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Consortia
Consortia

Engineering

Front End Developer Recruitment

Specialist front end developer recruiters working across the US, UK, EU and UAE.

Trusted by tech teams from start-ups to globally recognised brands

  • eBay
  • Ocado
  • Sainsbury's
  • Bose
  • LexisNexis
  • Entain
  • babylon
  • Paymentsense
  • FNZ
  • Auto1
  • Synthace
  • PokerStars
  • eConsult
  • Lloyds Pharmacy
Five-star review
“Every candidate they sourced was an exact match, which saved us real time. More of a trusted partner now than a recruiter.”

Mark T. · Director of Engineering, HR-tech platform

5.0 on Google from 200+ reviews

Overview

Front end work increasingly sits inside developer and full stack roles, which makes strong specialists harder to spot from a job title alone. The people we look for may be called front end developers, front end engineers or UI developers. What they have in common is depth in the browser: how an interface is built, how quickly it loads and whether everyone can use it.

We help product and platform teams hire front end developers on permanent and contract terms. Most of the roles we see ask for React and TypeScript, with Angular and Vue.js also in demand. Where local supply is thin we search more widely, and some hires are fully remote, including the first remote React engineers at Perkbox.

How we recruit front end developers

Front end briefs differ more than the job title suggests. Some are mainly about the user-facing experience. Others put equal weight on performance, accessibility, observability and experimentation. The lines between roles can also get blurred easily. If the work centres on design systems and prototyping, a UX engineer may be the better fit. Where the engineer will shape the product as well as build it, the role may sit closer to a product engineer.

We ask candidates about problems they have measured and fixed, as well as the features they have shipped. We also check the framework requirement with the client early. A team working in Vue will often consider a strong React or Angular engineer, and design system roles can call for plain JavaScript, CSS and web components with no framework at all. So we ask how recently a candidate has worked outside their main framework, and how they feel about switching.

Before anyone is put forward, we make sure the role and the candidate match: what the client needs from the hire, and what the candidate wants from their next move. We also find out how the process runs, including how many stages there are and what each one tests. Front end processes vary. They often include an HR call, a technical test or challenge, a pair programming session and one or more standard interviews. Candidates hear what to expect before they commit, so they know what they are getting into.

We have separate consultants for permanent and contract hiring, so each search is run by someone who does that kind of work every day. On the contract side, we draw on a network of front end contractors with strong work histories, many of whom have worked with us for years. Contract processes are often shorter, but most still include a technical test. Clients want to be confident a contractor can do the work themselves before they commit the budget. As with permanent roles, contractors know the day rate, the stages and what any test involves before they are put forward. We recruit front end developers across the UK, Europe, the US and the UAE.

Salary guide

Front End Developers salaries

These ranges reflect what employers are advertising right now. Accepted offers can look different. Speak to a consultant about what's actually getting accepted.

We track what UK employers are advertising for this role. Ask us for the current ranges.

Work email only, we send guides to hiring teams.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Should we hire for a specific framework, such as React or Angular?

Framework experience helps people get up to speed quickly, and many clients ask for it. Strong front end engineers can often move between frameworks, though, because the fundamentals carry over: JavaScript and TypeScript, performance, accessibility and testing. Insisting on a less common framework can narrow the pool considerably.

Should front end roles be permanent or contract?

Both work. Many experienced front end developers have moved into contracting, which has thinned the permanent pool and made contractors easier to find for short-term needs. Permanent roles still attract engineers who want to shape a product and a design system over time. Being open to either can speed things up.

What should a front end developer know beyond the framework?

Accessibility, performance, testing and how to work with designers and design systems. Good front end engineers also think about how the interface behaves on slow connections and different devices. These skills often separate a strong hire from someone who knows the framework well but builds interfaces that are hard to maintain.

What is the difference between a front end developer and a design engineer?

A design engineer works closer to design, often prototyping, building component libraries and turning designs into polished, detailed interfaces. A front end developer typically covers a wider range of application work, including data, state and integration with backend services. The line varies between companies, so we check which the role really needs.

How do I start working with Consortia?

Clients can get in touch to discuss a brief, and candidates are welcome to register their interest. The quickest route is our contact page or a call to +44 203 397 4565, and one of our consultants will pick things up from there.

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