Principal Full Stack Engineer (Front-End Focus)

Reporting to: Director of Digital Strategy

Department: Digital / Web Experience

Location: Boston, MA (Hybrid, 3x/week onsite)

Position Summary

Grand Circle Corporation is the leader in international travel, adventure and discovery for Americans aged 50 . Headquartered in Boston, MA, and with more than 45 offices globally, more than two million Americans have traveled with our award-winning travel brands: Grand Circle Cruise Line, Overseas Adventure Travel, and Grand Circle Travel.

We’re looking for a Principal Full Stack Engineer (Front-End Focus) to lead the strategy, architecture, and execution of modern web development across our digital ecosystem. This role will spearhead front-end excellence at GCC, with deep expertise in React, Next.js, and headless CMS integration—while also partnering closely across the full stack to deliver seamless, high-performing customer-facing experiences. The ideal candidate is a technical leader with a strong product mindset, a passion for modern web development, and a desire to elevate our global brand through world-class digital experiences.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Lead the end-to-end technical delivery of modern web solutions, from architecture and design through development, testing, deployment, and ongoing optimization.
• Architect and build advanced customer-facing applications using Next.js and React, leveraging SSR, SSG, API routes, performance optimization, and modern UI patterns.
• Drive decision-making around component libraries, styling systems, build tools, development standards, and front-end best practices.
• Design scalable integrations with our Optimizely headless CMS, optimizing content delivery and editorial workflows.
  
  

Development & Execution

• Develop full stack solutions in collaboration with back-end teams using C#, .NET Core, SQL, Docker, Redis, and related technologies.
• Build and optimize CI/CD pipelines in Azure, ensuring performance, reliability, and smooth deployment processes.
• Perform code reviews, solution reviews, and architectural assessments to maintain high engineering standards.
  
  

Coaching, Collaboration & Process

• Mentor engineers on React, TypeScript, state management, front-end architecture, headless CMS patterns, and web performance.
• Work closely with design, product, and content teams to translate business needs into intuitive, performant digital experiences.
• Support agile process improvements and contribute to a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and technical excellence.
  
  

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Continuously evaluate emerging front-end technologies, patterns, and tools—challenging the status quo and advocating for better ways of building.
• Champion accessibility, performance, SEO, and front-end quality standards.
• Provide ongoing support to internal stakeholders while advocating for modern UX and front-end best practices.
  
  

Qualifications

Required

• Extensive experience in front-end engineering within full stack environments.
• Deep expertise with React and Next.js in production, including SSR, SSG, routing, performance optimization, and TypeScript.
• Experience integrating with headless CMS platforms (Ideally Optimizely); strong understanding of content modeling and API delivery.
• Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3, responsive design, and state management solutions (Redux, Context API, Zustand, etc.).
• Experience with modern front-end tooling (Webpack, Vite, etc.) and testing frameworks (Jest, React Testing Library, Playwright, Cypress).
• Strong understanding of accessibility (WCAG), SEO, and web performance optimization.
• Full stack experience in C#/ .NET, Node.js, or Java, and strong understanding of API design.
• Proven ability to architect scalable and secure front-end frameworks, component libraries, and design system integrations.
• Experience mentoring developers and elevating team capabilities.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to influence across technical and non-technical teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent experience.
• Experience deploying in Azure (or AWS/GCP).
• Strong understanding of Domain-Driven Design, SOLID principles, and design patterns.
• Comfort working in fast-paced environments, managing ambiguity, and adapting quickly to new technologies.
  
  

Preferred

• Experience contributing to or building design systems.
• GraphQL and modern API patterns.
• Experience enhancing content editing/preview experiences in a headless CMS.
• Familiarity with Core Web Vitals and Web Performance Analytics.
• Open-source contributions or conference speaking/technical writing.
  
  

Total Rewards

The base salary range for this role is $170,000 – $185,000 annually for employees based in Boston, MA. Final compensation may vary and will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, internal equity, and geographic location. In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for an annual incentive bonus and first-class benefits, which include:

Health & wellness: Comprehensive and heavily subsidized medical, dental, and vision plans, on-site gym access, holistic wellness sessions, and group fitness classes.

Time for you: Substantial Paid Time Off (PTO), 11 paid holidays—including Juneteenth, Memorial Day, and Labor Day—and Summer Fridays. Extensive parental leave with up to 12–16 weeks paid at 100% of base salary.

Travel more, spend less: 50% off trips for you and a companion, 25% for immediate family members, and exclusive quarterly associate travel discounts.

Your future, secured: 401(k) with company match, life insurance, and disability coverage.

Continuous growth: Tuition assistance, professional development opportunities including overseas travel, and access to Pinnacle Leadership & Team Development.

Extra perks: Commuter benefits, FSA options, pet insurance, home & auto discounts, and paid volunteer time off.

To learn more, visit: gct.com, oattravel.com, and grandcirclefoundation.com.