Senior React & AI Developer

Senior React & AI Engineer

Long-term 5 year project.

Vanguard DevOps (www.vanguard-devops.ai) is seeking a highly experienced senior React engineer to lead the front-end design, architecture and development of a brand new, green-field web application.

This position REQUIRES the candidate to be either a U.S. Citizen, or green card holder having lived in the U.S. continuously for more than 5 years. (no H1B or H4 visa). - If you do not meet this requirement, do not apply. We cannot hire you for this position.

Security Clearance: This position REQUIRES the ability to obtain a Public Trust security clearance

Project Overview

We are developing an AI-augmented enterprise platform designed for high-volume, complex data entry. While the core application features approximately 10 distinct web forms (some containing up to 60 fields), we are moving beyond manual entry. We are integrating Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to provide intelligent field suggestions, automated draft generation from unstructured data, and real-time validation driven by machine learning.

We need a Senior React & AI Engineer to architect a lightning-fast Single Page Application (SPA) that balances heavy-duty data management with cutting-edge AI orchestration. You will design the UI/UX patterns for AI-assisted workflows—ensuring that non-deterministic AI outputs are handled with the same precision and performance as our strict Java/Spring Boot backend. You will own the frontend evolution from a high-performance data tool to an AI-driven decision support system, working at the intersection of complex state management and modern LLM integration -

front end design, architecture, tool stack and library selection, development, testing, and deployment, and work closely with the Java/Spring back end team.

The Tech Stack (draft, open to alternative recommendations)

• Frontend: React 19 (Plain SPA)
• Build Tool: Vite
• AI Orchestration: Vercel AI SDK / LangChain.js
• Routing: React Router v7
• State & Forms: React Hook Form, Zod, TanStack Query (React Query)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS Headless UI / Shadcn, and/or Material UI
• Backend Integration: Java / Spring Boot (REST API)
• Auth: OIDC / OAuth2 (Authorization Code Flow with PKCE)

Core Responsibilities

• SPA & AI Architecture: Design a robust, scalable SPA using Vite; implement high-performance UI patterns for real-time AI streaming (Server-Sent Events) to ensure a fluid, responsive user experience.
• Contextual RAG Interfaces: Design and implement UI components for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), allowing users to query mission-critical documentation with grounded citations.
• AI-Assisted Data Entry: Architect "Smart Form" features using LLMs to assist users in completing 60-field forms via natural language parsing and intelligent field suggestions.
• Large-Scale Form Management: Implement complex forms using React Hook Form, optimizing uncontrolled components to ensure zero input lag across hundreds of fields.
• Dynamic Validation: Build sophisticated, schema-based validation using Zod. You will be responsible for syncing these schemas with our backend Java-based OpenAPI specifications.
• Client-Side Routing: Manage complex navigation and "Form Steppers" using React Router, ensuring user progress is preserved across different views.
• State Management: Architect a clean data-fetching layer with TanStack Query to handle auto-saves, draft persistence, and optimistic UI updates.
• Security Integration: Implement secure OIDC authentication patterns, managing JWTs within the browser environment following industry best practices.
• Backend Integration & API Orchestration
• Contract-First Collaboration: Work closely with the Java/Spring Boot team to define and consume RESTful APIs. You will be responsible for ensuring that the JSON payloads for 120-field forms are structured for both backend efficiency and frontend performance.
• Data Transformation: Implement robust mapping layers to transform backend DTOs (Data Transfer Objects) into frontend form states, ensuring that complex Java data types (like Enums, OffsetDateTimes, and nested Collections) are handled gracefully in React.
• Error Mapping: Develop a unified error-handling strategy that maps Spring Boot MethodArgumentNotValidException responses directly to UI-specific field errors in real-time.

Required Technical Skills

• 5 Years Professional React: Mastery of Hooks, Context, and Composition patterns.
• 3 Years TypeScript: Professional-grade skills, specifically with Zod or Yup for runtime validation.
• AI Integration: Experience integrating frontend applications with AI services (Google Vertex AI, OpenAI, or Azure OpenAI) using LangChain.js or Vercel AI SDK.
• Form Expertise: Mastery of React Hook Form (useFieldArray, Controller) for deeply nested, high-field-count data structures.
• Build & Tooling: Deep understanding of Vite and experience with OpenAPI Generator or Orval to automate TypeScript type synchronization with Java backends.
• Expert at Developing Large Web Forms: Mastery of React Hook Form. You should know exactly how to use useFieldArray and Controller to manage deeply nested data (or recommend alternative best practices).
• Experience with Orval, or OpenAPI Generator to automatically generate React Query or SWR hooks directly from your OpenAPI spec, and automate the synchronization of TypeScript types with Java backends.
• Type Safety: Professional-grade TypeScript skills. Experience using Zod or Yup for runtime validation.
• API Integration: Experience working with RESTful Java/Spring Boot backends and a strong understanding of JSON-to-DTO mapping.
• State Management: High proficiency with TanStack Query (React Query) for managing server state and caching (or recommend alternative best practices).

Additional Desired Skills

• Experience with Python, Django, FastAPI, Flask
• Experience in "Contract-First" development.
• Knowledge of AI UX Best Practices (handling hallucinations, human-in-the-loop validation).
• Experience with Vector & Graph Visualization (D3.js, Recharts) for AI-driven data relationships.
• Prior experience building large, complex medical or federal data-entry systems.
• Knowledge of CSS performance optimization for rendering massive input lists.

Why Join Vanguard DevOps?

• AI at the Federal Frontier: Define how the next generation of mission-critical civil infrastructure is built using Generative AI.
• Greenfield Engineering: No legacy code. You set the architecture and choose the patterns from day one.
• Stability Meets Innovation: Enjoy the security of a four-year federal contract with the fast-paced culture of an AI-focused firm.
• Technical Sovereignty: We hire experts and trust them. You will have a seat at the table for all major architectural decisions.