The Role
Lead frontend architecture and build scalable TypeScript/React/Next.js applications that integrate with AI/LLMs and composable CMS/search platforms. Translate product and design specs into agent-driven implementations, mentor engineers, ensure performance, accessibility, SEO, and GCP-based deployments, and communicate technical decisions to clients and stakeholders.
Summary Generated by Built In
ABOUT APPLY DIGITAL
Apply Digital is a global experience transformation partner. We drive AI-powered change and measurable impact across complex, multi-brand ecosystems. Leveraging expertise that spans across the customer experience lifecycle from strategy, design to engineering and beyond, we enable our clients to modernize their organizations and maximize value for their business and customers.
Our 750+ team members have helped transform global companies like Kraft Heinz, NFL, Moderna, Lululemon, Dropbox, Atlassian, A+E Networks, and The Very Group.
Apply Digital was founded in 2016 in Vancouver, Canada. In the past nine years, we have grown to ten cities across North America, South America, the UK, Europe, and India.
At Apply Digital, we believe in the “One Team” approach, where we operate within a ‘pod’ structure. Each pod brings together senior leadership, subject matter experts, and cross-functional skill sets, all working within a common tech and delivery framework. This structure is underpinned by well-oiled scrum and sprint cadences, keeping teams in step to release often and retrospectives to ensure we progress toward the desired outcomes.
Wherever we work in the world, we envision Apply Digital as a safe, empowered, respectful and fun community for people, every single day. Together, we work to embody our SHAPE (smart, humble, active, positive, and excellent) values and make Apply Digital a space for our team to connect, grow, and support each other to make a difference.
Visit our Careers page to learn how we can unlock your potential.
LOCATION: Apply Digital is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Canada, working in hours that align to ET (Eastern Timezone) or PT (Pacific Timezone).
THE ROLE:
The Principal Agentic Engineer (Front-end) is a senior technical leader responsible for building scalable, high-quality frontend applications that power AI-driven digital experiences. This role blends frontend engineering excellence with architectural leadership, AI integration, and strong client-facing communication.
You will lead frontend technical direction, mentor engineers, and collaborate closely with backend, product, and design teams to deliver production-ready solutions. The role requires deep expertise in modern frontend frameworks, AI-assisted development workflows, and cloud-connected architectures. You will engineer teams of coding agents to accomplish implementation requirements for the systems you will be building.
You bring a strong leadership track record at the Staff or Lead level, operating with high autonomy and turning ambiguous product or business goals into shipped, production-ready software.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the design and development of high-performance frontend applications using TypeScript, React, and Next.js.
- Organizing, distributing and translating backlog requirements from Product, UX and other disciplines, into detailed spec driven requirements for Agents to implement.
- Synthesise user stories, site maps, content strategy, components and design systems, brand strategy, etc, into specifications that coding Agents will implement.
- Designing and implementing digital solutions that have proper SEO/GEO, accessibility, performance and content management integrations.
- Integrations with key Composable platforms such as Contentful, Contentstack, Algolia, Cloudinary, etc.
- Experience implementing enterprise grade design systems, content models and component libraries.
- Apply spec-driven development to ensure clarity, consistency, and high-quality delivery.
- Architect frontend solutions that integrate seamlessly with backend services and AI-powered systems.
- Design user experiences that help users express goals, constraints, and context clearly to AI agents.
- Design and implement frontend experiences that leverage: AI-powered APIs and LLM-driven features and RAG-based experiences and AI-assisted workflows
- Collaborate with backend teams to consume RESTful APIs effectively.
- Ensure frontend systems are scalable, maintainable, accessible, and well-documented.
- Provide mentorship and technical leadership to frontend engineers.
- Partner with Project Managers and stakeholders to manage delivery risks and timelines.
- Communicate complex frontend and AI concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, including clients.
REQUIREMENTS
- Strong experience with TypeScript and modern JavaScript.
- Extensive experience with React and Next.js.
- Proven experience with spec-driven development.
- Experience creating and consuming RESTful APIs.
- Hands-on experience with AI coding agents (e.g., Copilot, Claude Code).
- Strong prompt engineering skills.
- Experience working with LLMs (e.g., Gemini 3, Claude Opus, GPT-4.x/5.x).
- Experience with vector stores and RAG-powered applications.
- Experience using Agent Development Kits (e.g., Google ADK).
- Experience building applications deployed on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Familiarity with Vertex AI and Google Gen AI APIs.
- Experience with Git and CI/CD workflows.
- Strong system design fundamentals, including API design, data flow, caching strategies, and performance considerations for production-scale applications.
- Proven leadership experience at a Staff or Lead level, including mentoring engineers and leading delivery of complex frontend systems.
- Generalist engineering strength, with comfort understanding backend systems and how frontend architecture integrates into distributed systems.
- Demonstrated curiosity and passion for Generative AI, with a desire to make it a core career focus. And
- Excellent English communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience collaborating effectively with fully remote, distributed teams.
- Experience in a consultancy or professional services firm.
- Ability to collaborate effectively in a fast-moving, agency-style environment.
NICE TO HAVES
- Experience with BMAD Method or similar spec driven development frameworks.
- Experience with AI agent design patterns, task planning, and reasoning.
- Experience with agent observability and debugging.
- Familiarity with layered and distributed architectures.
- Experience with Terraform.
- Experience with backend technologies to support full-stack collaboration.
- Experience with eCommerce platforms or complex frontend ecosystems.
#LI-Remote #LI-SE1 #Promoted
LIFE AT APPLY DIGITAL
At Apply Digital, people are at the core of everything we do. We value your time, safety, and health, and strive to build a work community that can help you thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer to support you:
Great projects: Broaden your skills on a range of engaging projects with international brands that have a global impact.
An inclusive and safe environment: We’re truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.
Learning opportunities: We offer generous training budgets, including partner tech certifications, custom learning plans, workshops, mentorship, and peer support.
Generous vacation policy: Work-life balance is key to our team’s success, so we offer flexible personal time offer (PTO); allowing ample time away from work to promote overall well-being.
Customizable benefits: Tailor your extended health and dental plan to your needs, priorities, and preferences.
Flexible work arrangements: We work in a variety of ways, from remote, to in-office, to a blend of both.
Apply Digital is committed to building a culture where differences are celebrated and everyone feels welcome. That’s why we value equal opportunity and nurture an inclusive workplace where our individual differences are recognized and valued.
For more information, visit the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section of our website. If you have accommodation needs at this stage of the recruitment process, please inform us as soon as possible by emailing us at [email protected].
Top Skills
Algolia
Ci/Cd
Claude Code
Claude Opus
Cloudinary
Contentful
Contentstack
Copilot
Gemini 3
Git
Google Adk
Google Cloud Platform (Gcp)
Google Gen Ai Apis
Gpt-4
Gpt-5
JavaScript
Next.Js
Rag
React
Restful Apis
Terraform
Typescript
Vector Stores
Vertex Ai
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The Company
What We Do
Digital to our core, we are purpose built to transform possibilities for people. We solve complex problems with well-executed solutions tailor-made for continuous growth — we’re ambitious and our clients are too. We work with well-funded start-ups, global brands, and Fortune 1000 companies spanning industries and audiences, including EA, Moderna, League Health, and Realtor.com.
