UI React Engineer contract jobs Location : Jersey City, NJ

Job Title: UI React Engineer

Location : Jersey City, NJ 

Exp: 12+ Yrs

Role summary

Lead the design and development of modern, high-performance web experiences using React and the broader front-end ecosystem. This role is front-end focused, partnering closely with Product, UX, and backend/platform teams to deliver cutting-edge UI capabilities and set engineering standards.

Job responsibilities

• Lead development of complex, user-facing web applications using React + TypeScript, owning the front-end architecture and delivery approach.
• Partner with UX/Product to translate designs into polished experiences; influence requirements with feasibility, performance, and accessibility considerations.
• Establish and evolve front-end standards: component architecture, state management, routing, code conventions, and testing practices.
• Build using EXDS UI foundations: design system / component library, theming, responsive layouts, and cross-browser compatibility.
• Drive performance and quality: Core Web Vitals, bundle optimization, rendering strategies, caching, and runtime observability.
• Implement advanced UI capabilities such as rich data visualization, real-time updates, offline-friendly patterns, and robust form/workflow experiences.
• Ensure secure client-side patterns: safe auth flows, token handling guidance, secure storage, and protection against common web vulnerabilities.
• Collaborate with backend teams on API contracts (GraphQL/REST) and advocate for front-end friendly patterns (pagination, filtering, error models).

Required qualifications, capabilities, and skills

• 8+ years professional software engineering experience with significant depth in front-end web development; experience leading projects and mentoring engineers.
• Expert-level React proficiency (hooks, component composition, context, rendering behavior, concurrency-related patterns where applicable).
• Strong TypeScript skills (types-as-design, generics, strictness strategies) and modern JavaScript fundamentals.
• Deep experience with modern front-end tooling: Vite/Webpack, Babel/SWC, npm/pnpm/yarn, monorepos (optional), and build/release pipelines.
• Strong CSS skills: responsive design, CSS architecture (CSS Modules, CSS-in-JS, or utility frameworks), theming, and consistent styling at scale.
• Advanced testing practices: Jest/Vitest, React Testing Library, Playwright/Cypress for E2E; test strategy ownership.
• Accessibility expertise: WCAG/ARIA, keyboard navigation, screen-reader considerations, and automated + manual a11y testing.
• Performance engineering: profiling, bundle splitting, SSR/CSR trade-offs, caching strategies, and Core Web Vitals optimization.
• API integration expertise with GraphQL and REST (schema-driven development, error handling, pagination, caching, and client state strategies).
• Security awareness for web apps: XSS/CSRF prevention, dependency hygiene, secure auth/session patterns (OIDC awareness a plus).
• Observability for the front end: client-side logging/metrics, error reporting, and debugging production issues.
• MUST: Proficiency using AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate implementation, refactoring, test creation, and debugging—while validating correctness and adhering to secure handling practices.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with SSR/meta frameworks: Next.js / Remix and SEO considerations.
• Experience leveraging a design system (Storybook, tokens).
• Experience with micro-frontend patterns and module federation (where relevant).
• Experience with visualization and rich UI: D3, Canvas/WebGL, advanced tables/grids, animation libraries.
• Familiarity with authentication integrations (OIDC/OAuth2) and enterprise SSO constraints.
• Proven track record modernizing legacy front ends and improving developer experience (DX).