Front End Engineer

Arbor

Location: United Kingdom
Job Type: full-time
Salary: £55,000 to £60,000
Posted: November 17, 2025

Job Description

About us

At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better.

You’ve probably seen the headlines. Heavy workloads, constant change, admin pressure on teachers and staff at every level… sometimes it feels like this is just part and parcel of school life today. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We passionately believe that there’s a better way to work. And it starts by giving everyone the right tools and technology for the job.

We’re building a platform and products we believe in - as well as a strong, diverse team of experienced specialists, ex-teachers and Edtech engineers passionate about making a difference to the sector.

Ultimately, we’re here to help make our schools and trusts stress a little less, and focus on what matters most - improving the lives of teachers and outcomes of students everywhere.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced and collaborative Senior Front End Engineer to join one of our Engineering teams and help us with the ongoing development of Arbor’s front-end library and React Native mobile application. The remit and focus of the role is to directly contribute to the ongoing migration to React from ExtJs, as well as developing new features and libraries, and a comprehensive component library. It’s a broad and exciting role, so we’re looking for someone up for a challenge - if you’re a creative and a keen problem solver, this is the role for you.

Core responsibilities

Work closely with the Product Manager, QA engineer and Technical Lead to solutionise feature requests
Lead the creation of detailed documentation for new feature developments, incorporating diagrams for comprehensive understanding.
Drive the development and implementation of tests around new features, ensuring appropriate coverage and the highest standards.
Drive a user centric front-end platform that delivers exceptional user experiences.
Play a proactive role in mitigating the occurrence of production incidents, identifying risks and ensuring quality. Active role in remediation in the event of an incident, and also root cause analysis with the team to implement measures that prevent future occurrences.
Demonstrate expertise in producing well-architected, efficient, and scalable code using industry-leading design patterns and methodologies.
Take a leadership role in code reviews and pair programming sessions, guiding and mentoring colleagues towards excellence.
Lead and actively participate in tech-talks, workshops, and team-based learning initiatives - ensuring knowledge is disseminated effectively across the team.
Proactively identify and address developer experience and workflow improvements.

Requirements

About you

Extensive expertise in JavaScript and Typescript, with a deep understanding of JavaScript fundamentals.
Proven experience in leading projects with modern Javascript frameworks such as React, Angular, Vue or similar.
Excellent knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Strong understanding of web accessibility.
Strong experience with automated testing (unit testing, integration testing and end-to-end testing).
Good understanding of good software delivery methodologies (e.g. Scrum, Agile)
Advanced understanding and application of best practices and software engineering principles, including SOLID, DRY, etc.
Good understanding of front-end build tools such as Webpack and Babel.
Basic software architecture skills: understands the ways in which frontends can fit into the overall software stack..
Experience with a backend language/framework such as PHP/symfony.
Demonstrates leadership qualities and a proactive problem-solving mindset.
Excellent team collaboration skills and experience in mentoring developers.
A commitment to continuous learning, improvement and staying up-to-date with industry trends.
Excellent written and spoken English for clear and effective communication.
Experience with Docker and containerisation.
Experience with build tooling (Github actions, bash scripting etc.)

Bonus skills

Experience with React Native or other mobile app development technologies.
Past experience with enterprise solutions
Experience developing a frontend framework / platform.
Experience writing PHP
Experience with relational and NoSql database technologies
Experience with build tooling (GitHub actions, bash scripting etc.)
Familiarity with software best practices such as Refactoring, Clean Code, Domain-Driven Design, Test-Driven Development, etc.

Benefits

What we offer

The chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work everyday. We also offer:

A dedicated wellbeing team who champion initiatives such as mindfulness, lunch n learns, manager training, mental health first aid training and much more!
32 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra company wide days given over Easter, Summer & Christmas
Life Assurance paid out at 3x annual salary
Comprehensive wellness benefit provided by AIG Smart Health, which provides a 24/7 virtual GP service, Mental health support, Counselling, and personalised Health Checks
Private Dental Insurance with Bupa
Salary sacrifice Pension provided by Scottish Widows
Enhanced maternity and adoption leave (20 weeks full pay) and paternity (6 weeks full pay) pay
5 free return to work maternity coaching sessions, helping you adapt to this new exciting time of life!
Access to services such as Calm and Bippit (financial wellbeing coaching)
All of our roles champion flexible working and we are happy to discuss what this means to you!
Social committees that plan team, office and company wide events to bring people together and celebrate success
Dedicated professional development training budget (CPD courses, upskilling resources, professional memberships etc)
Volunteer with a charity of your choice for a day each year
Dog friendly offices!

