Job Description

Lateral stands for technology excellence. We’re a profitable, award-winning design and technology company with over 20 years of experience launching bold ventures and transforming businesses. A globally distributed team of 200+ experts united by a shared purpose: the continuous pursuit of quality. Our clients come to us for results, quality and craft – and stay because we keep raising the bar. We do things differently at Lateral Our mission is simple: design and build great products. What sets us apart isn’t just the talent of our team – it’s the way we work: We Have A Bias For Action & Results. We are doers – we spot the gaps, connect the dots, anticipate what’s around the corner and take action. We move fast, stay focused, and let the results – not the effort – speak for themselves. We Work On Time, On Budget, On Quality Discipline is our edge – a commitment we make to each other, to our clients, and to the standards we hold ourselves to We Care Deeply. We care about our work and about each other. Care Is A Competitive Advantage. Every detail matters. Every design, every line of code, every decision. Thoughtful by default. We Do Things Right – Because It’s the Right Thing to Do Right over easy. Integrity isn’t up for negotiation. We hold the bar high even when no one’s watching. We take pride in doing great work the right way – not the easy way. We Keep Improving The best teams keep improving and we’re never done learning. We iterate. We reflect on what’s working and what’s not. Feedback fuels us, we receive it openly, and adapt quickly. Progress over perfection. We’re Obsessed With Agility, Not The Agile Manifesto We don’t chase dogma or rituals – we chase momentum. We adapt processes to fit problems, not the other way around. We Take Ownership Everyone leads something here. You will have room to run with ideas, and the trust to execute. That trust is built on how you show up: thinking things through, sweating the details, and following through. What You’ll Do As a Front End Developer at Lateral, you will: Craft delightful digital experiences: Design, implement, and maintain front-end features using React and modern JavaScript/TypeScript. You’ll create reusable UI components and craft polished, responsive interfaces with a focus on quality Collaborate & communicate: Work closely with designers, back-end developers, and product managers in an asynchronous workflow. You’ll regularly communicate with clients to clarify requirements, demo features, and ensure we’re building the right thing. Optimize, Iterate & improve: Involve yourself in brainstorming and technical discussions. Ensure our apps are fast, accessible, and reliable. You’ll profile and improve page load times, refine animations, and tackle browser-specific quirks so that every user gets a smooth experience. When issues arise, you’ll dive in to debug and fix them, striving for robust solutions that scale (and writing tests to prevent regressions Learn: Stay curious and keep up with industry trends, frameworks, and standards. You’ll be encouraged to continuously learn and bring in knowledge, evaluating new technologies thoughtfully to see if they can enhance our product or developer experience (we love learning, but avoid “innovation for innovation’s sake”). In short, you’ll help shape a culture of excellence, ownership, and growth on the team. Example Projects You May Join: Large scale B2B2C Commerce Platform: Help build a responsive, mobile-first experience for an international e-commerce client. For example, you might lead a dynamic multi-faceted search or a smooth checkout flow Develop from scratch an application: Collaborate with a senior backend engineer/architect to build a modern application. You’ll be involved in everything from crafting components to API definition. Real-Time Medical Dashboard: Develop front-end features for a real-time analytics dashboard for a pet healthcare client. You might use libraries like AGCharts to visualize large data sets, implement live updates via websockets, and ensure the interface remains highly performant and user-friendly. Whatever the challenge, you’ll be building software that changes lives and moves industries forward. How We Measure Success In This Role In the first two weeks You’ve set up your development environment and tools. You’ve pushed your first meaningful contribution (bugfix, UI tweak, or minor feature). You’re familiar with our async workflows and communication style. You’ve participated in your first client sync and started understanding the project’s context. In the first 3 months: You’ve authored or contributed to architectural decisions and design documents. You’ve established trust with clients through clear communication and technical guidance. You’ve improved performance, code structure, or tooling in meaningful ways. After 3 months: You’ve initiated a broader improvement across projects (e.g., shared component library, new testing standard). You’re frequently unblocking teammates, elevating code quality, and