Lead Front End Developer

We are looking for an experienced Lead Front-End Developer with deep expertise in Umbraco CMS to join our growing digital team. In this role, you’ll lead the development of web projects, mentor and manage a team of developers, and drive technical excellence across our digital delivery. This is an exciting opportunity to shape scalable, secure, and performant solutions for a wide range of clients and internal stakeholders. It requires someone who has appropriate technical ability and who can also communicate technical concepts to non-technical users, working alongside our Business Analysts and Product Owners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end development and architecture design of web solutions
• Manage day-to-day running of the front-end development team
• Create scalable and maintainable codebases using best practices in C#, ASP.NET, and modern front-end technologies
• Set coding standards, conduct code reviews, and ensure high-quality software delivery
• Coach team members to improve their skills and the delivery of projects
• Manage tickets (incidents) appropriate to the Front-End Development team
• Ensure web applications are secure, responsive, and optimized for performance and accessibility
• Identify and suggest opportunities to improve systems and underlying data through continuous improvement

Competencies Required

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts in non-technical terms
• Attention to detail & accuracy
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments
• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a team, including with cross-functional teams

Technical Skills Required

• 5+ years of experience in front-end development with 2+ years in a leadership role
• Strong experience with Umbraco CMS (v12+), including custom component and plugin development
• Proficiency in C#, ASP.NET MVC/Core, Razor, and Entity Framework
• Solid understanding of front-end technologies: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+), and modern frameworks (React, Vue.js, etc. is a bonus)
• Strong understanding of RESTful APIs, JSON, and integrations with third-party services
• Experience with source control systems, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment automation
• Experience of setup and maintenance of cloud hosting (e.g. Azure)

General

• To undertake any other duties that may fall into the job criteria
• To conform with all Company policies and procedures including Health and Safety
• To treat all employees, customer and suppliers with dignity and respect
• This job description is not intended as an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the post but simply reflects the key areas involved

About Us

As the UK’s largest independent travel agency, Hays Travel specialise in providing good value, quality holidays alongside excellent customer service. We work with all leading suppliers and can package holidays that include hotels, flights, cruises, tours, attraction tickets, and more. We have over 470 Branches throughout the UK and our Head Office based in Sunderland, is home to tour operator teams, finance, marketing, people/HR and IT, plus many more. We have been operating for over 40 years and continue to grow each year.

Our values

Our SMILE values are embedded into our Company and ensures our teams work strongly together. You and all of our colleagues will ensure that the Hays Travel values are demonstrated at all times.

• Supportive
• Motivational
• Innovative
• Loyal
• Excellent

What it’s like to work for us?

Whichever location or department you work in, our people are always at the heart of everything we do. We offer a range of training programmes to help you progress personally and professionally, as we know the benefits of promoting and rewarding our hardworking colleagues are extremely important.

Of course, it's not all about work, we're very sociable and there are always lots of team nights-out and company parties. Plus, there are opportunities to travel abroad on educational trips, and you can also take advantage of our colleague discount when booking your own holidays.

Hays Travel is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all colleagues. As an accredited employer provider of apprenticeships, we undertake basic checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure the safety of our apprentices for relevant roles.