Role Description We’re looking for a Senior Headless Developer to build high-quality, design-led websites and digital products using our modern headless stack, with a strong focus on performance, scalability and frontend polish. - Build and maintain websites and applications using a headless architecture, primarily with Next.js and Payload CMS. - Translate Figma designs into high-fidelity, polished UI implementations, with strong attention to spacing, typography, states and responsiveness. - Work with structured content models and APIs to deliver flexible, scalable frontends. - Collaborate closely with designers, digital producers and developers throughout the full project lifecycle. - Contribute to scoping, estimates and technical planning, helping turn briefs and designs into clear build plans. - Communicate progress, blockers and trade-offs clearly and proactively. - Identify risks and edge cases early — including UI, UX, performance and architectural concerns — and raise them before they impact delivery. - Implement and optimise server-side rendering, static generation and client-side interactions as appropriate. - Optimise applications for performance and Core Web Vitals, alongside accessibility and usability. - Actively measure and improve performance, including page load, rendering, interaction and layout stability. - Integrate with third-party services such as ecommerce platforms, APIs and external data sources. - Test and QA your own work, including visual, accessibility and performance QA. - Document your work clearly and consistently, including architecture, data flows, content models and deployment notes. - Assist with troubleshooting server, hosting and environment-related issues, including deployments, caching, CDN behaviour and runtime errors. - Participate constructively in reviews and feedback cycles, giving and receiving feedback with clarity and respect. - Contribute positively to the team by sharing knowledge, supporting others and improving internal frameworks and standards. Qualifications - 4–5+ years professional experience building modern web applications or headless websites. - Strong experience with Next.js (App Router), including modern rendering strategies, data fetching, caching and routing. - Experience working with headless CMS platforms, particularly Payload or similar. - Solid backend fundamentals, including APIs, authentication, databases and server-side logic. - Strong frontend development skills with a polish-first mindset: - Modern JavaScript / TypeScript - Component-based UI development - Tailwind CSS - Motion / animation libraries - Demonstrated ability to deliver pixel-considered, production-ready UI. - Strong understanding of web performance fundamentals, including Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS). - Solid understanding of web accessibility standards (WCAG). - Experience deploying and operating applications on modern platforms (e.g. Vercel). - Familiarity with modern databases (e.g. Postgres-based platforms like Neon). - Experience working with Git-based workflows. - Comfortable collaborating with designers using Figma. - Strong understanding of modern web security best practices. - Excellent communication and documentation skills. - Strong attention to detail and ownership mindset. - Ability to manage your workload effectively using project management tools (we use Productive). Requirements - Bonus points if you also have strong WordPress experience. - Nice to have: - Strong WordPress experience. - Experience with Shopify, including headless ecommerce builds. - Experience with Cloudflare (CDN, caching, edge behaviour, security). - Specific experience with Payload and Next.js. - Familiarity with multi-environment setups and release workflows. - Experience working on larger-scale or long-lived digital platforms. Work Arrangement & Expectations This is a remote role that will be set up as an independent contractor engagement. To ensure alignment and transparency, successful candidates will be expected to: - Disclose any existing ongoing roles or client work. - Reflect this engagement on their LinkedIn profile (clearly marked as “Independent Contractor”).