Principal Full Stack JavaScript Engineer Engineering

Type: Full-time, Permanent
Location: UK-based (flexible home, office, or hybrid working)
Office locations: Newcastle and Leeds
Hub locations: Edinburgh, Manchester, London

We're growing our Engineering team to strengthen our ability to deliver world-class digital products for our clients.

As a Principal Full Stack JavaScript Engineer, you'll join a small, highly technical group tackling a complex transformation: breaking down a monolithic JavaScript platform into clearer, modern components.

This is an individual contributor role for someone who thrives on problem-solving, can ramp up quickly, and can collaborate confidently with other very strong engineers.

You'll be hands-on from day one, helping modernise architecture, improve maintainability, and set the foundations for future technology decisions, all while staying pragmatic and delivery-focused.

What you'll do

• Lead (hands-on) full-stack engineering across a JavaScript platform, with a strong focus on architecture and problem-solving.
• Break down an existing monolithic system into well-structured components and services.
• Work closely with senior client engineers, ask the right questions, and influence technical direction through evidence and collaboration.
• Support a move from Vercel-hosted deployment towards a Google Cloud future, improving deployment and operational readiness.
• Contribute to authentication modernisation by integrating an identity platform rather than maintaining bespoke authentication.
• Deliver value quickly by quickly understanding the domain, codebase, and priorities.

Who is hedgehog lab

hedgehog lab is a digital product consultancy with 20 years of experience. Based in Northern England, we help global brands craft better digital experiences through technical excellence and human-first collaboration.

hedgehog lab benefits

• 28 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
• 5 Impact Days per year to spend on L'D, volunteering or innovation
• Flexible working environment
• Enhanced parental policy
• Annual wellbeing budget + two days of wellbeing
• Mental health support
• Company-supplied Apple Mac

What we're looking for

• Deep expertise in JavaScript (TypeScript a plus).
• Strong full-stack experience, including Node.js and API architecture.
• A pragmatic mindset: you care about quality, but you also deliver outcomes and keep momentum.
• Confident communicator who can hold their own in technical discussions with senior engineers.
• Comfortable working in small, flat teams with little hierarchy and lots of collaboration.

Nice to have

• Experience with Google Cloud (especially identity or auth-related services).
• Experience with Vercel or modern web deployment platforms.
• Interest or experience in open source communities or open source strategy.
• Exposure to geospatial/GIS/mapping products or highly interactive map UIs.

Ready to apply?

Submit your application below. Please note that we're unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.