Lead Frontend Engineer (React)

Full-time

Description

Lead Frontend Engineer (React)

Description

EMPIRE is a premier and dynamic music company that prides itself on the development and support of independent artists. We are a rapidly growing firm that has been making waves in the music industry, with an extensive portfolio that spans multiple genres and reaches audiences worldwide. We have become the largest independent record label in the U.S., with a significant global presence covering Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and North and South America. We keep ourselves busy with a large range of music-related services from original content and marketing to distribution and recordings.

Our commitment to artistic creativity, innovation, and progressive business solutions forms the foundation of our corporate culture. We believe in fostering talent, not just in our artists but also within our professional teams. As we continue to expand, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey.

The Role Remix: EMPIRE is looking for a Lead Frontend Engineer (React) to join our downtown San Francisco office. This senior, hands-on role reports directly to the VP of Engineering. You will own the design, development, and scaling of the frontend for our internal and customer-facing SaaS platforms, ensuring performant, intuitive, and scalable user experiences. You’ll partner closely with product managers, designers, and backend engineers to translate requirements into elegant and efficient solutions. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in React and modern JavaScript and a strong grounding in UI/UX. If you have proven experience leading frontend teams in high-growth or startup environments, and perhaps you’ve worked on music industry-related applications, we’d love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture, design, and implementation of robust, scalable frontend applications using React and modern JavaScript.
• Drive frontend performance, responsiveness and reliability across browsers and devices.
• Establish and enforce best practices in code quality, component reusability, state management, and automated testing (e.g., Jest, React Testing Library).
• Mentor and guide frontend engineers, providing technical direction and career growth support.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, backend and data teams to deliver seamless, user-centered solutions.
• Lead evaluation and adoption of frontend tooling .
• Promote a user-centric culture by advocating for excellent UI/UX and educating internal teams on frontend capabilities and trends.
• Contribute to technical strategy and long-term planning for application infrastructure to support company growth.

Key Notes for Success:

• 5+ years of professional frontend engineering experience, including at least 2+ years leading React development efforts.
• Strong hands-on experience with React, JavaScript (ES6+), TypeScript, HTML5, and CSS3.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor technical teams.
• Expertise in component-based architecture, state management (e.g., Redux, Context API, or equivalent) and modern frontend build pipelines (Webpack, Vite, Babel).
• Experience building and maintaining design systems or shared component libraries.
• Proficiency in automated testing frameworks (Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress).
• Experience integrating with RESTful and/or GraphQL APIs.
• Comfortable context switching between legacy code (HTML/jQuery) and modern codebases.
• Familiarity with server-side rendered pages and MVC patterns.
• Strong leadership, collaboration and communication skills in cross-functional environments.

Nice to Have:

• Background in UX/UI design principles and user testing methodologies.
• Experience with data visualization libraries (e.g., D3.js, Chart.js , Recharts) and technology (e.g., SuperSet).
• Full-stack experience with PHP (Laravel or Symfony in particular) and MySQL.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization (e.g., Docker, Terraform).
• Prior experience in compliance-heavy environments (handling PII, GDPR, SOC 2).
• Domain knowledge of music industry or digital media flows (e.g., royalties, rights management, DSPs).

Pay Range: $120,000 - $160,000/annual salary + benefits + discretionary bonus + profit sharing program

The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

At EMPIRE, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

If you are passionate about the music industry, and looking for a challenging role in a fast-paced, innovative environment, apply today. We look forward to hearing from you.

Perks Playlist:

• Competitive Compensation Package
• Competitive Benefits Package
• Company Paid Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Company Paid Health Savings Account (HSA) Contribution
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Paid Time Off (Holidays, Vacation, and Sick)
• Company 401(k) Plan
• Wellness Resources
• Commuter Allowance
• Cell Phone Allowance

About EMPIRE: Founded in 2010 by Bay Area native Ghazi, EMPIRE is currently leading through its innovative and progressive approach to the digital music era across its label, distribution and publishing arms.

With its focus on early stage artist development, the San Francisco based company has been instrumental in identifying future icons and launching the careers of both Multi-platinum and Grammy Award winning artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Fireboy DML, Yung Bleu, Migos, Asake, XXXtentacion, and Anderson .Paak to name a few. After this early success, EMPIRE was quickly regarded as a tastemaker in the industry and premier independent record label.

More than a decade in, EMPIRE continues to grow – expanding the Publishing division with a partnership with superproducer Hit-Boy and his Surf Club collective and acquiring Dirtybird Records in 2022 to amplify the Dance arm. EMPIRE has expanded the team throughout the globe on the African continent, Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. With the company and roster excelling at a breakneck pace, EMPIRE has effectively disrupted a stale business model by bringing its energy, expertise, and acumen to its artists and labels.

Through crafting bespoke deals that are always in favor of the artist, EMPIRE is able to form a true partnership with each artist and label on its roster. Coupled with their unique software for analytics, recoupment, and royalties, which is available to every partner, the company offers a level of transparency unprecedented in the music industry.

We use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.

Salary Description

$120,000.00 - $160,000.00