Senior Full Stack JavaScript Developer - SSR / Front-End Leaning

Senior Full Stack JavaScript Developer (SSR / Front-End Leaning)
About Social News Desk
Social News Desk is a leading provider of social media management solutions, helping news organizations, local governments, and educational institutions connect with their communities and deliver impactful stories online. Our platform powers publishing, analytics, and audience engagement for hundreds of trusted organizations. We’re looking for a Senior Full Stack JavaScript Developer with a strong front-end/SSR focus who can own production-facing experiences and help guide 1–2 other developers (contract or in-house) on delivery when needed.

Role Overview
In this role, you will build and maintain core user interfaces in our platform — especially areas that benefit from SSR (Next.js or similar), React, and responsive, accessible front-end development. You’ll work closely with Product and Engineering to ship features end-to-end, integrate with our Node.js/AWS backend, and ensure what we put in front of customers is reliable, performant, and maintainable. This is a senior IC role: no formal people management, but you should be comfortable breaking down work, reviewing PRs, and “steering” 1–2 other developers to get features across the finish line.

Key ResponsibilitiesProduct & System Ownership

• Own and maintain production web experiences used by customers.

• Ensure reliability, performance, and accessibility of front-end experiences.

• Break down feature work and provide direction to 1–2 other developers as needed.

Front-End / SSR Delivery

• Build SSR/SSG pages and components using Next.js (or similar).

• Implement responsive, mobile-friendly interfaces in React.

• Apply and extend design systems and shared component libraries.

• Enforce accessibility best practices (ARIA, keyboard navigation, contrast).

Full Stack / Platform Integration

• Integrate with backend APIs built in Node.js and serverless/ECS/AWS.

• Work with integrations to social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, RSS) where applicable.

• Contribute to code quality, CI/CD, and observability.

Collaboration

• Partner with Product to clarify requirements and edge cases.

• Participate in code reviews across multiple repositories.

• Align with other engineers on architecture, patterns, and standards.

QualificationsRequired

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.

• Strong experience with React.js.

• Proven experience with SSR frameworks (Next.js or similar).

• Experience working with or building design systems.

• Strong responsive and accessible UI skills.

• Experience integrating with RESTful APIs in a JS/TS environment.

• Ability to take ownership of a production feature/service.

• Ability to provide direction to 1–2 other developers to complete work.

Preferred

• Experience with social media platform APIs and/or webhooks.

• Experience with AWS/serverless (Lambda, API Gateway).

• Experience with real-time features (WebSockets, socket.io).

• SaaS, B2B, or public-sector product experience.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Next.js (or similar SSR), React Native (Expo exposure)

• Backend: Node.js, Serverless Framework, AWS Lambda, API Gateway

• Infrastructure: AWS (S3, CloudFront, IAM, CloudWatch), Redis Labs, MongoDB Atla

• Integrations: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Threads, YouTube, TikTok, RSS

• Tools: GitHub, Asana, Slack, AI-assisted coding tools

Compensation & Benefits

• Retirement benefits plans

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, vision)

• Paid vacation and parental leave

• Fully remote within approved states

• Opportunities to grow into broader technical ownership

Why You’ll Like Working Here

• Real impact: Your work ships to customers who use us every day.

• Modern stack: Node.js, React, SSR, AWS.

• Balanced senior IC role: Technical ownership without heavy people management.

• Collaborative culture: Product and Engineering work closely together to deliver quality.