UI Engineering Manager

The UI Engineering Manager is a hands-on technical leader responsible for the frontend architecture, performance, security, and evolution of the Farnell eCommerce platform. This role combines deep expertise in modern Single Page Applications (SPAs) with people leadership, architectural influence, and cross‐functional collaboration. The successful candidate will act as both a technical authority and engineering manager, guiding the UI engineering teams while shaping the long‐term frontend technology strategy. A key focus will be ensuring the Farnell website remains secure, highly performant, scalable, and aligned with modern SPA architectural best practices.

What's in it for you?

• A supportive team environment where everyone really is working toward the same goal.
• A strong open-door policy within management.
• An environment where you will be given the tools and opportunities to further your career.
• Pension scheme (Matched up to 8%).
• Simply Health Medical Plan.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays with option to buy additional holiday.
• FREE Onsite Parking & FREE Onsite Gym.
• Flexible hybrid working.
• Cycle to work Scheme.
• EV Electric Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme.
• Discount and retailer reward schemes.

What will you be doing?

• Technical Leadership & Architecture
  • Act as the technical authority for front‐end engineering, with expert knowledge of SPA architectures, React.js, and Node.js.
  • Own and evolve the frontend technology stack, setting standards for frameworks, libraries, build pipelines, and tooling.
  • Guide architectural decisions to ensure the platform keeps pace with emerging frontend technologies, patterns, and industry best practices.
  • Analyse existing UI codebases and architectural solutions, identifying risks, technical debt, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Produce clear technical recommendations, designs, and roadmaps to improve platform quality, maintainability, and delivery efficiency.
• Performance, Security & Quality
  • Ensure the Farnell eCommerce website is secure, resilient, and performant at scale.
  • Demonstrate deep expertise in:
    • Browser render paths and critical rendering optimisation.
    • Core performance metrics including TTFB, TTFP, TTI, and overall page responsiveness.
    • Caching strategies and complexities inherent in SPA‐based architectures.
  • Drive performance optimisation initiatives across rendering, networking, asset delivery, and runtime behaviour.
  • Embed performance and security considerations into development standards, CI/CD pipelines, and code review processes.
• Engineering Methods & Delivery
  • Define and continuously improve frontend engineering methods, processes, and ways of working.
  • Promote best practices in code quality, testability, observability, and maintainability.
  • Partner with Product, Platform, and Architecture teams to ensure UI solutions align with wider business and technical strategy.
  • Influence delivery planning and prioritisation with a strong focus on technical excellence and long‐term sustainability.
• People Management & Team Leadership
  • Provide line management for the UI Developer teams, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, and career development.
  • Create a culture of engineering ownership, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.
  • Support team members in developing modern frontend skills and strong engineering judgement.
  • Encourage self‐learning, experimentation, and knowledge sharing across teams.
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of clearly articulating complex technical concepts to varied audiences.
  • Work closely with Global Architects and senior technical stakeholders, contributing to cross‐domain architectural discussions.
  • Produce concise, high‐quality architectural documentation, proposals, and technical decision records.

What about you?

• Essential
  • Significant hands‐on experience building and evolving large‐scale SPAs in production environments.
  • Expert knowledge of React.js and Node.js, including modern patterns, tooling, and ecosystem best practices.
  • Deep understanding of browser internals, render pipelines, and performance tuning.
  • Proven experience optimising SPA performance metrics such as TTFB, TTFP, and TTI.
  • Strong grasp of SPA caching strategies, including trade‐offs across client, edge, and server layers.
  • Demonstrable experience analysing existing systems and successfully driving architectural and process improvements.
  • Experience leading and managing frontend engineering teams.
• Desirable
  • Experience working on high‐traffic, customer‐facing eCommerce platforms.
  • Familiarity with micro‐frontend or modular frontend architectures.
  • Experience collaborating in globally distributed engineering environments.
• Personal Attributes
  • Highly self‐motivated, with a strong track record of continuous self‐learning in frontend technologies.
  • Pragmatic and analytical, able to balance technical ambition with delivery realities.
  • Confident technical leader who can challenge constructively and influence without authority.
  • Strong sense of accountability for both technical outcomes and people development.

If you are interested in applying for this role, then APPLY NOW. Our Talent Team will review your application and if shortlisted, you will be contacted with a view to an initial call.