Developer / Senior Developer - React | Typescript | NodeJS | Material UI

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Developer / Senior Developer - React | Typescript | NodeJS | Material UI

Company: Next Plc

Location: Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: Frontend Development / Software Engineering

Date Posted: 2026-05-09T17:40:01

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Develop and maintain a high-performance, quality-centric eCommerce platform user interface using modern frontend technologies.

• Collaborate within an agile team environment, contributing to platform design decisions and driving continuous improvement in development practices.

• Implement UI performance best practices and responsive design principles for a seamless user experience across multiple viewports.

• Provide essential development support, including participation in an on-call rota for critical out-of-hours support during peak trading periods.

• Mentor junior developers, sharing expertise in development methodologies and optimization techniques to foster team growth and efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title specifies "Developer / Senior Developer," the "5-10 years" experience level and the mention of mentoring junior developers strongly suggest the role leans towards a Senior Developer capacity. The focus on influencing platform design and driving process evolution also aligns with senior-level contributions.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain efficient, reusable, and reliable frontend code using React, Typescript, and NodeJS.

• Develop and implement user-facing features for Next Plc's global eCommerce platform, ensuring high standards of quality and performance.

• Collaborate closely with Delivery Managers, product owners, and other developers to translate business requirements into technical solutions.

• Proactively identify and address performance bottlenecks, implementing UI performance best practices and optimizing frontend code for speed and scalability.

• Contribute to the architectural discussions and technical roadmap planning for the eCommerce platform, with a focus on future-proof solutions.

• Create and maintain responsive web designs that adapt flawlessly to various screen sizes and devices, enhancing user accessibility and engagement.

• Participate in code reviews, providing constructive feedback to peers and upholding coding standards and best practices.

• Troubleshoot and resolve bugs and technical issues, providing timely development support to internal users and participating in the on-call rota as required.

• Drive the continuous improvement of team processes, workflow, and working practices through initiative and collaboration.

• Stay abreast of emerging frontend technologies and industry trends, evaluating their potential application to enhance the platform and development efficiency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities have been expanded to detail the typical duties of a Senior Frontend Developer within an eCommerce context, incorporating keywords like "eCommerce platform," "scalability," "architectural discussions," and "technical roadmap planning" to align with industry expectations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field is often preferred for senior-level development roles. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

Experience: Minimum of 5-10 years of professional experience in frontend development, with a proven track record of delivering complex web applications.

Required Skills:

• Modern Javascript Frameworks: Strong proficiency in React and NextJS is essential for building dynamic and performant user interfaces.

• Typescript: Expertise in using Typescript for robust, scalable, and maintainable frontend codebases.

• NodeJS: Solid experience with NodeJS for server-side rendering, API development, or other backend functionalities relevant to a high-performance eCommerce platform.

• UI Performance Optimization: Demonstrated understanding and practical application of UI performance best practices, including techniques for optimizing load times and rendering efficiency.

• Responsive Design: Proven ability to create responsive websites and applications that deliver a consistent and optimal user experience across various devices and viewports.

• Readable & Maintainable Code: A commitment to writing clean, modular, extendable, and well-documented code that adheres to industry best practices.

• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Strong aptitude for identifying issues, analyzing root causes, and developing effective solutions in a complex technical environment.

• Mentorship: Experience in mentoring junior developers, guiding them on development methodologies, code quality, and performance optimization techniques.

Preferred Skills:

• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): Understanding of SOA principles and how they apply to building scalable and flexible systems.

• Micro Frontends: Experience in designing and implementing Micro Frontend architectures to enhance modularity and independent deployment of frontend components.

• Web Accessibility (WCAG): Knowledge of and experience implementing web accessibility standards to ensure the platform is usable by all individuals.

• Web Design & Usability: Familiarity with modern web design principles and user experience (UX) best practices to enhance user engagement and satisfaction.

• Microsoft Azure: Experience with Azure cloud services, particularly in deployment, hosting, or related infrastructure for web applications.

• Agile Methodologies: Practical experience working within Agile development frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and participating in agile ceremonies.

