Senior Frontend Engineer, Design Systems & Commerce

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Frontend Engineer, Design Systems & Commerce

Company: ALSO

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Engineering / Frontend Development

Date Posted: 2026-08-11

Experience Level: Senior (6+ years frontend, 3+ years commerce storefronts)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the development and expansion of a robust design system to ensure brand consistency and accelerate frontend delivery.

• Own and enhance the customer-facing e-commerce storefront, focusing on performance, accessibility, and conversion optimization.

• Collaborate directly with Design, Brand, and UX teams to translate creative concepts into functional, high-quality web experiences.

• Architect and implement self-serve capabilities within Shopify for merchandising and creative teams, reducing engineering dependencies for page composition.

• Drive the development of key merchandising surfaces, including category pages, faceted navigation, variant selection, and cross-sell modules.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned at the intersection of engineering and creative, emphasizing the need for a candidate who can not only build but also influence design and user experience within an e-commerce context. The focus on "replacing local car, truck and SUV miles" suggests a strong brand narrative that the frontend will need to support.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and iterate on new pages, storefront components, and seasonal landing pages within the Shopify ecosystem, aiming for rapid deployment of creative concepts.

• Steward the design system by growing the component library, managing design tokens, and establishing page composition patterns that enable creative freedom within defined guardrails.

• Build self-serve tools for merchandising and creative partners using Shopify's Online Store 2.0 features, including sections, blocks, metafields, and metaobjects.

• Act as the primary engineering liaison for Design, Brand, and UX, translating Figma files, mood boards, and initial ideas into shipped features and pages.

• Own the end-to-end development of merchandising surfaces, including category and collection pages, faceted filtering, sort options, variant selection, swatch logic, cross-sell/bundle modules, and dynamic inventory/availability states.

• Support and manage multiple concurrent seasonal campaigns and product launches, ensuring clean scheduling, staged rollouts, and effective takedowns.

• Uphold high standards for Core Web Vitals, web accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA), responsive design, cross-browser compatibility, and analytics instrumentation as part of the definition of done.

• Define and manage API contracts with backend engineering teams, ensuring clean separation of concerns between presentation and business logic for commerce, catalog, and account systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a senior engineer capable of technical leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and deep expertise in e-commerce platforms, specifically Shopify. The emphasis on "self-serve" and "shortest distance between a creative concept and a live page" indicates a fast-paced, agile environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Not specified, but a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is typically expected for senior roles.

Experience:

• 6+ years of overall frontend engineering experience.

• Minimum of 3 years of hands-on experience building and maintaining commerce storefronts. Required Skills:

• Shopify Expertise: Deep, hands-on experience with Liquid, Online Store 2.0 theme architecture (sections, blocks, metafields, metaobjects), Storefront and Admin GraphQL APIs, and the Shopify theme development toolchain.

• Multi-Product Line Brand Experience: Proven ability to merchandise and build for diverse product catalogs (e.g., hard goods, apparel, accessories, parts, merchandise) and understand their unique merchandising needs.

• Campaign & Launch Execution: Experience shipping seasonal drops, launch moments, and multiple overlapping campaigns without compromising code quality or creating template graveyards.

• Design Systems Implementation: Practical experience building or significantly extending a component library and design token system, and translating Figma libraries into composable, durable code.

• Modern Frontend Proficiency: Expert-level skills in JavaScript/TypeScript, modern CSS architecture, and a component framework (React or equivalent). Familiarity with build tooling and progressive enhancement is critical.

• Category & Collection Page Depth: Strong opinions and practical experience with faceted navigation, sort defaults, pagination/infinite scroll, variant presentation, and their impact on conversion. Ability to collaborate effectively with creative teams on these surfaces.

• Performance & Accessibility: Innate understanding and application of Core Web Vitals optimization, image and font strategies, and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.

• Autonomy & Proactivity: Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous creative direction, ask clarifying questions, and drive projects to completion with minimal supervision.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage with designers on craft and backend engineers on API contracts. Ability to build trust across disciplines.

Preferred Skills:

• Hydrogen, Oxygen, or headless Shopify architecture, including understanding the trade-offs for different use cases.

• Familiarity with the Shopify partner ecosystem, including apps like SearchSpring or Algolia, Klaviyo, and review/loyalty platforms.

• Experience with Shopify Functions, Checkout Extensibility, Markets, or B2B storefronts.

• Experience with A/B testing and experimentation platforms; analytics instrumentation and tag management (e.g., Google Analytics, GTM).

• Expertise in motion design and performant animation that enhances brand experience.

• Experience building product configurators or "build-your-own" flows.

