Principal Frontend Developer

Are you an experienced front-end developer with a strong track record in designing and leading technical projects, mentoring teams, and working with modern technologies like Contentful, Netlify, Gatsby, Storybook, CircleCI, and Nx? Join Shelter as a Principal Front-end Developer and take ownership of our front-end technology vision, driving the development of our design system and supporting products that help deliver faster, more effective services to our clients and supporters.

About the role

This role is part of Shelter’s in-house development team, reporting to the Lead Developer, and working closely with all product teams in the Central Digital team.

As Principal Front-end Developer, you’ll work in a product team and be responsible for the overall vision and development of the front-end technology stack with a strong focus on the technical design and implementation of Shelters design system.

You will also support the development of products to help Shelter to provide faster, more efficient, and effective services to clients and supporters.

Our tech stack consists of Contentful, Netlify, Gatsby Js, Storybook, CircleCI and Nx.

You’ll head up the front-end development team, mentoring senior developers, supporting them and their reports (a total of 6 in your team) in their day-to-day work. 

Role Specifics 

In this role, you will support the Lead Developer in managing the front-end team, promoting a culture of ownership, responsibility, and innovation. You will take the lead in designing and delivering Shelter’s design system, pattern library, and build tools, while continuously exploring emerging front-end technologies to enhance our digital products and user experience. Working closely with UX, product, and content teams, you will drive strategically important projects from development through to evidence-based improvements after launch. You will champion accessibility, web performance, and modern development standards across the organisation.

You will also play a key role in improving front-end team processes, ensuring high-quality, performant, and accessible code aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. This includes mentoring the team through regular code reviews, setting development goals, and fostering collaboration within Agile teams. By sharing knowledge and staying current with the latest technologies, you will help maintain a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society. 

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme. 

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team  

The Central Digital team team plays a key role within Shelter by producing impactful user experiences for our advocacy and fundraising campaigns, as well as our advice services. The team includes designers, researchers, developers, testers, product managers and delivery managers, who work in cross-functional product teams, each focused on specific strategic goals. We put real user needs and behaviours at the heart of our process, championing an agile, iterative, and data-driven way of working across the organisation. 

The digital team sits within the Campaigns, Policy, and Communications (CPC) directorate, working closely with other teams – particularly the content, marketing and creative teams. Collectively, they set the example for Shelter in digital best practice, discovery, and innovation.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent.

We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement 

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.