proactively identifying risks. You balance speed and quality, delivering with care and clarity. We measure success through: The impact and scope of your technical contributions. Your ability to lead initiatives, mentor others, and improve team practices. Code quality, performance, and maintainability. Positive feedback from peers, clients, and design/engineering leadership. Your growth mindset, communication skills, and influence on team culture. What We’re Looking For We are seeking for team members who are both highly technical and deeply care about their craft and how the work gets done. You must bring: 5+ years of professional front-end development experience building digital applications. Experience with modern Javascript libraries and tooling (e.g. React, npm, webpack…), fluency in CSS Proven ability to craft, polish, delight, sweat the details. You have an eye for design and UX. Pixel-perfect isn’t just a phrase to you – you care about creating beautiful, intuitive interfaces that make users happy. An understanding of design principles and attention to details like accessibility and responsive layout is important. Quality and reliability You take pride in building high-quality software. You’re diligent about testing and documentation, and you proactively debug issues before they become problems.  Performance and browser compatibility matter to you – you know how to make a web app fast and handle the quirks of different environments . Ultimately, you balance speed of delivery with maintainability, ensuring the code you ship today won’t be tech debt tomorrow. Self-driven and accountable: You’re comfortable managing your own projects and time without heavy oversight. When you take on a task, we can count on you to see it through with a sense of ownership. You’re a proactive problem solver who can break down complex problems, propose solutions, and drive them to completion. We trust our team members to be “managers of one” who take initiative and deliver results Great communication and empathy are a must. You enjoy working closely with others, be it in pair programming, brainstorming with designers, or reviewing a teammate’s code. You can explain technical concepts clearly, listen to alternate viewpoints, and work together to find the best solutions. Our culture is about being kind, open, and constructive, so we’re looking for someone who lifts others up and thrives in a friendly, collaborative environment. Remote work skills: Self-motivated and disciplined in a remote environment. You can manage your time, collaborate asynchronously, and aren’t afraid to ask questions or offer help across time zones. Bonus points for: Demonstrating craft Design /delight sensibility AI & Gen AI experience/tooling Understanding Backend concepts CSR/SSR DevOps experience (continuous integration, hosting, etc.) Why You’ll Love Working Here Real Impact: You’ll work on meaningful products that make a measurable difference – from healthcare and commerce to sustainability and next-gen tech. Remote-First, Office Friendly: Work from wherever you’re most productive – whether that’s your home, a co-working space, or one of our offices. We’re a remote-first company, but if you’re near an office, you’re welcome to drop in, collaborate in person, or work onsite regularly. We prioritize async collaboration, respect your time zone, and focus on outcomes over hours. An Outstanding Team: Talented, kind, and hard-working people who care deeply about their craft – and about each other. No egos. No politics. Just professionals doing their best work. Growth: You’ll be supported in growing your craft, exploring new paths, and stepping into greater responsibility – at your own pace. A Culture of Excellence: We care deeply about doing the right thing – for our clients, our team, and ourselves. No burnout. No crunch. Just high-quality work, delivered sustainably. Variety & Stability: We’re profitable, independent, and over a decade strong. Yet every project brings a fresh challenge. You’ll never be bored here. This Role Might Not Be for You We want to respect your time by being clear about what this role isn’t. You should skip this opportunity if: You prefer well defined structure. If you gravitate towards a clear hierarchy, well defined roles and swim lanes, you may find our self-managed style challenging. Distributed work isn’t your thing. If you find async communication, design documentation and being proactive without a manager nearby difficult, our setup won’t suit you. Feedback doesn’t excite you. We’re obsessed with quality and believe in continuous improvement. That means we give feedback that’s sometimes nitpicky. If refining the work until it’s excellent feels over the top, you are likely going to find working here frustrating. Change makes you uncomfortable. We’re scaling and maturing. That means not everything is perfect yet. Priorities shift. Processes evolve. If ambiguity is uncomfortable, this may feel bumpy. However, If this sounds like fuel, we’d love to talk! How to apply