• Material UI: Proficiency in using Material UI components for consistent and visually appealing user interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Essential criteria" and "Desirable" sections have been structured into Required and Preferred Skills, using more formal job description language. Specific technologies like Material UI have been explicitly listed in the preferred section based on common tech stacks. The experience level has been quantified to 5-10 years, aligning with the "Senior Developer" implication and mentoring responsibilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Case Studies of UI Development: Showcase projects where you've developed complex user interfaces, demonstrating your ability to translate design mockups and user stories into functional, high-quality frontend code. Highlight the technologies used (React, Typescript, NodeJS) and your role in the development lifecycle.

• Performance Optimization Examples: Include examples of how you've improved website performance, detailing the specific metrics you targeted (e.g., load time, rendering speed, Lighthouse scores) and the techniques you employed.

• Responsive Design Implementations: Present examples of websites or applications you've built that effectively adapt to multiple viewports, showcasing your understanding of responsive design principles and best practices.

• Code Quality & Maintainability: Demonstrate your commitment to writing clean, well-structured, and maintainable code. This could include examples of your approach to modularity, component-based architecture, and adherence to coding standards.

• Mentorship Contributions: If applicable, provide examples or testimonials of how you have mentored junior developers, illustrating your ability to guide and upskill team members.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Showcase experience in defining and improving frontend development workflows, from initial requirements gathering and development to testing and deployment.

• Best Practices Implementation: Document your approach to integrating industry best practices, such as CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and code review processes, into the development lifecycle.

• System Integration: If applicable, provide examples of how you've integrated frontend applications with backend services or APIs, demonstrating an understanding of system interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section focuses on how a candidate can demonstrate their skills and experience through a portfolio, particularly for a frontend development role. It emphasizes showcasing concrete examples of their work, with a strong focus on process, optimization, and collaboration, which are key for operations-adjacent roles or senior technical positions.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the role title (Developer / Senior Developer), location (Leicester, UK), and required experience (5-10 years), the estimated annual salary range is £40,800 - £53,800 GBP. This estimate reflects market rates for experienced frontend developers in the UK, considering the specific technologies mentioned and the company's status as a large retail organization.

Benefits:

• Employee Discount: 25% off most NEXT products, plus discounts on partner brands like MADE, Lipsy, Gap, and Victoria's Secret.

• Company Performance Bonus: Eligibility for a company performance-based bonus, rewarding collective success.

• Sharesave Scheme: Opportunity to participate in a Sharesave scheme, allowing for investment in company shares.

• On-site Nursery: Access to an on-site nursery with an OFSTED outstanding rating.

• Early VIP Access to Sale Stock: Benefit from early access to sale events.

• Staff Shop Discounts: Significant discounts available at Next's staff shops.

• On-site Restaurants: Access to restaurants offering affordable dining options.

• Health & Wellbeing Services: Provision of a digital GP service and other free health and wellbeing support.

• Free On-site Parking: Convenient free parking available at the office location.

• Financial Wellbeing Support: Tools and resources to help employees save, track, and enhance their financial wellbeing.

• Apprenticeship Opportunities: Possibility for on-the-job growth and development through apprenticeship programs.

• Direct to Work Delivery: Discounted online and in-store purchases with free next-day collection from the workplace or local store.

• Support Networks: Access to employee network groups for empowerment and mutual support.

• Wellhub Gym Memberships: Discounted flexible monthly gym memberships with access to apps, PT sessions, and more.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are approximately 36 hours per week. While specific flexibility is not detailed, the mention of an on-call rota suggests a need for availability outside of standard hours during peak periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is estimated based on industry benchmarks for similar roles in the specified UK location and experience level. The listed benefits are directly extracted from the provided text and presented in a clear, itemized format. The working hours are noted as 36 per week, a common figure for retail sector roles in the UK.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Next Plc operates within the Retail sector, specifically as a leading fashion and homeware retailer. As a FTSE-100 company, it has a significant market presence and a global reach, indicating a structured and dynamic corporate environment. This industry focus implies a strong emphasis on customer experience, efficient supply chains, and consumer trends.

Company Size: Next Plc is a large organization, employing over 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland. This scale suggests that the development team is likely part of a larger IT or digital division, offering opportunities for specialized roles and exposure to enterprise-level systems and processes.

Founded: Founded in 1982, Next Plc has a long-standing history in the retail industry. This longevity points to a stable company with established operational processes and a culture that has evolved over decades, likely balancing tradition with innovation.

Team Structure:

• Agile Team: The role is situated within an agile team, led by a Delivery Manager. This implies a collaborative, iterative development approach focused on delivering value incrementally.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Developers will work alongside other developers and likely interact with product owners, designers, and QA testers to build and enhance the eCommerce platform.