• Familiarity with backend development, particularly Node.js on AWS, to facilitate collaboration with backend engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Shopify experience is a must" and "multi-product-line brands" suggests the company manages a complex catalog. The required skills point towards a senior individual contributor role focused on execution and technical ownership within the e-commerce platform.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase at least one significant e-commerce storefront project demonstrating end-to-end feature development, from concept to launch.

• Include examples of design system implementation, such as a component library or a well-structured CSS architecture, with explanations of how it accelerated development or ensured consistency.

• Present case studies detailing contributions to category/collection pages, faceted navigation, or variant selection, highlighting problem-solving and impact on conversion.

• Demonstrate experience building for multiple product lines or complex catalogs, showcasing how different product types were handled within a unified frontend.

• Provide examples of performance optimization and accessibility improvements implemented, with quantifiable results (e.g., Core Web Vitals scores, accessibility audit findings). Process Documentation:

• For each portfolio project, briefly outline the development process, including:

  • How designs were translated into code (e.g., Figma to component).

  • Collaboration workflow with Design, Brand, and UX teams.

  • Any custom Shopify theme sections, blocks, or metafields developed for self-serve capabilities.

  • How performance and accessibility were integrated into the development lifecycle.

  • Testing methodologies employed (e.g., cross-browser, responsive, accessibility testing).

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is crucial for this role, as it will be the primary evidence of practical experience with Shopify, design systems, and e-commerce best practices. Candidates should be prepared to discuss the technical decisions, challenges, and outcomes of their projects in detail.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $165,000 - $185,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Robust Health Coverage: Excellent health, dental, and vision insurance with up to 100% coverage by ALSO.

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Accounts (HSA): Options for tax-advantaged healthcare savings.

• One Medical Membership: Access to a premium primary care service.

• Dedicated Insurance Advocates: Support for navigating health insurance matters.

• Fertility & Family Building Benefits: Comprehensive support through Progyny.

• Flexible Time Off: A generous policy to allow for work-life balance.

• 401(k) Match: Retirement savings plan with employer matching contributions.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with an on-site work arrangement expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is competitive for a Senior Frontend Engineer in Seattle with specialized e-commerce and design system experience. The benefits package is comprehensive, indicating a strong focus on employee well-being and support, which is attractive for senior talent in a startup environment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Electric Mobility / Consumer Goods / E-commerce. ALSO is carving out a niche in personal electric vehicles, aiming to disrupt local transportation with efficient, affordable alternatives to cars. This positions them within a growing market driven by sustainability and urban mobility trends.

Company Size: Early-stage startup, originally conceived as part of Rivian. This implies a lean, agile team structure with significant opportunities for impact and ownership. As an early hire, you'll be instrumental in shaping processes and culture.

Founded: The company's origin as part of Rivian suggests a foundation built on automotive innovation and engineering excellence, now pivoting towards a distinct electric mobility brand.

Team Structure:

• Engineering Pods: Likely organized around functional areas or product lines, with this role being a key member of a frontend engineering team.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Tight integration expected between Engineering, Design, Brand, UX, and Merchandising teams.

• Reporting: Likely reports to an Engineering Lead or Head of Engineering, with direct collaboration across product and design leadership.

Methodology:

• Agile Development: Given the startup environment and focus on rapid iteration, agile methodologies are highly probable.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Emphasis on performance metrics (Core Web Vitals), conversion rates, and analytics instrumentation suggests a data-informed approach to development and optimization.

• Iterative Design & Development: The "greenfield opportunity" and focus on shortening the distance between concept and reality point to continuous iteration and improvement.

Company Website: https://ridealso.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission to provide efficient mobility solutions and its origin from a prominent EV player suggest a culture of innovation, passion for sustainability, and a drive to solve significant global challenges. The "builder" mentality is likely strong.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Frontend Engineer role, indicating a high level of technical expertise, autonomy, and the ability to mentor or guide less experienced engineers. The focus on design systems and commerce storefronts positions this individual as a subject matter expert in critical areas of the business.

Reporting Structure: The role will likely report to an Engineering Manager or Director. Close collaboration with Design Leads, Product Managers, and Merchandising Managers is essential, requiring strong stakeholder management skills.

Operations Impact: The Senior Frontend Engineer will have a direct and significant impact on the company's revenue by enhancing the e-commerce storefront's performance, conversion rates, and user experience. They will be instrumental in shaping how customers perceive and interact with the brand online, directly influencing sales of vehicles, accessories, and merchandise.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Leadership: Opportunity to become the go-to expert for frontend architecture, design systems, and Shopify development within the company.

