Founding Front-End Software Engineer (Senior/Staff) - VC Backed Startups

Department: EPD

Location: NYC - Hybrid

Compensation: $170K – $250K • Offers Equity

Employment Type: FullTime

Join SignalFire’s Talent Network for Founding Front-End Engineer Roles at VC-Backed Startups

🛑 This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring Engineering talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to talentnetwork@signalfire.com.

At SignalFire, we partner with top early-stage startups that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.

We’re looking to connect with exceptional Founding Front-End Engineers who are excited about building and scaling user-centric applications at early-stage startups. By joining SignalFire’s Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into exclusive early-stage opportunities that may not be publicly listed.

Who Should Join?

We’re looking for engineers who are:
✔ Passionate about building exceptional user experiences and modern web applications
✔ Excited about joining early-stage startups and working directly with founders
✔ Interested in shaping front-end architecture, performance, and design systems

Typical Roles & Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable, high-performance front-end applications

• Build intuitive, responsive, and visually engaging UI/UX experiences

• Optimize front-end performance, accessibility, and responsiveness

• Collaborate with product designers, backend engineers, and founders to align on vision and execution

• Develop component libraries and reusable front-end architecture for scalable applications

• Implement and maintain state management, API integrations, and client-side logic

• Define best practices for front-end development, code quality, and UI testing

Common Qualifications

While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many founding front-end engineering roles in our network look for:

• 3+ years of experience in front-end development, with a strong track record of shipping user-facing products

• Expertise in modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue.js, Angular, Svelte)

• Strong proficiency in HTML, CSS, TypeScript, and JavaScript (ES6+)

• Experience integrating with RESTful APIs, GraphQL, and WebSockets

• Knowledge of state management libraries (Redux, Zustand, Recoil, Vuex)

• Familiarity with server-side rendering (Next.js, Nuxt.js) and static site generation

• Strong understanding of web performance optimization, accessibility (a11y), and security best practices

• Proficiency with version control (Git), CI/CD workflows, and front-end testing frameworks (Jest, Cypress, Playwright)

• Experience working in early-stage startup environments or small, fast-moving teams is a plus

💡 Technologies You Might Work With:

• Languages & Frameworks: JavaScript (ES6+), TypeScript, React, Vue.js, Angular, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt.js

• Styling & UI: CSS, SCSS, Tailwind CSS, Styled Components, Material UI, Chakra UI

• State Management: Redux, Zustand, Recoil, Vuex, MobX

• APIs & Data Handling: REST APIs, GraphQL, WebSockets, Firebase, Apollo Client

• Tooling & Performance: Vite, Webpack, Babel, ESLint, Prettier, Lighthouse

• Testing & Deployment: Jest, Cypress, Playwright, Storybook, GitHub Actions, Netlify, Vercel

• Cloud & DevOps: AWS Amplify, Firebase, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes

What Happens Next?

1. Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.

2. We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.

3. If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.

4. No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future front-end engineering roles in our portfolio.