Principal Agentic Engineer (Front-end)

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 modernise their organisations and maximise value for their businesses and customers. Our 750+ team members have helped transform global companies such as Kraft Heinz, NFL, Moderna, Lululemon, Dropbox, Atlassian, A+E Networks and The Very Group. Founded in 2016 in Vancouver, Canada, we have grown to ten cities across North America, South America, the UK, Europe and India. We operate within a ‘pod’ structure that brings senior leadership, subject‑matter experts and cross‑functional skill sets together on a common tech and delivery framework. We foster a safe, empowered and fun community that embodies our SHAPE values (smart, humble, active, positive, excellent) and supports each other to make a difference.

Location

Hybrid/remote friendly. Preferred candidates should be based in Canada and working in hours that align to Eastern Time or Pacific Time.

Principal Agentic Engineer (Front-end)

We are looking for a senior technical leader to build scalable, high‑quality front‑end applications that power AI‑driven digital experiences. This role blends front‑end engineering excellence with architectural leadership, AI integration and strong client‑facing communication. You will lead the front‑end technical direction, mentor engineers, and collaborate closely with back‑end, product and design teams to deliver production‑ready solutions. Deep expertise in modern front‑end frameworks, AI‑assisted development workflows and cloud‑connected architectures is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of high‑performance front‑end applications using TypeScript, React and Next.js.
• Organise, distribute and translate 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 implement coding agents will follow.
• Design and implement digital solutions that include proper SEO/GEO, accessibility, performance and content‑management integrations.
• Integrate 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 front‑end solutions that integrate seamlessly with back‑end services and AI‑powered systems.
• Design user experiences that help users express goals, constraints and context clearly to AI agents.
• Design and implement front‑end experiences that leverage AI‑powered APIs and LLM‑driven features, RAG‑based experiences and AI‑assisted workflows.
• Collaborate with back‑end teams to consume RESTful APIs effectively.
• Ensure front‑end systems are scalable, maintainable, accessible and well‑documented.
• Provide mentorship and technical leadership to front‑end engineers.
• Partner with project managers and stakeholders to manage delivery risks and timelines.
• Communicate complex front‑end 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 Staff or Lead level, including mentoring engineers and delivering complex front‑end systems.
• Generalist engineering strength, with comfort understanding back‑end systems and how front‑end architecture integrates into distributed systems.
• Demonstrated curiosity and passion for generative AI, with a desire to make it a core career focus.
• 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 back‑end technologies to support full‑stack collaboration.
• Experience with e‑Commerce platforms or complex front‑end ecosystems.

Life at Apply Digital

We value your time, safety and health, and strive to build a work community that helps you thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer:

• 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 are truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.
• Learning opportunities: generous training budgets, partner tech certifications, custom learning plans, workshops, mentorship and peer support.
• Generous vacation policy: flexible personal time (PTO) to promote overall well‑being.
• Customisable 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 recognised and valued. For more information, visit our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 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 [email protected] .

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analysing resumes or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgement. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.