• Mentorship: Potential to mentor junior engineers, lead code reviews, and establish frontend best practices.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to architectural decisions and technology choices, shaping the future of the company's digital presence.

• Broader E-commerce Ownership: As the company scales, opportunities may arise to take on ownership of other digital customer touchpoints or lead frontend initiatives.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like headless commerce, performance optimization, or advanced design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior role in an early-stage company, growth is often tied to the company's expansion and the individual's ability to take on increasing responsibility and ownership. The "greenfield" nature of the role offers significant potential for shaping processes and team direction.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is listed as "On-site," indicating a preference for in-person collaboration. This suggests a physical office space designed to foster teamwork and innovation.

Office Location(s): Seattle, Washington. This location is a major tech hub, offering access to a vibrant talent pool and a strong ecosystem of related companies.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect an open or semi-open office layout designed to encourage spontaneous interactions between engineers, designers, and other team members.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern development tools, hardware, and potentially specialized equipment relevant to e-commerce development and design.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for stand-ups, design reviews, pair programming, and cross-functional project meetings. The small, highly motivated team structure implies close-knit working relationships.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week, but the fast-paced startup environment may occasionally require flexibility to meet critical deadlines or launch dates. The emphasis on "shipping fast" suggests a results-oriented culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "on-site" requirement suggests the company values in-person collaboration, crucial for a role bridging engineering and creative. This environment is likely dynamic, with a strong emphasis on rapid prototyping and iteration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on Shopify and design system experience.

• Technical Interview 1 (Frontend Fundamentals): Assesses core JavaScript, CSS, and framework (React) knowledge, along with understanding of performance and accessibility principles.

• Technical Interview 2 (Shopify & Commerce Deep Dive): Focuses on practical Shopify development skills, Liquid, GraphQL APIs, and experience with e-commerce specific challenges (e.g., merchandising, campaigns). May involve code challenges or whiteboard exercises.

• Portfolio Review & Design System Discussion: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio, discuss your contributions to design systems, and how you translate Figma designs into code. Expect detailed questions about your process and technical decisions.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Interview: Conversation with Design, Brand, or UX partners to assess your collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to work effectively with non-engineering stakeholders.

• Hiring Manager / Final Interview: Discussion on overall fit, career aspirations, understanding of the company mission, and behavioral questions related to autonomy and problem-solving.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Effectively: Select 2-3 of your strongest projects that directly showcase your Shopify, design system, and e-commerce experience.

• Highlight Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem you solved, your specific contributions, the technologies used, and the measurable outcomes (e.g., performance improvements, conversion lift, development speed increase).

• Showcase Process: Be ready to discuss your workflow, how you collaborated with designers, and how you translated Figma designs into production-ready code.

• Design System Focus: Dedicate specific slides or talking points to your design system contributions, explaining the architecture, component library, and token system.

• Quantify Results: Use metrics whenever possible. If exact numbers aren't available, describe the qualitative improvements and their expected business impact.

Challenge Preparation:

• Shopify Code Challenge: Be prepared for a practical coding exercise focusing on Liquid, theme sections, or JavaScript integration within a Shopify context.

• Design System Exercise: You might be asked to build a small component based on a Figma design or discuss how you would approach implementing a specific design pattern within an existing system.

• Scenario-Based Questions: Anticipate questions about how you would handle ambiguous design requests, optimize a slow-loading page, or implement a new feature across multiple product lines. Focus on your thought process, problem-solving approach, and collaboration strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to thoroughly evaluate technical skills, practical experience with the required technologies, and the ability to collaborate effectively in a cross-functional, fast-paced environment. A strong portfolio that clearly demonstrates the required skills is paramount.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Shopify: The core e-commerce platform. Expertise in Liquid, Online Store 2.0, sections, blocks, metafields, metaobjects, Storefront API, Admin API.

• Frontend Framework: React (or equivalent modern component framework).

• Languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS.

• Build Tooling: Webpack, Vite, or similar.

• Version Control: Git.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, or similar platforms.

• Tag Management: Google Tag Manager (GTM) or equivalent.

• Performance Monitoring: Tools for Core Web Vitals (e.g., Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights).

• A/B Testing Platforms: (Preferred) Optimizely, VWO, or similar.

CRM & Automation:

• Marketing Automation: Klaviyo (preferred).

• Search & Merchandising: SearchSpring, Algolia (preferred).

• Backend Integration: APIs for commerce, catalog, and account systems. Node.js on AWS is a bonus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is heavily focused on the Shopify ecosystem and modern frontend development practices. Proficiency in these tools is essential, with specific mention of preferred third-party integrations that are common in e-commerce.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Efficiency: A drive to create new solutions (e.g., electric mobility) and optimize processes (e.g., fast page deployment, self-serve tools).

