Senior Front End Developer
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract (7 Month FTC)
Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office)
Working hours per week: 40 hours
Level: Senior
Application Closing Date: Wednesday 6th May 2026
About the team and the role
We are looking for a Senior Front End Developer for a 7-month impact-driven contract. At Ocado Retail, we operate with the pace and autonomy required to lead the industry. This role is for a technical leader who thrives in a fast-moving environment and can juggle multiple priorities without losing sight of code quality or business objectives.
You will be the bridge between engineering and the wider business. We need an expert who leverages AI tools like Gemini and Claude to automate the mundane, allowing them to focus on high-level strategy, building strong stakeholder relationships, and ensuring our A/B testing suite is robust and error-free.
What you’ll do
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Build and maintain strong relationships not just with engineers, but with Product, Design, and Data teams. You will act as a technical consultant to the wider business, explaining complex frontend trade-offs in clear, non-technical language.
- Technical Quality & PR Ownership: Lead the Pull Request (PR) process. You will provide direct, actionable feedback to engineers to ensure code is clean and performant, maintaining the trust our users have in our platform.
- Managing Pace & Priorities: Comfortably switch between feature development, urgent bug fixes, and long-term automation projects. You can manage multiple workstreams effectively, ensuring we maintain momentum without sacrificing stability.
- AI-Enhanced Development: Actively use and advocate for AI-driven workflows. You will leverage AI tools for complex logic problem-solving, code refactoring, and automating documentation to significantly increase team velocity.
- Hands-on QA & Reliability: You are responsible for the end-to-end quality of frontend releases. This includes performing manual functional testing and writing automated unit/E2E tests to ensure zero-defect deployments.
- Safe A/B Testing: Architect and oversee experimentation logic. You will ensure tests are technically sound, reducing downtime and preventing performance regressions, upholding our commitment to data-driven excellence.
Who you are
- Senior JavaScript Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of modern JS/TS and React/Next.js with a deep understanding of browser performance.
- Exceptional Relationship Skills: A proven track record of collaborating with non-technical stakeholders (Product Owners, UX Researchers, Marketing) to drive business value.
- AI Power User: Extensive experience using Gemini, Claude, and GitHub Copilot to optimize the development lifecycle - from writing unit tests to debugging complex state management.
- Leadership & Values: Proven experience leading teams in high-velocity environments. You embody Trust through your technical decisions and Pace through your delivery.
- Full-Cycle QA Mindset: You take pride in shipping bug-free code and are proficient with testing frameworks like Playwright, Cypress, or Vitest.
- Diplomatic & Direct: Comfortable giving firm technical feedback to engineers while maintaining a collaborative and supportive relationship with the wider business.
- Resilient & Organised: Able to stay productive while handling context-switching across different projects and stakeholders.
- Proactive Communicator: You don't just solve problems; you keep everyone informed of the "why" and the "how," ensuring alignment across the board.
What’s in it for you
By joining Ocado Retail, you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. You'll also be part of our AI Academy, a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.
Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.
Spend & Save: Recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.
Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.
Everyone’s welcome
We’re an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at careers@ocadoretail.com and we'll be happy to assist you, and if you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.
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