Front-end Engineer

Do you care as much about how a product feels to use as you do about the code behind it?

First Table is looking for a Front-end Engineer to build and improve the customer-facing experiences our diners use every day, from discovering somewhere new to making a booking.

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys working at pace, has a strong eye for UI and design, and takes pride in turning an idea or design into a polished experience for customers. You’ll work across our React and Next.js web platform, with the opportunity to contribute to our React Native mobile app as well.

You don’t need to arrive with experience across every part of our stack. We’re particularly interested in strong front-end engineers who bring great React fundamentals, customer and design thinking, and the ability to learn and adapt quickly.

We’re open to an experienced intermediate or Senior Front-end Engineer. For us, it’s less about title and more about your capability, ownership and the quality of what you ship.

About us

At First Table, our vision is simple: to be the first place diners go to book a table.

Proudly established in Queenstown, New Zealand - where our head office is based - we've been leading the charge in the hospitality tech industry for over a decade, with operations spanning New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

First Table is a dining discovery platform that connects diners to restaurants through their love of food. Through our clever tech, we help restaurants get their night off to a great start and give diners a compelling reason to try somewhere new. It’s a win-win situation. From early bird offers to last table reservations, we make discovering and booking great dining experiences fast, easy, and rewarding.

At the heart of everything we do are our values: Win-Win-Win, Own It and Grow Together. These guide how we show up for each other, our restaurant partners, and our diners and they’re a big part of what makes First Table a great place to work.

About the role

As a Front-end Engineer, you’ll build and improve customer-facing experiences across the First Table product, working closely with Product, Design, Analytics and Engineering.

Our web platform is built with React, TypeScript and Next.js, alongside our React Native / Expo mobile application. While experience across both web and mobile would be great, it’s not essential. If you’re a strong web engineer who is excited about developing your skills across React Native, we’d still love to hear from you.

You’ll be joining a team that values pace, pragmatism and customer experience. We want someone who doesn’t just ask “does it work?”, but also cares about whether it looks right, feels intuitive and creates a great experience for the diner.

What you’ll be doing

• Build and improve customer-facing features across the First Table diner and booking experience.
• Develop responsive, performant and accessible experiences using React, TypeScript and Next.js.
• Turn designs into polished experiences with a strong eye for UI quality and usability.
• Work closely with Product and Design to contribute ideas, solve problems and ship improvements quickly.
• Contribute across our React Native / Expo mobile app as your experience develops.
• Build reusable components and work with APIs, GraphQL and our wider application architecture.
• Use analytics, experimentation and AI tools to understand performance, iterate and improve how we build and ship.

What we’re looking for

You’re a front-end engineer who enjoys building products for real customers and takes pride in the quality of what ends up on screen.

• Strong commercial experience with React and TypeScript. React Native / Expo experience is a bonus, along with exposure to GraphQL, analytics or design systems
• Experience with modern front-end frameworks, ideally Next.js.
• Experience building customer-facing digital products and a genuine interest in user experience.
• Strong front-end fundamentals across responsive design, performance and accessibility.
• A good eye for UI and the ability to translate designs into polished customer experiences.
• Experience working with APIs and modern application architecture.
• A proactive approach - you contribute, ask questions and help move work forward rather than waiting for everything to be perfectly defined.
• Strong communication and collaboration across Engineering, Product and Design.
• Experience in B2C, marketplace, ecommerce or fast-paced customer-facing environments would also be valuable.

Why you'll love working with us

A high trust and flexible working environment: Hybrid from Auckland or Queenstown, you’ll be enabled to work the way that best suits you, in a high-trust, independent working environment.

Build things customers actually use: Work on highly visible experiences used by diners every day, with a clear connection between what you build and the experience our customers have.

Make an impact quickly: Join a team that values pace, pragmatism and getting great work into customers’ hands rather than getting caught up in unnecessary process.

Interesting product challenges: Work across a high-volume, two-sided marketplace with challenges spanning discovery, bookings, customer behaviour, conversion and retention.

Work with an experienced team: Partner closely with our Product, Design and Engineering teams while having the space to contribute ideas, take ownership and make things happen.

Grow across web and mobile: Build on your existing front-end strengths with the opportunity to contribute across both our web and mobile products.

AI-enabled ways of working: Be part of a team actively exploring how AI can help us build, test and learn faster, while keeping strong engineering judgement at the centre of what we ship.

Shape the future: Have a genuine influence on the experiences First Table creates as we continue to grow across multiple international markets.

Beloved consumer brand: Contribute to a product that diners and restaurants already love, making a visible difference across NZ, AU, and the UK.

Perks: Free First Table bookings, regular team recognition and social events, and the chance to work with a purpose-led, award-winning brand.

We’d particularly love to hear about a customer-facing feature or product you’ve personally helped take from an idea or design through to something customers could use.

We’ll be reviewing and progressing applications as they come in, so don’t wait to apply.