• Customer Focus: Centered on delivering delightful and efficient experiences for customers, both in terms of mobility and online shopping.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Working shoulder-to-shoulder with diverse teams, requiring open communication and mutual trust.

• Ownership & Impact: Empowering individuals to take ownership of critical areas and make real decisions that drive business results.

• Quality & Craftsmanship: A commitment to high standards in performance, accessibility, and design execution.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Engineers work closely with Design, Brand, and UX to co-create solutions.

• Data-Informed Iteration: Decisions are often informed by performance metrics and user feedback, leading to iterative improvements.

• Shared Ownership: A sense that everyone contributes to the success of the customer experience, from initial concept to final delivery.

• Direct Communication: In a startup environment, expect direct and open communication channels, cutting through layers of hierarchy.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture appears to be a blend of startup agility, engineering rigor, and a strong mission-driven ethos. Expect a fast-paced environment where individual contribution and collaboration are highly valued.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Speed and Quality: The pressure to "build more pages, faster" while maintaining high standards for performance, accessibility, and code quality.

• Evolving Design System: Growing and stewarding a design system that acts as a creative enabler rather than a constraint, especially in a rapidly expanding product catalog.

• Technical Debt Management: As a startup, there's an inherent risk of accumulating technical debt; managing this proactively will be key.

• Cross-functional Alignment: Ensuring seamless collaboration and clear communication between engineering, design, and merchandising teams, especially with ambitious creative goals.

• Shopify Platform Limitations: Navigating the constraints and evolving capabilities of the Shopify platform to meet complex business requirements.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mastering E-commerce Frontend: Deepening expertise in Shopify's advanced features, headless architectures, and best practices for high-conversion storefronts.

• Design System Leadership: Opportunity to shape the strategy and implementation of a growing design system.

• Performance Optimization: Becoming an expert in front-end performance tuning for e-commerce.

• Cross-functional Skill Development: Gaining a deeper understanding of UX, UI design principles, and merchandising strategies.

• Exposure to Startup Growth: Learning how to scale engineering processes and infrastructure in a rapidly growing company.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a chance to tackle complex challenges in a dynamic environment, with significant opportunities for professional growth by mastering specialized e-commerce technologies and contributing to a mission-driven company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you translated a complex design (from Figma or similar) into a functional and performant web page. What was your process, and what challenges did you face?"

• "How would you approach building a new component for our design system that needs to be both highly flexible for designers and performant for users?"

• "Walk us through your experience with Shopify's Online Store 2.0 features (sections, blocks, metafields, metaobjects). How have you used them to enable self-serve capabilities for non-technical teams?"

• "Imagine a new seasonal campaign page needs to launch in two weeks. How would you ensure it's developed quickly, meets quality standards, and can be easily taken down post-campaign?"

• "How do you balance the need for rapid feature delivery with maintaining high standards for Core Web Vitals and accessibility?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about ALSO's mission to change global mobility?"

• "How do you approach collaboration with designers and product managers when there are creative or technical disagreements?"

• "Describe your experience working in a fast-paced startup environment. How do you prioritize tasks and manage your workload autonomously?"

• "What are your thoughts on the balance between a centralized design system and the need for creative flexibility in an e-commerce context?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, starting with an overview of your role and the project's goals. For each project, detail the problem, your solution, your specific contributions, the technologies used, and the results.

• Visuals: Use screenshots, short video demos, and code snippets to illustrate your work. Clearly highlight the design system components and Shopify implementations.

• Storytelling: Frame your projects as stories of problem-solving and impact. Explain the "why" behind your technical decisions.

• Quantify Impact: Be ready to discuss metrics – performance improvements, conversion rate changes, development time savings, or user feedback.

• Q&A: Prepare for detailed questions about your code, architectural choices, and collaborative processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be ready to demonstrate not just technical skills but also your ability to think strategically, collaborate effectively, and communicate complex ideas clearly, especially when discussing your portfolio.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Frontend Engineer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your specific experience with Shopify, Liquid, GraphQL, React, and design systems. Use keywords from the job description and quantify your achievements with metrics.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate 2-3 key projects that best showcase your Shopify development, design system contributions, and e-commerce experience. Ensure it's easily accessible (e.g., personal website, GitHub repo, PDF).

• Practice Your Pitch: Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough and be prepared to discuss your technical decisions, collaborative processes, and the impact of your work.

• Research ALSO: Familiarize yourself with their mission, products, and website to demonstrate genuine interest and understanding of their business.

⚠️ 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.

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