How Consortia recruits front end developers
Front end work increasingly sits inside developer and full stack roles, which makes strong specialists harder to spot from a job title alone. The people we look for may be called front end developers, front end engineers or UI developers. What they have in common is depth in the browser: how an interface is built, how quickly it loads and whether everyone can use it.
We help product and platform teams hire front end developers on permanent and contract terms. Most of the roles we see ask for React and TypeScript, with Angular and Vue.js also in demand. Where local supply is thin we search more widely, and some hires are fully remote, including the first remote React engineers at Perkbox.
Front end briefs differ more than the job title suggests. Some are mainly about the user-facing experience. Others put equal weight on performance, accessibility, observability and experimentation. The lines between roles can also get blurred easily. If the work centres on design systems and prototyping, a UX engineer may be the better fit. Where the engineer will shape the product as well as build it, the role may sit closer to a product engineer.
We ask candidates about problems they have measured and fixed, as well as the features they have shipped. We also check the framework requirement with the client early. A team working in Vue will often consider a strong React or Angular engineer, and design system roles can call for plain JavaScript, CSS and web components with no framework at all. So we ask how recently a candidate has worked outside their main framework, and how they feel about switching.
Before anyone is put forward, we make sure the role and the candidate match: what the client needs from the hire, and what the candidate wants from their next move. We also find out how the process runs, including how many stages there are and what each one tests. Front end processes vary. They often include an HR call, a technical test or challenge, a pair programming session and one or more standard interviews. Candidates hear what to expect before they commit, so they know what they are getting into.
We have separate consultants for permanent and contract hiring, so each search is run by someone who does that kind of work every day. On the contract side, we draw on a network of front end contractors with strong work histories, many of whom have worked with us for years. Contract processes are often shorter, but most still include a technical test. Clients want to be confident a contractor can do the work themselves before they commit the budget. As with permanent roles, contractors know the day rate, the stages and what any test involves before they are put forward. We recruit front end developers across the UK, Europe, the US and the UAE.