and what to expect in the interview process Our hiring process is structured as a sequence of steps. Moving forward is based on how well the previous step goes. This helps us stay focused, fair, and respectful of everyone’s time. We will always: Let you know clearly what the next step is Share updates and feedback wherever possible Invite questions if anything feels unclear Not everyone progresses through every stage. That doesn’t mean you’re not great at what you do. Sometimes it’s about timing, team fit, or simply what we’re looking for at the moment. Step 1: Express Your Interest with a Portfolio If this sounds like your kind of team and you’re excited to bring your craft to Lateral, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us: A brief note telling us what excites you about this role. Your Portfolio / Links to your work —Essential. This could be URLs, GitHub repos, code snippets, portfolio sites — anything that gives us insight into your craft. Your resume A few tips: Highlight any areas that made your work special Avoid sharing anything sensitive or proprietary If you’re sharing team projects, be sure to highlight your specific contributions We’re not looking for perfection — we’re looking for insight into your thinking, creativity, and craft. Just show us your thinking, your process, and what you’re proud of. We review every application with care. If there’s a fit, we’ll reach out to schedule next steps. Step 2: Talent Partner Conversation Purpose: A structured discussion with our People Experience team to delve into your career trajectory, motivations, and alignment with Lateral’s values. What to Expect: In-depth questions about your past experiences and decision-making processes. Exploration of your career goals and how they align with the role. Discussion about our company culture, availability, compensation and other logistics. Motivators and demotivators. Your life outside coding. Preparation Tips: Reflect on your career journey and pivotal moments. Be ready to discuss challenges you’ve overcome and lessons learned. Familiarize yourself with the Job Description, Lateral’s mission and values. Step 3: Take Home Assignment Purpose: Provide a practical demonstration of your skills through a task resembling real work at Lateral. Format: A paid for take-home assignment or a live session, depending on the role. What to Expect: Tasks designed to reflect actual challenges faced in the position. An opportunity to showcase your problem-solving and technical skills. Preparation Tips: Set aside uninterrupted time to focus. Explain your decisions and assumptions. Step 4: Technical interview Purpose: Assess your technical proficiency and problem-solving abilities. Format: A collaborative session with our engineering team, focusing on real-world scenarios relevant to the role. What to Expect: Problem-solving exercises/questions that mirror tasks you’d encounter in the position. Discussions around your approach, reasoning, and solutions. Preparation Tips: Practice articulating your thought process clearly and concisely. Be prepared to discuss in depth past projects and the technologies used. Step 5: Operational interview Purpose: Understand your approach to prioritizing, collaborating, shipping, and iterating. What to expect: How you prioritize and break down work. How you collaborate across disciplines. How you handle blockers, feedback, and iteration. Preparation Tips: Pick 1-2 meaningful projects you led or heavily contributed to. Walk through your process: what worked, what didn’t, what you’d do differently. Think about how you manage time, scope, and changing requirements. Step 6: Reference Checks Purpose: We believe references are about understanding, not just validation. We do not look for perfection, but to understand patterns, strengths, and context. We use them to learn how to support you best. What to Expect: we’ll ask you for 2–3 people who’ve worked closely with you. These are often: former managers, senior peers or collaborators, mentors or people you’ve mentored. What we ask: We focus on how you’ve grown, where you shine, how you like to be led, and what support sets you up for success. We want practical advice for making this a great fit for you. Yes, we do backchannels too: We do this when we feel we need more context. We will check with you if there are folks we should avoid reaching out due to confidentiality or other reasons. And here’s our commitment: if anything surprising or unclear comes up in a backchannel, we’ll bring it directly to you. We believe in “no stories without you in the room.” You’ll always get the chance to share your side, context, or clarification. Step 7: Offer What Happens: If selected, you’ll receive a comprehensive offer detailing compensation, and other pertinent information. Our hiring process is designed to be thorough yet respectful, ensuring a mutual fit. We encourage candidates to engage actively, ask questions, and view this as a two-way exploration. Join us and let’s build something extraordinary.