• Global Reach: The platform serves millions of users worldwide, indicating that the team's work has a significant global impact and may involve considerations for internationalization and localization.

Methodology:

• Quality-Centric Development: The team prioritizes quality in its development efforts, suggesting a focus on robust testing, code reviews, and adherence to best practices.

• Continuous Improvement: There is a stated commitment to the continuous improvement of team processes and working practices, encouraging proactive contributions from developers.

• Data-Driven Evolution: While not explicitly stated for this role, large retail platforms typically leverage data analytics to inform decisions about platform design and evolution.

Company Website: https://www.nextplc.co.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: This section synthesizes information about Next Plc from the provided data and general knowledge of large retail organizations. It frames the company context in a way that's relevant to a developer role, highlighting the scale, industry, and likely team dynamics, with an emphasis on the agile and quality-focused nature of the development environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Frontend Developer. This level implies a high degree of technical autonomy, the ability to tackle complex development challenges, and a responsibility for mentoring less experienced team members. Senior developers are expected to contribute to technical strategy, influence architectural decisions, and drive best practices within their domain.

Reporting Structure: The developer will report to a Delivery Manager within an agile team. This structure suggests a focus on project delivery and team collaboration, with the Delivery Manager overseeing the team's progress and removing impediments. The role also involves collaboration with other developers and potentially stakeholders from product or design teams.

Operations Impact: While this is a development role, its impact is directly tied to the performance and user experience of Next Plc's critical eCommerce platform. A well-developed, high-performing, and user-friendly interface directly influences customer acquisition, conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue. Improvements in UI performance and user experience can lead to measurable business gains.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in React, Typescript, NodeJS, and related frontend technologies, potentially exploring advanced patterns like Micro Frontends or specific UI performance tuning.

• Architectural Influence: As a senior member, there's a chance to influence the technical architecture and roadmap of the eCommerce platform, moving towards more strategic technical contributions.

• Leadership Development: Through mentoring junior developers and potentially leading small technical initiatives, there are pathways to develop leadership skills, which could lead to Lead Developer or Technical Architect roles in the future.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Involvement in an agile team provides exposure to various aspects of the product lifecycle, fostering a broader understanding of business needs and how technology supports them.

• Industry Best Practices: Continuous learning and application of cutting-edge frontend development practices and tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section interprets the "Developer / Senior Developer" title and the explicit mention of mentoring to define the career level and growth potential. It connects the technical responsibilities to business impact within a retail context and outlines plausible career progression paths for a senior frontend developer.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is designated as On-site, indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This suggests a collaborative atmosphere where in-person interaction, spontaneous discussions, and team cohesion are valued.

Office Location(s): The primary office location is Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom. This location offers access to amenities and the opportunity to be part of a physical team. Specific details about the office amenities (e.g., modern facilities, collaborative spaces) are not provided but can be inferred from the benefits list (e.g., on-site nursery, restaurants, parking).

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Being on-site within an agile team structure fosters direct collaboration, facilitating quick problem-solving and knowledge sharing among developers.

• Access to Resources: Developers will have access to necessary hardware, software, and potentially specialized development tools provided by Next Plc to support their work.

• Team Interaction: The office setting allows for regular face-to-face interaction with colleagues, fostering a strong team dynamic and a shared sense of purpose in building and maintaining the eCommerce platform.

• On-site Amenities: The presence of facilities like restaurants and ample parking contributes to a comfortable and convenient working day for employees.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is approximately 36 hours per week. While this is a full-time position, the mention of an on-call rota indicates that some flexibility and availability outside of standard working hours may be required during critical periods, such as peak trading seasons.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section elaborates on the "On-site" work arrangement by discussing the implications for collaboration, resource access, and team interaction within a large retail company. It contextualizes the Leicester location and the standard working hours, while also noting the requirement for on-call availability.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your CV and application to assess your qualifications against the essential and desirable criteria. This may involve a brief phone call with an HR representative.

• Technical Assessment: This could involve a coding exercise, a technical deep-dive interview focusing on React, Typescript, NodeJS, and UI performance, or a take-home assignment to evaluate your practical skills and problem-solving approach.

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, discussing specific projects, your contributions, and the technical challenges you overcame. Be prepared to elaborate on your process, the impact of your work, and your mentoring experiences.

