Senior Front-End Engineer (Tech Lead)

Job Description

We started Cognito because traditional textbooks were dry, revision sites were fragmented, and private tutors were inaccessible to most students. Today, over 1 million students use our platform to master GCSE and A-Level sciences and maths, completing hundreds of millions of questions. We've grown from a YouTube channel (now 40+ million views annually) into a comprehensive learning platform with 100,000+ monthly active users.

However, we're just getting started. We're expanding internationally, building a mobile app, and developing AI features that will make personalised education accessible to every student. You'd join as our Senior Front-End Engineer (Tech Lead) - a hands-on role where you'll write code most of the time while leading our small front-end team and shaping how we build.

What you'll actually do

This is a hands-on technical leadership role - you'll spend roughly 70-80% of your time writing code, with the rest on leading our front-end team and making architectural decisions.

Building (the majority of your time):

• Build core platform features using React and TypeScript: Duolingo-style gamification, AI marking interfaces, progress tracking, and other high-impact student-facing experiences
• Translate Figma designs into pixel-perfect, accessible implementations
• Shape our testing practices - work with the team to establish pragmatic patterns for what's worth testing and how

Leading:

• Own technical direction for the front-end - you'll be the go-to person for architectural decisions, patterns, and standards
• Lead our front-end team - currently two developers, with a React Native mobile developer likely joining soon. It's a small team, so the coordination overhead is light
• Lead sprint planning for front-end work: prioritisation, estimation sanity-checks, and keeping tickets on track
• Mentor and unblock other engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and potentially 1:1s

You'll have significant autonomy and a direct line to the CEO and Head of Engineering. There's also flexibility in how much leadership responsibility you take on - we can shape the role based on how much of the coordination side appeals to you.

Requirements

Technical skills:

• Strong React, Next.js, and TypeScript skills - you're comfortable building complex, performant web applications
• Familiarity with back-end concepts - you don't need to be a back-end expert, but you understand how APIs, databases, and server-side logic work well enough to make informed architectural decisions across the stack (we use Node.js, GraphQL/Apollo Server, and MongoDB)
• AI-native approach to development - you actively use tools like Cursor, Claude, etc. to accelerate your work

Leadership skills:

• You've led or significantly influenced a front-end codebase before - setting patterns, making architectural calls, improving standards
• You're comfortable giving direct feedback and helping less experienced engineers grow
• You enjoy staying close to the code - you're drawn to the technical IC track rather than pure people management

What makes someone a good Tech Lead here:

• You can take a rough concept and ship it without constant direction
• You think about user impact and product outcomes, not just completing tickets
• You're pragmatic - you know when to push for quality and when to ship fast
• You can context-switch between deep coding work and helping others without losing momentum

How we work

• Fully remote across the UK - typical hours 9am-5:30pm with flexibility around what works for you
• AI-forward - We expect you to use AI tools throughout your workflow. It's part of how we stay fast and competitive
• Fast-paced but sustainable - We ship quickly and iterate based on real student feedback, but we're not a burnout culture
• Light on process - No unnecessary meetings or bureaucracy. Short ad-hoc calls when needed, daily standups, and focus on shipping
• Direct impact - Your work will be used by hundreds of thousands of students. You'll see the difference you're making

You'll work closely with the Head of Engineering, other frontend engineers, product designer, and CEO. As a relatively small team, you'll play a pivotal role in helping shape technical direction as we grow.

Benefits

Working here

• Salary - Competitive salary with regular reviews
• Holiday - 25 days + bank holidays
• Equipment - We'll provide whatever you need to do your best work
• Flexibility - Typical hours 9am-5:30pm, but flexible around what works for you
• Growth - Room to grow into more formal technical leadership as we scale
• Modern work culture - No unnecessary meetings or bureaucracy, focused on building things that matter

How to apply

To apply for this role, please complete the application form.

We'll aim to review applications and get back to you within two weeks, not counting the Christmas break (22nd December - 5th January).

Our hiring process:

1. Application review - We'll review your CV, work examples, and application responses
2. Initial conversation - Either a 10-15 minute screening call or a short video about a project you've worked on
3. First interview - Conversation with the team to discuss your experience and approach
4. Next steps - Depending on how things go, this might include additional interviews or a paid technical assessment

The exact process will vary depending on the candidate and how conversations develop - we prefer to keep things flexible rather than rigidly structured.