Role Overview
As a Lead Frontend Engineer, you will own the end-to-end direction of our frontend applications used across convenience-store robotics operations. You will collaborate closely with business teams to clarify requirements, work with designers on implementation-ready specifications, and lead the prototyping → implementation → release workflow. You will guide two existing frontend engineers as a player-coach while continuing to contribute hands-on.
You will work in an English-speaking engineering team while delivering a product primarily for Japanese end users. While Japanese managers and business stakeholders can communicate in English, a significant portion of the input information and business context is in Japanese.
Team & Platform Context
We are planning to migrate our legacy Unity-based 2D application to a modern WebView-based architecture in the future. Currently, we are in the initial phase of building a simple web application using TypeScript and React, which integrates with a newly developed .NET REST API backend. While our broader ecosystem relies on C#, gRPC, and Azure, this role focuses on establishing this new web-standard client layer from the ground up. Historically, engineers touched all components; as we scale, we are specializing roles. You will lead the frontend domain, bridging the gap between complex robotics data and intuitive user experiences, while laying the groundwork for a unified multi-platform client application.
The Challenge: Software Meets Hardware
Because our software applications (spanning both frontend and backend) serve as the direct interface for end-users, we face a constant stream of diverse and evolving requirements. You will work in a unique environment where software speed meets hardware reality:
- Bridging the Cycle Gap: Hardware and Automation development cycles are inherently longer than pure software. You will often need to devise creative software workarounds to mitigate hardware issues or implement "virtual" features to validate business value before hardware is ready.
- Elevating Engineering Standards: While teams in other specialized domains are experts in their fields, they may be less familiar with modern SaaS practices or non-functional requirements (NFRs). You will act as a bridge, supporting other teams with general software development know-how and ensuring the overall system is robust and scalable.
This role requires more than just coding; it demands the flexibility to navigate constraints and the leadership to raise the bar for software engineering across the organization.
Company-Wide Tech Stack
- Frontend: TypeScript, React, C#, Blazor, (Tailwind, shadcn)
- Backend: .NET
- Cloud Infra: Terraform, Azure, Kubernetes
- Data Stores: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
- IoT/Edge: .NET, C++, Python, ROS, NVIDIA Jetson AGX, IoT boards
- CI/CD: GitHub Actions, SonarQube, Ansible
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Ownership
- Technical Strategy: Establish the architectural foundation for the new frontend application, making pragmatic choices that ensure maintainability and future scalability.
- Team Mentorship: Act as a player-coach, actively writing code while mentoring engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and technical guidance.
- Product Delivery: Lead the end-to-end delivery lifecycle—from requirement definition and design review to implementation, release, and post-deployment monitoring.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with backend (.NET), design, robotics, and operations teams to ensure high-quality, integrated user experiences.
Technical Execution & Architecture
- Core Development: Design and implement complex frontend features using TypeScript and modern React, setting the standard for code quality.
- Architecture Evolution: Evolve application architecture, focusing on state management, routing, performance tuning, and error handling.
- API Integration: Architect robust integration patterns with backend services via REST and gRPC.
- Multi-Platform Strategy: Support delivery across multiple targets (Web, WebView-based mobile apps).
- Reliability & Ops: Ensure system reliability through comprehensive instrumentation (logging, metrics, error tracking) and lead incident resolution.
Continuous Improvement
- Tech Radar: Stay current with emerging frontend technologies and propose platform improvements.
- Process Optimization: Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, refining agile workflows and CI/CD processes.
Requirements - Must-Have
- 7+ years of professional experience as a software engineer.
- 5+ years of hands-on experience with TypeScript and React.
- 3+ years of experience developing applications for real users, including release and operation phases.
- Experience in team development using Git with 5 or more engineers.
- Experience mentoring engineering team members.
- Experience participating in technical decision-making.
- Experience collaborating closely with business and design teams.
- Experience developing WebView-based mobile applications.
- Ability to communicate effectively in English.
- Willingness or ability to understand Japanese documentation and context (input is often in Japanese).
Requirements - Nice-to-Have
- Experience working in both early-stage startups and established large-scale organizations.
- Experience with frontend observability (error logs, performance metrics, user flow instrumentation).
- Experience with automated testing tools (Jest, Testing Library, Cypress, Playwright).
- Experience in robotics, IoT, or dashboards requiring real-time telemetry.
- Ability to communicate in Japanese.
- Experience with .NET/C# backend development.
- Experience with Blazor.
Soft Skills & Behaviors
- Balanced Mindset: You understand the trade-off between startup agility and the reliability required for enterprise systems. You can drive uncertain products to launch while ensuring stability through pragmatic quality practices.
- Self-Managed & Resilient: You excel in unstructured environments with shifting business requirements, managing your own tasks and stress levels effectively.
- Communication Bridge: You can explain technical trade-offs to non-engineering members and propose alternatives in plain language.
- Clarifier: Comfortable leading ambiguous discussions and forming clarity from rough requirements.
- Team Builder: Invested in developing the skills and productivity of the frontend team through mentoring and process improvements.
- Collaborative Owner: Low-ego, proactive, and solution-oriented; you take initiative to identify problems and drive them to completion.
