Hire dedicated frontend developers: Complete guide

When you hire dedicated frontend developers, you risk hitting a wall, either by not finding the right talent or engagement model to scale your team.

At The Scalers, we’ve built over 100 dedicated teams in the past decade — many including top frontend developers — for tech leaders like yourself, struggling to get the specialists your business needs.

In this guide, we’re sharing everything we’ve learned to help you hire the best frontend talent available.

What is a dedicated frontend developer?

A dedicated frontend developer builds and designs the visual elements of a website that users interact with, but unlike freelance or outsourced frontend developers, they work exclusively for a single organisation.

These professionals are hired through a third party responsible for sourcing, hiring, onboarding, and engaging top engineers in talent-rich locations like Bangalore, India.

Dedicated frontend developers are known for possessing valuable technical skills and for adding long-term value to the business they work with, thanks to their approach to problem-solving and creative thinking.

Besides their proficiency in some of the most popular programming languages, dedicated developers specialise in domain-specific languages like Elm, Mint, and Riot.js.

Dedicated frontend developer levels: from mid-level to architect

Before exploring the benefits, costs, and steps to hire dedicated specialists successfully, you must first know which seniority level you need.

From our experience hiring dedicated frontend developers, companies often look for senior professionals to extend their existing in-house teams. This is because senior engineers offer a combination of deep technical skills and strategic thinking.

Sometimes, businesses need a specific skill set that mid-level engineers can’t provide. Other times, they may already have higher leadership roles filled and just need seasoned experts to enhance their team’s capabilities.

In the infographic below, we describe each role by specifying the instances where you may want to hire a senior developer over a mid-level or an architect over a lead engineer.

Mid-level frontend developer (2-5 years of experience)

Technical skills:

• Strong proficiency in JavaScript and familiarity with TypeScript.
• Experience with modern frontend frameworks/libraries (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js).
• Understanding of state management libraries (e.g., Redux, Vuex).
• Proficiency in CSS preprocessors like SASS or LESS.
• Experience with RESTful APIs and/or GraphQL.
• Familiarity with build tools and module bundlers (e.g., Webpack, Gulp).
• Knowledge of responsive and mobile-first design.

Soft skills:

• Problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently.
• Effective time management.
• Strong communication skills.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Senior frontend developer (5-8 years of experience)

Technical skills:

• Advanced knowledge of JavaScript and TypeScript.
• Expertise in one or more frontend frameworks/libraries.
• Experience with server-side rendering (e.g., Next.js, Nuxt.js).
• Proficiency in performance optimisation techniques.
• Strong understanding of web accessibility standards.
• Experience with testing frameworks (e.g., Jest, Mocha, Cypress).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines.

Soft skills:

• Leadership and mentorship capabilities.
• Strategic thinking.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to handle complex projects.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Lead frontend developer (8-10 years of experience)

Technical skills:

• In-depth understanding of frontend architecture.
• Experience with micro-frontend architectures.
• Proficiency in code review and setting coding standards.
• Knowledge of backend technologies to facilitate better integration.
• Advanced debugging and performance profiling.

Soft skills:

• Team leadership and project management.
• Ability to define and enforce best practices.
• Strong decision-making skills.
• Conflict resolution.
• Effective communication with stakeholders.

Principal frontend developer (10+ years of experience)

Technical skills:

• Expertise in designing scalable and maintainable systems.
• Proficiency in multiple frontend and backend technologies.
• Experience with cloud platforms and services.
• Advanced knowledge of security best practices.
• Ability to evaluate and integrate new technologies.

Soft skills:

• Strategic vision and execution.
• Mentorship of senior developers and leads.
• Influencing and guiding technical direction.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Frontend architect (12+ years of experience)

Technical skills:

• Mastery in designing complex system architectures.
• Proficiency in multiple programming languages and frameworks.
• Experience with large-scale application development.
• In-depth knowledge of performance tuning and optimisation.
• Expertise in selecting and integrating appropriate technologies.

Soft skills:

• Visionary leadership.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts.
• Strong mentorship and team development skills.
• Strategic planning aligned with business objectives.
• Effective collaboration with diverse teams.

Benefits of hiring dedicated frontend developers

We’ve already covered what dedicated frontend developers can bring to your business, but what are the tangible long-term benefits of building a team with these professionals?

Well, the main benefit of hiring dedicated frontend developers is working with specialists who are fully committed to your organisation’s success. Through offshore software development — a proven strategy to hire top tech talent — you can set up a team that not only excels in programming skills but is also aligned with your culture and values.

Another advantage of hiring dedicated engineers is enjoying cost-effective operations. For instance, if you ​​hire software developers in India, you can build a world-class tech team at a fraction of the cost you’d pay at home.

Beyond cost savings, there’s another key benefit that’s often overlooked: improved engineering productivity. As dedicated developers work just for your business and don’t juggle clients, they can focus their efforts on delivering high-quality code and refining your product.

This productivity boost is even greater when developers are supported and happy. However, that depends on having the right partner to foster a positive and inclusive environment.

How much does it cost to hire a dedicated frontend developer?

The final cost of hiring a dedicated frontend developer depends on the location, specialisation, seniority, and quality of the development partner you work with to build your team.

From these, the factor that affects costs the most is the location. According to specialised salary portal Levels.fyi, a dedicated frontend developer in the US commands a monthly median salary of $13,300, while an equivalent Indian dev earns $2,022.

Apart from India, there are other countries where tech leaders can find top frontend development talent, like Poland and Colombia. The table below shows the hourly rates dedicated engineers in these locations earn.

Source: PayScale, Upwork, and Indeed (2025)

Remember, these rates don’t reflect the final cost of hiring these professionals. They are estimates based on average national salaries, and the actual cost will depend on their skill set and the engagement model you establish with your development partner.

How to hire dedicated frontend developers: 3 proven steps

There’s not a single right way to hire dedicated frontend developers. However, there are proven systems that have helped industry leaders build high-performing tech teams with top dev talent.

The steps we’re outlining in this section are the ones our partners have followed to get the right specialists to join their organisations.

1. Decide the type of frontend developers you need

Before making your first hire, ask yourself the following questions:

• How many frontend developers do I want to start my team?
• What seniority should they have?
• What technologies, frameworks, and tools should they be proficient in?
• Will they focus on new development, maintenance, or both?
• How will they integrate with my existing team, workflows, and processes?

This information will be decisive in knowing the type of talent you need and will help your future software development partner source the best professionals available. Indeed, once you find a reliable vendor, they will recommend what’s best for your business per your unique requirements.

See Nextpoint’s case. This US-based SaaS company for the legal industry had tried to hire developers via offshoring in India but didn’t get the results they expected. They either couldn’t find the right skill set or faced cultural mismatches between their headquarters and the team in India.

That changed when they found an offshore software development partner who understood their needs, answered all their questions, and offered them a tailored solution. This way, they could finally build a dedicated team that included frontend specialists and was pivotal to deploying 10+ key releases and launching a groundbreaking serverless product.