Principal Front End Engineer

General Dynamics Information Technology•USA MD Home Office (MDHOME), MD

2d•$147,292 - $199,278•Remote

About The Position

This role is for a Principal Front End Engineer who will define and drive the strategic direction for frontend engineering practices, tooling, and skillset across the organization. The engineer will lead the development of accessible, performant, and user-centered web applications that serve government customers, serving as the technical authority and thought leader for frontend architecture and engineering excellence. Responsibilities include designing and implementing modern frontend architectures, development pipelines, and deployment infrastructure, as well as delivering new features and improvements to customer-facing applications with a strong focus on user experience and accessibility compliance (Section 508, WCAG). The role involves collaborating with product managers, building and maintaining component libraries, design systems, and shared frontend infrastructure, identifying opportunities to modernize the frontend stack, and establishing and championing frontend best practices. Mentoring and coaching engineers, influencing technical decisions, and working across the full stack when needed are also key aspects of this position.

Requirements

Must be a US Citizen and able to obtain and maintain Public Trust 6C
Demonstrated track record of leading and delivering multiple production-ready, accessible,
Proven experience architecting and implementing modern frontend applications at scale using React and/or Angular
Track record of establishing frontend engineering standards, practices, and tooling that improve team productivity and code quality
Working experience with frontend build tooling, bundling strategies, and deployment pipelines (Webpack, Vite, pnpm, npm, or similar)
Strong understanding of web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA minimum, Section 508 compliance) with practical implementation experience including accessibility linting (axe-core, eslint-pluginjsx-a11y) and automated accessibility testing in CI/CD pipelines
Experience with automated frontend testing strategies including unit testing, component testing, and end-to-end UI testing with tools like Playwright, Cypress, or similar
Familiarity with frontend infrastructure, CDN strategies, asset optimization, and progressive enhancement patterns
Experience with design systems, component libraries, and maintaining consistency across multiple applications
Strong proficiency in modern JavaScript/TypeScript and deep understanding of web platform APIs
Solid understanding of CSS architecture, mobile-first responsive design, and cross-browser compatibility
Working knowledge of automated testing strategies including unit testing (Jest, Vitest), component testing (React Testing Library, Angular Testing Library), and end-to-end UI testing (Playwright)
Experience integrating accessibility validation into testing pipelines using axe-core or similar tools
Experience with state management patterns and asynchronous data handling in frontend applications
Practical knowledge of web performance optimization, Core Web Vitals, and frontend monitoring
Understanding of API integration patterns, GraphQL or REST, and working with backend services
Familiarity with cloud deployment patterns for frontend applications (CDN, static hosting)
Experience establishing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines with automated accessibility checks, linting, and testing
Strong product thinking with ability to balance user needs, business requirements, and technical constraints
Willingness to work closely with product managers to ideate on best UI/UX experiences, making pragmatic trade-offs between optimal user experience and implementation effort
Working knowledge of modern UI/UX principles, design patterns, and user-centered design methodologies
Experience collaborating with product managers and designers throughout the development lifecycle on customer-facing applications
Ability to provide technical input during design discussions and advocate for feasible, accessible solutions
Data-driven approach to measuring and improving user experience through analytics and user feedback
Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale technical initiatives from vision to production, influencing outcomes across multiple teams
Quality driven, sets the standard for excellence in communication, code, and documentation
Ability to communicate complex technical concepts and strategic vision clearly to engineers, designers, product managers, executives, and external stakeholders
Proven track record of mentoring and developing engineers at all levels, building organizational frontend capability
Recognized advocate for sound engineering practices who establishes patterns and influences engineering culture
Comfort leading cross-functional initiatives, making architectural decisions with organizational impact, and navigating technical/business trade-offs at the principal level

Nice To Haves

Backend experience is valuable but frontend is your primary focus

Responsibilities

Define and drive the strategic direction for frontend engineering practices, tooling, and skillset across the organization
Lead the development of accessible, performant, and user-centered web applications that serve government customers
Serve as the technical authority and thought leader for frontend architecture and engineering excellence
Design and implement modern frontend architectures, development pipelines, and deployment infrastructure
Deliver new features and improvements to our customer-facing applications with a strong focus on user experience and accessibility compliance (Section 508, WCAG)
Collaborate with product managers to ideate and balance optimal UI/UX experience with implementation effort, making pragmatic trade-offs that deliver value
Build and maintain component libraries, design systems, and shared frontend infrastructure that enable team velocity and consistency
Identify opportunities to modernize our frontend stack and take ownership of technical initiatives that improve developer experience and application quality
Establish and champion frontend best practices including mobile-first development, testing strategies, performance optimization, accessibility standards, and code quality patterns
Mentor and coach engineers at all levels on frontend technologies and establish career development pathways for frontend specialization
Influence technical decisions across teams and serve as a strategic advisor on frontend initiatives
Work across the full stack when needed to solve problems end-to-end – backend experience is valuable but frontend is your primary focus

Benefits

Variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts
Dental plan options
Vision plan
401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match
Full flex work weeks where possible
Variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays
Paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave
15 days of paid leave per calendar year to be used for vacations, personal business, and illness
10 paid holidays per year
Paid Family Leave program provides a total of up to 160 hours of paid leave in a rolling 12 month period for eligible employees
Short and long-term disability benefits
Life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance