.

• Be comfortable working across multiple projects, industries and technologies.

• Thrive in a fast-moving agency environment where priorities shift and context switching is part of the role.

WHAT YOU KNOW

Required

• Strong experience building modern frontend applications.

• Expert knowledge of:

  • TypeScript

  • React

  • Next.js

  • Tailwind CSS

• Experience integrating with ecomm platforms and APIs (Shopify, BigCommerce or similar).

• Experience working with headless CMS platforms such as Sanity, Contentful, Prismic or similar.

• Algolia or search platform experience.

• Strong understanding of frontend architecture, performance optimisation and scalability.

• Experience implementing testing strategies including unit, integration and end-to-end testing.

• Experience deploying and managing applications using platforms such as Vercel and Netlify.

• Comfortable working with:

  • Docker

  • Linux environments

  • Modern frontend tooling and workflows

• Strong understanding of digital design principles and working collaboratively with designers.

• Experience working within an agency, consultancy or startup environment.

Nice to have

• AWS experience.

• Experience experimenting with AI tools, AI SDKs or emerging technologies.

• Experience with animation libraries such as Motion, GSAP or similar.

• Experience with Storybook, Playwright, Node, PNPM, Turbo or modern development tooling.

• PHP experience across platforms such as WordPress, Drupal or Laravel.

• Strong Figma understanding and ability to contribute during design phases.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

You’re someone who sits comfortably between engineering, design and delivery.

You have a strong technical foundation, but you understand that technology exists to create better experiences for people and better outcomes for businesses.

You’re:

• A senior frontend developer who still enjoys being on the tools.

• A natural mentor who enjoys helping others improve.

• Comfortable taking ownership and driving projects forward.

• Able to work under pressure and manage competing priorities.

• Commercially aware and understand the realities of agency delivery.

• Comfortable switching between strategy conversations, technical problem solving and hands-on development.

• Passionate about digital design and the role technology plays in bringing ideas to life.

• Invested in building capability, improving processes and raising standards.

• Someone who cares deeply about quality and isn’t afraid to challenge when something can be better.

You’ll have 5+ years experience, including experience working in an agency or startup environment, and you’ll be comfortable working directly with partners and multidisciplinary teams.

WHY BRAVE

We’re a team of designers, developers, strategists and thinkers who believe the best work happens when everyone contributes.

You’ll work across a diverse mix of projects - from ambitious ecommerce platforms and digital products through to innovative campaigns and emerging technology experiments.

We value craft, curiosity and collaboration. We’re constantly learning, challenging each other and pushing what’s possible.

BENEFITS

• Awesome location - Ponsonby Central on our doorstep.

• 3 additional annual leave days (Brave Days).

• WFH Wednesdays.

• Regular team events and social activities.

• A genuinely collaborative, ambitious team environment.

• Exposure to exciting partners and challenging digital solutions.

• A culture focused on learning, growth and pushing your craft forward.