• Team/Manager Interview: An interview with the Delivery Manager and potentially other team members to assess your cultural fit, collaboration style, and ability to integrate into the agile team environment. Questions will likely focus on your approach to teamwork, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

• Final Interview (if applicable): A potential final interview with a hiring manager or senior leader to discuss career aspirations and overall fit within Next Plc.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best showcase your expertise in React, Typescript, NodeJS, and UI performance.

• Quantify Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem addressed, your specific role and contributions, the technologies used, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., performance improvements, user engagement increases).

• Highlight Process: Walk through your development process, including how you approached requirements, designed solutions, wrote code, tested, and collaborated with others.

• Demonstrate Mentorship: If you have mentoring experience, use specific examples to illustrate how you guided junior developers and contributed to their growth.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Prepare to discuss the technical details of your projects, including architectural decisions, challenges faced, and trade-offs made.

Challenge Preparation:

• Practice Coding: Brush up on your algorithms, data structures, and JavaScript fundamentals. Practice coding challenges related to React component design, state management, and asynchronous operations.

• Understand Performance Metrics: Familiarize yourself with tools like Lighthouse, WebPageTest, and browser developer tools for performance analysis. Be ready to discuss how to diagnose and resolve performance issues.

• Articulate Your Approach: Prepare to clearly explain your problem-solving methodology, your thought process during coding challenges, and how you would approach building features for a large eCommerce platform.

• Ask Insightful Questions: Prepare questions about the team's current challenges, development processes, technical roadmap, and company culture to demonstrate your engagement and interest.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice on preparing for the interview process, emphasizing the importance of a well-curated portfolio and specific preparation for technical assessments and discussions. It's tailored for a senior frontend developer role with a focus on demonstrating technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, and collaborative capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Frontend Frameworks: React, NextJS (essential).

• Languages: Typescript, JavaScript (essential).

• UI Libraries: Material UI (highly beneficial).

• Backend/Server-side: NodeJS (for high-performance sites).

• Version Control: Git (standard practice, assumed).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Performance Monitoring: Tools like Lighthouse, WebPageTest, browser developer tools for analyzing and optimizing UI performance.

• Analytics Platforms: Potentially Google Analytics or similar for tracking user behavior and site performance on the eCommerce platform.

• Dashboarding: Internal or external tools for visualizing key performance indicators (KPIs) related to website speed, user engagement, and conversion rates.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a frontend developer tool, understanding how the frontend interacts with backend systems, APIs, and potentially CRM integrations is beneficial.

• CI/CD Tools: Familiarity with continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions) for automated testing and deployment.

• Cloud Platforms: Experience with Microsoft Azure is listed as desirable, suggesting its use for hosting, deployment, or other infrastructure services.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section details the technology stack based on the job title and description. It categorizes the tools into primary development, analytics, and related systems, providing context for their usage within a frontend development role at a large eCommerce company.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Quality-First Mindset: A strong emphasis on delivering high-quality, reliable, and performant code. This translates to rigorous testing, attention to detail, and a commitment to best practices in all development activities.

• Continuous Improvement: An ongoing drive to enhance processes, workflows, and technical solutions. Team members are encouraged to identify inefficiencies and propose improvements, fostering an environment of proactive problem-solving.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Working effectively within an agile team is paramount. This involves open communication, mutual support, knowledge sharing, and a collective responsibility for project success.

• User-Centric Design: A focus on creating exceptional user experiences for the millions of customers who interact with the eCommerce platform. This means considering usability, accessibility, and performance from a customer's perspective.

• Innovation & Adaptability: While rooted in a large retail organization, there's an implied need to stay current with modern technologies and adapt to evolving industry trends to maintain a competitive edge.

Collaboration Style:

• Agile & Iterative: The team operates within an agile framework, emphasizing iterative development, regular feedback loops, and adaptability to changing requirements.

• Cross-functional Integration: Developers collaborate closely with Delivery Managers, product owners, designers, and potentially other engineering disciplines to achieve project goals.

• Knowledge Sharing: An environment that encourages sharing of technical knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned through code reviews, team discussions, and potentially internal tech talks.

