Software Development Engineer (SDE) Frontend

Role: Software Development Engineer (SDE) – Frontend

Location: Hyderabad, India, On-Site

Type: Full-Time

Only apply if: You have ≥ 2 years of production-grade frontend experience with strong, demonstrable expertise building and shipping scalable React / Next.js applications, and you can point us to live, deployed products you have built.

About Steps AI

We are a fast-growing product startup building intelligent, AI-powered software for modern businesses. Our focus is on crafting seamless, high-performance user experiences powered by scalable backend systems and data-driven intelligence — and we ship to real customers every week.

As we scale, we are looking for a Frontend-focused SDE who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can take end-to-end ownership of frontend architecture and user experience across a complex, multi-surface product.

What You'll Do

Core Frontend Development

- Build production-grade applications using Next.js (App Router), React 19, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.

- Architect scalable, reusable component libraries and design systems on top of shadcn/ui / Radix primitives.

- Implement modern UI patterns using hooks, context, and advanced state management.

- Optimize performance using code-splitting, lazy loading, caching, and SSR / SSG / ISR / CSR strategies.

- Ensure pixel-perfect, responsive, accessible UI across devices and browsers.

UI/UX Engineering Excellence

- Translate product requirements and Figma designs into robust frontend implementations.

- Build complex dashboards, data visualizations, and interactive multi-step workflows (charts, tables, maps, geographic intelligence, analytics views).

- Build AI-driven, streaming interfaces - chat/agent UIs, token-by-token streaming, real-time updates, and rich message rendering (markdown, code, math).

- Integrate real-time features using WebSockets, SSE / streaming APIs, or event-driven updates.

- Ship accessible, SEO-friendly, high-performance web interfaces measured against Lighthouse best practices.

Frontend Architecture & Scalability

- Design scalable folder structures and modular, maintainable frontend architecture.

- Implement server- and client-state management using TanStack Query and Zustand (or equivalent modern solutions).

- Build robust forms with React Hook Form + Zod validation.

- Integrate with backend services (TypeScript/Node and Python) over REST and/or GraphQL APIs.

- Ensure robust error handling, observability, and performance monitoring.

- Drive frontend testing strategy with Vitest / Jest, React Testing Library, and Cypress/Playwright.

- Contribute to embeddable / SDK-style frontend artifacts (e.g. CDN-delivered, shadow-DOM-isolated widgets) where relevant.

Engineering & Collaboration

- Conduct structured code reviews and enforce high-quality coding standards.

- Collaborate closely with backend engineers, product managers, and designers.

- Contribute to CI/CD workflows and deployment pipelines.

- Take ownership of features from concept to production release.

- Mentor junior engineers and uphold engineering best practices.

Must-Have Qualifications

Core Frontend Expertise

- ≥ 2 years of production experience building scalable web applications.

- Strong command over Next.js, React, TypeScript, and modern JavaScript (ES6+).

- Deep understanding of rendering strategies (SSR, SSG, ISR, CSR) and when to use each.

- Advanced Tailwind CSS knowledge and experience building custom design systems.

- Experience with frontend performance optimization and profiling.

API & Integration

- Experience integrating frontend applications with Node.js and Python backends.

- Strong understanding of REST APIs and/or GraphQL.

- Familiarity with authentication systems (JWT, OAuth, session-based auth).

- Experience handling large datasets, paginated/infinite APIs, and streaming responses.

Frontend Ecosystem Knowledge

- Server/client state management (TanStack Query / React Query, Zustand, Redux Toolkit).

- Form management (React Hook Form, Zod/Yup validation).

- Data fetching and caching strategies.

- Component-driven development; experience with design systems / Storybook is a plus.

- Data visualization libraries (Recharts, D3, ECharts, Nivo, or similar).

DevOps & Quality

- Experience with Docker-based local development workflows.

- CI/CD familiarity (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.).

- Strong Git workflows and collaborative branching strategies.

- Testing mindset spanning unit, integration, and E2E coverage.

Engineering Mindset

- Clean, maintainable code adhering to SOLID principles.

- Strong debugging and performance-profiling skills.

- Ownership-driven, product-first thinking.

- Comfortable working independently in an in-office startup environment.

Critical Requirements – High Weightage

This is non-negotiable. Applications without these will not be prioritized.

Portfolio, Live Products & Demos

You must be able to show, not just tell. With your application, explicitly share:

- An active GitHub profile showcasing real, production-grade frontend code (not just tutorials or forks).

- Live, deployed projects - public URLs we can open and interact with right now. Next.js + TypeScript projects strongly preferred.

- Live demos / a portfolio site where you specifically showcase your UI/UX work - the visual quality, interaction design, responsiveness, and polish you are personally responsible for.

- Demonstrated ability to build complex dashboards, SaaS products, AI-integrated UIs, or data-heavy interfaces.

- Clean code structure, thoughtful architecture, and clear documentation.

In your application, please include direct links to:

https://forms.gle/FPUtQZ9ebgHPeAH59 

1. Your GitHub profile (and 1–3 specific repos you're proud of).

2. At least one live deployed product (URL) you built or substantially contributed to.

3. A portfolio / demo that highlights your UI/UX craftsmanship.

Tell us, for each link, exactly what you built and which parts are yours.

Technical Assessment

We will evaluate your:

- Frontend architecture design and scalability decisions.

- Code quality and maintainability.

- Performance optimization strategy.

- Ability to convert product requirements into production-ready UI.

- End-to-end ownership during feature implementation.

Nice-to-Have

- Experience building AI-powered, streaming, or data-heavy interfaces.

- Knowledge of WebSockets, streaming UIs, and real-time collaboration features.

- Experience building embeddable widgets / SDKs (shadow-DOM isolation, CDN delivery).

- Experience with design systems and internal UI libraries.

- Exposure to animation libraries (Framer Motion, GSAP).

- Contributions to open-source React/Next.js projects.

- Experience working in early-stage startups.

What We Offer

- Competitive salary (Base Pay: 50-75K per month) with a strong growth trajectory.

- High-impact role with direct influence on product direction.

- Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI-driven products.

- Fast execution cycles and a strong ownership culture.

- Learning budget for courses and certifications.

- Collaborative in-office engineering culture in Hyderabad.

https://forms.gle/FPUtQZ9ebgHPeAH59

If you are passionate about building scalable, beautiful, and high-performance frontend systems and want to shape the product experience of a growing startup - send us your GitHub, your live products, and your portfolio.

We'd love to see what you've shipped.