Interview process

Phone screen
1st stage
2nd stage

We are committed to a fair and comfortable recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please reach out to a member of the team at .

Our commitment is also backed by our partnership with Neurodiversity Consultancy, Lexxic who provide us with training, support and advice.

Arbor Education is an equal opportunities organisation

Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive - whatever their ambitions may be so we support and promote diversity and equality, and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

Refer a friend

Know someone else who would be good for this role? You can refer a friend, family member or colleague, if they are offered a role with Arbor, we will say thank you with a voucher valued up to £200! Simply email: Please note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

🎯 Who is this job for?

This role is ideal for a Senior Front-End Engineer based in the UK with strong JavaScript/TypeScript skills, extensive React (or similar) experience, and solid knowledge of testing, accessibility, and architecture principles. Candidates should be comfortable with Agile practices, mentoring peers, and contributing to both web and mobile projects, including a migration to React. Bonus for React Native, PHP/Symfony, Docker, or GitHub Actions experience.

💬 Potential Interview Questions

What are the benefits of using TypeScript in a React + front‑end codebase?
TypeScript provides static typing which helps catch errors at compile time, improves code readability and maintainability, and enhances tooling support like autocomplete and refactoring.
How do you ensure accessibility (a11y) in a web application?
Use semantic HTML, ARIA attributes when needed, ensure full keyboard navigation, check color contrast, use screen‑reader testing, and include accessibility in the definition of done.
What is your approach to building and documenting a reusable component library?
Define clear component APIs/interfaces, separate presentation vs logic, use Storybook (or similar) for documentation, enforce consistent styling and naming and write tests for each component.
What strategies do you use to optimize front‑end performance in React apps?
Code‑split and lazy‑load large components, memoize pure components with React.memo, reduce unnecessary re‑renders via hooks (useMemo, useCallback), minimise bundle size, and defer non‑critical work.
How do you handle feature migrations in front‑end frameworks (e.g., migrating from ExtJS to React)?
Establish clear incremental migration plan, wrap legacy modules, build new features in the new framework, ensure compatibility, maintain documentation and tests, and minimise disruption for users.
What are the best practices for ensuring maintainable and scalable front‑end architecture?
Apply SOLID and DRY principles, separate concerns (UI, state, data), build modules with isolation, keep folder structure by domain, maintain good test coverage, and review architecture periodically.
How do you integrate automated testing into front‑end development?
Write unit tests (Jest), integration tests (React Testing Library), end‑to‑end tests (Cypress or similar), enforce test coverage thresholds, include tests in CI/CD, and review test quality in code reviews.
How do you mentor and lead other developers in a front‑end team?
Lead code reviews with constructive feedback, pair‑program on complex tasks, organize tech‑talks/workshops, provide mentoring sessions, and help teammates understand architecture and best practices.
Describe the role of build tools like Webpack and Babel in front‑end development.
Webpack bundles modules, optimises assets (minify, tree‑shake), manages dependencies and dynamic imports; Babel transpiles modern JS/TS down to browser‑compatible code, enabling use of latest syntax/features.
How do you respond to and manage production incidents on the front‑end?
Monitor metrics and logs, triage incident, identify root cause, fix quickly with rollback if needed, perform post‑mortem to document lessons, implement safeguards/tests to prevent recurrence.

📋 Job Summary

Arbor is hiring a UK-based Front End Engineer (Remote, £55K–£60K) to lead the migration of their education platform from ExtJS to React, and contribute to their React Native app. You’ll develop scalable front-end solutions, influence design patterns, mentor peers, and create exceptional user experiences for schools. Ideal for engineers skilled in JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML/CSS, accessibility, testing, and modern frameworks. Join a mission-driven EdTech team with strong benefits, flexible working, and a real impact on educators and students.