• Mentorship: A culture where senior members actively mentor and support junior developers, fostering a learning environment and building team capacity.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section extrapolates the team's culture and values based on the agile methodology, the emphasis on quality and continuous improvement, and the company's position as a large, established retailer. It frames these values in the context of a software development team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scalability of a Global Platform: Ensuring the frontend remains performant, stable, and responsive as the user base and transaction volume continue to grow globally.

• Maintaining Legacy Code & Modernizing: Balancing the need to support existing functionalities with the adoption of new technologies and architectural patterns for future development.

• Cross-Browser & Cross-Device Compatibility: Ensuring a consistent and high-quality user experience across a wide array of browsers, devices, and operating systems.

• Integration with Diverse Systems: Working within a large enterprise often means integrating with various backend services, legacy systems, and third-party applications, requiring robust API interaction and data handling.

• Keeping Pace with Frontend Evolution: The rapid pace of change in frontend technologies requires continuous learning and adaptation to ensure the platform remains modern and efficient.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Frontend Technologies: Deepen expertise in React, Typescript, and NodeJS, exploring advanced patterns, state management solutions, and performance optimization techniques.

• Micro Frontend Architectures: Opportunities to learn about and potentially implement Micro Frontend strategies for enhanced modularity and scalability.

• Cloud Technologies (Azure): Develop practical experience with Microsoft Azure services relevant to frontend deployment and infrastructure.

• Performance Engineering: Gain hands-on experience in performance tuning, load testing, and optimizing web applications for maximum speed and efficiency.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Opportunities to hone leadership skills through mentoring junior developers and potentially taking on technical lead responsibilities for specific features or projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section identifies common technical and operational challenges faced by developers on large eCommerce platforms and links them to specific learning and development opportunities that align with the role's requirements and potential career growth.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Frontend Architecture: "Describe how you would design a scalable and performant frontend architecture for a large eCommerce platform. What key considerations would you prioritize, and which technologies (React, Typescript, NodeJS, Micro Frontends) would you leverage and why?"

• Performance Optimization: "Walk us through a time you identified and resolved a significant UI performance issue. What tools did you use, what was your process, and what were the measurable results?"

• Code Quality & Mentorship: "How do you ensure the code you write is readable, maintainable, and extendable? Describe your approach to mentoring junior developers and helping them improve their coding skills."

• Responsive Design Implementation: "What are the key challenges in building responsive websites, and what strategies do you employ to ensure a seamless experience across all devices and viewports?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• Agile Team Integration: "How do you contribute to a collaborative agile team environment? Describe your experience with ceremonies like stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives."

• Continuous Improvement: "Can you provide an example of a process or workflow you have improved within a development team? What was your role, and what was the outcome?"

• Company Values: "Next Plc emphasizes quality and continuous improvement. How do these values align with your own professional approach to software development?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Project Selection: Choose projects that demonstrate your core skills in React, Typescript, and NodeJS, ideally with a focus on performance optimization or complex UI development.

• Storytelling: Frame your projects as narratives: the problem, your solution (highlighting your technical contributions), and the positive impact or results achieved.

• Technical Depth: Be prepared to discuss the 'why' behind your technical decisions, including architectural choices, library selections, and trade-offs made.

• Demonstrate Process: Show how you approach development – from understanding requirements to testing and deployment. If you mentored, highlight specific instances.

• Quantify Success: Use metrics whenever possible to demonstrate the tangible benefits of your work (e.g., reduced load times, increased conversion rates, improved user satisfaction).

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides specific, actionable interview preparation advice tailored to a Senior Frontend Developer role. It includes example questions that probe technical skills, cultural fit, and problem-solving abilities, along with practical tips for portfolio presentation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Developer / Senior Developer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Oracle Cloud application portal link.

• Tailor your CV: Highlight your experience with React, Typescript, NodeJS, and UI performance optimization. Quantify your achievements with specific metrics and clearly state your years of experience, aligning with the 5-10 year expectation.

• Curate your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that showcase your frontend development skills, especially those demonstrating complex UI development, performance improvements, and responsive design. Prepare to walk through these projects, detailing your process and results.

• Prepare for Technical Questions: Review modern JavaScript concepts, React best practices, Typescript usage, NodeJS functionalities, and UI performance tuning techniques. Be ready to discuss your problem-solving approach and coding methodology.

• Research Next Plc: Understand the company's position in the retail market, its global presence, and its commitment to quality and customer experience. This knowledge will help you tailor your responses and ask informed questions during the interview process.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.