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Front end developer job description

7 December 2023 , by Josh Nel

When scaling your team, finding the right front end developer can be a challenge. A poor hiring decision can lead to setbacks, low-quality code, and wasted time. To ensure the right developers are applying for your role, we unpack what you need to include in a front end developer job description and the most important front end developer requirements.

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Front end developer job description

A well-crafted front end developer job description is a key first step to ensure that the right people are applying for the role. Your job description should include the following information:

  • The position name
  • Your company’s name
  • The roles’ key responsibilities
  • Minimum experience and qualifications for the position, and
  • Key benefits you’re offering as part of your compensation package

When creating a job description, setting up a role scorecard can help you identify the essential skills and responsibilities for the position.

Front end developer roles and responsibilities

Before deciding on the specific responsibilities for a front end developer, it is important to understand the core skills to look out for when looking for top front end developers:

  • HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Typescript: These are the core technologies for building web pages and user interfaces.
  • Popular front-end JavaScript frameworks such as React, Angular, Vue.js and libraries such as jQuery.
  • Other frameworks they might have experience with include Node.js, Nuxt.js, Next.js, Nest.js and Express.js.
  • Responsive design techniques and cross-browser compatibility, to ensure that the website functions well on multiple devices and web browsers.
  • Web accessibility best practices and guidelines.
  • Web performance optimisation techniques, such as minifying code and lazy loading images.
  • Version control systems such as Git and using it in a team environment.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most common front end developer roles and responsibilities:

  • Creating visually appealing and responsive user interfaces that are accessible on various devices and screen sizes.
  • Translating design mockups into functional web pages or applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Ensuring the UI is consistent with the design guidelines and brand identity.
  • Writing clean, semantic HTML and CSS code to structure and style web content.
  • Ensuring cross-browser and cross-platform compatibility.
  • Optimizing web assets and styles for performance.
  • Writing JavaScript code to implement interactive features and enhance user experience.
  • Using JavaScript frameworks and libraries like React, Angular, or Vue.js to build complex web applications.
  • Handling asynchronous operations, user input validation, and data manipulation.
  • Implementing responsive web design to ensure websites and applications adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
  • Using media queries and other techniques to create a consistent user experience.
  • Identifying and fixing issues related to browser-specific rendering and behaviour differences.
  • Testing and debugging code to ensure it works on various browsers.
  • Ensuring that web content is accessible to users with disabilities by following WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards.
  • Using ARIA attributes and other techniques to improve accessibility.
  • Optimizing web assets (images, scripts, styles) for fast loading and rendering.
  • Minimizing the use of unnecessary resources to improve page speed.
  • Collaborating with other team members using version control systems like Git to manage code changes.
  • Collaborating with designers, back-end developers, and other stakeholders to ensure the seamless integration of front-end and back-end components.
  • Communicating technical concepts and progress effectively to non-technical team members.
  • Using tools like Google Analytics or other performance monitoring tools to track user engagement and website/application performance.
  • Being aware of common security vulnerabilities and best practices to prevent them.

Further reading

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