Frontend Engineer

Frontend Engineer - Home Assistant Team

The Open Home Foundation is seeking a motivated Frontend Engineer to join our Home Assistant team. This role is based in Europe.

Home Assistant is a complex, real-time web application, not a typical website. It's a progressive web application (PWA) used by millions to control smart homes. The frontend manages real-time state for numerous data and control points, renders dynamic dashboards and visualizations, communicates bidirectionally with the backend via WebSockets, and functions as an installable application across desktop and mobile devices.

We are looking for an engineer experienced in building sophisticated, stateful applications, rather than those with a background primarily in websites, landing pages, or CMS projects.

Frontend Technical Stack

The Home Assistant frontend is a modern, performance-focused progressive web application (PWA). Our core stack includes:

• TypeScript: Used for all development to ensure code quality and maintainability in a large codebase.
• Lit and Web Components: Development is built with the Lit library and native Web Components, utilizing a comprehensive component library. Understanding the underlying platform (custom elements, shadow DOM, DOM APIs) is crucial.
• Real-time state management: The application handles hundreds of live data and control points with state updates over WebSockets. Efficient rendering and state synchronization are key challenges.
• Modern Web Standards: Priority is given to native browser capabilities over heavy frameworks, emphasizing a deep understanding of the web platform.

What You Are Going To Do

• Conduct code reviews for pull requests from teammates and the community, identifying and resolving technical issues to maintain high coding standards.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, and product teams to develop new features for our progressive web application based on community feedback, product specifications, and requirements.
• Continuously enhance the frontend codebase by improving its quality, maintainability, and scalability.
• Actively participate in shaping frontend architecture and technical decisions to drive long-term innovation and performance.
• Engage with the community by investigating and addressing user-reported issues and preparing tasks for community contributors.

What You Need To Have

• 3+ years of professional TypeScript development experience.
• Experience developing and optimizing progressive web applications (PWAs).
• Hands-on experience with modern frontend frameworks and libraries such as Lit, React, Angular, or Vue.
• Strong understanding of Web Components principles.
• Ability to work independently with strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Extensive proficiency with Git and GitHub workflows (pull requests, reviews, merging, etc.).
• Professional fluency in English, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• European residency and eligibility to work in Europe.

It would be great if you also have

• Prior contributions to Home Assistant (e.g., HA cards, custom UI components) or other open-source projects.
• Passion for and experience with Home Assistant, or a strong interest in smart home technology and automation.
• A drive to craft delightful user experiences, including attention to detail such as micro-interactions.
• Affinity for the open-source philosophy and community-driven development.
• Experience working with Lit or web components.
• Knowledge of web accessibility standards and best practices.
• Familiarity with frontend testing frameworks (e.g., Vitest, Jest, Cypress).
• A knack for data visualization, understanding relevant principles and best practices.

What we offer You

The Open Home Foundation is a fully remote organization employing individuals globally through an Employer of Record. You will be a salaried employee in your country of residence.

This is a full-time, 40-hour per week position. As a remote company, there's no fixed schedule, but we aim for at least 3 hours of workday overlap for team communication. You will report to the Home Assistant Lead, based in the Netherlands.

We prioritize employee well-being and offer benefits compliant with your country's laws, along with a minimum set of global benefits:

• Five weeks (twenty-five days) of paid time off.
• Fourteen days of paid sick leave (or as per local law).
• Six weeks of paid and six weeks of unpaid parental leave.
• A budget for work hardware.
• A 50% contribution to your home internet connection fee.
• Opportunity to spend work time maintaining existing Home Assistant-related side projects.

We aim to provide a total compensation package at the 75th percentile of local market rates for your role and seniority. Approximate yearly compensation:

• Netherlands: 78,000 EUR
• UK: 68,000 GBP
• Spain: 60,000 EUR
• Portugal: 60,000 EUR
• Italy: 62,000 EUR
• Other countries: Compensation to be discussed during the interview.

Figures are subject to adjustments based on experience, qualifications, and work hours.

About Us

The Open Home Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland dedicated to privacy, choice, and sustainability in smart homes. We support open-source projects and open connectivity/communication standards.

Key projects include Home Assistant (the largest open-source project by contributor count), ESPHome, ESP Web Tools, Python Matter Server, Z-Wave JS, ZigPy, BTHome, Improv Wi-Fi, Rhasspy, Wyoming Protocol, and Piper.

The recruitment process

1. Apply for the role.
2. HR team reviews application with hiring manager.
3. Interview with HR.
4. Technical assessment.
5. Interview with the team.
6. Offer.
7. Join our team!

Key skills/competency

• TypeScript
• Progressive Web Applications (PWA)
• Web Components
• Lit
• Real-time state management
• WebSockets
• Frontend architecture
• Code reviews
• Open-source development
• Smart home technology