Core engineering
Hire Frontend Engineers
Engineers who treat performance budgets and accessibility as acceptance criteria rather than aspirations.
A frontend engineer builds the interface layer: component architecture, state, performance and accessibility. Hire one when interface quality, Core Web Vitals or WCAG compliance has become a real business constraint. Expect $60 to $140 per hour depending on seniority and complexity.
What this role actually does
Frontend work is easy to underestimate because the output is visible and looks simple when done well. The difficulty is that the browser is a hostile environment: unpredictable networks, wildly varying devices, assistive technology, and users who will not wait four seconds. Meeting Core Web Vitals thresholds and WCAG 2.2 AA at the same time, on a real codebase, is genuinely hard engineering.
The React server-component model has also changed what senior frontend work looks like. Deciding what runs on the server versus the client is now an architectural decision with direct consequences for performance, bundle size and search visibility — and it is the decision most teams get wrong first.
Core skills to look for
- React and Next.js App Router, including server and client component boundaries
- TypeScript with genuinely useful types rather than decorative ones
- Core Web Vitals: LCP, CLS and INP, measured on real user data
- Accessibility to WCAG 2.2 AA: semantics, focus management, assistive technology testing
- CSS at a modern level, including Tailwind and container queries
- State management chosen proportionately to the actual problem
- Testing with Vitest and Playwright, including accessibility assertions
When you need to hire this role
- Your interface is slow on real devices even though it feels fine on a developer laptop
- An accessibility audit or procurement requirement has surfaced obligations
- Component reuse has broken down and every screen is bespoke
- Search visibility is suffering because content only exists after hydration
- Design and engineering disagree constantly about what is feasible
How to assess candidates for this role
Ask about a specific performance fix
Look for measurement before and after. Engineers who quote real numbers have done the work; engineers who describe general techniques usually have not.
Test accessibility knowledge concretely
Ask them to make a custom dropdown accessible. The answer reveals whether they understand focus management and ARIA or have only read about it.
Probe the server-client boundary
Ask what should be a client component and why. This is the highest-leverage architectural judgement in modern React work.
Review real code
Frontend quality is unusually visible in a code sample. Look at component boundaries and naming rather than styling taste.
Typical rate bands
| Level | Experience | Typical rate | What they own |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-level | 3-5 years | $60-90/hr | Builds features against an existing design system |
| Senior | 6-9 years | $90-120/hr | Owns interface architecture, performance and accessibility standards |
| Staff / Principal | 10+ years | $120-140/hr | Owns the design system and cross-product frontend direction |
Frequently asked questions
What does a frontend engineer do?
They build the interface layer: component architecture, state management, performance and accessibility. Senior frontend work is increasingly about deciding what runs on the server versus the client, which directly affects speed and search visibility.
How do we test frontend candidates properly?
Combine a real code sample with a live debugging exercise and a specific accessibility question. Whiteboard algorithm puzzles correlate poorly with the actual work, which is architectural judgement and browser knowledge.
Why does server rendering matter for search?
Answer engines and many crawlers do not execute JavaScript reliably. Content that only exists after hydration may never be seen. Server-rendering your content is the single highest-impact technical decision for visibility.
How much does a frontend engineer cost?
Typical vetted contract rates are $60 to $90 per hour at mid-level, $90 to $120 at senior and $120 to $140 for staff and principal, varying with region and interface complexity.
Is accessibility expensive to add later?
Substantially more expensive than building it in. Retrofitting focus management, semantics and keyboard flows across an existing component library is typically several times the cost of doing it correctly from the start.