Senior Front-End Developer (UI Components & Design Tokens) – Quantum

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of defence and security, aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

 

In Romania, we are advancing innovation through software engineering, research and development, delivering solutions in key markets in which Thales Group operates. Our engineers design, develop and integrate solutions that impact global industries – from fully operational systems and subsystems for naval warfare and maritime security operations, to air traffic management systems, satellite-based solutions, tactical indoor simulations, identity and biometric technologies and more.

Role: Senior Front-End Developer (UI Components & Design Tokens) – Quantum

If you enjoy bridging design and development and turning Figma logic into robust, accessible component libraries, this role is for you! 🫵

 Help us mature Quantum: components, patterns, tokens, theming, and premium UI at scale.

About the Design System and the Team:

Quantum, the Thales digital Design System, is a strategic pillar adopted by more than 300 designers and 2,000 developers across the Group. It enhances our brand image and enables the creation of premium user experiences, while supporting the company’s overall performance.

By joining the product team responsible for Quantum, you will participate in the design, evolution, and maintenance of the Design System. As the true common foundation for all our digital products, our Design System ensures brand and design coherence and the operational efficiency of Thales interfaces at scale.

Quantum Design System Overview:

Design: design libraries (on Figma and other design tools), covering color palettes, typographies, layout structures, elevation levels, icon systems, components, patterns, templates, and guidelines. Each component has been meticulously designed in various states, resulting in hundreds of variants.

Dev: The system includes comprehensive implementation packages and documentation, based on a single source of truth via design tokens. It supports all major web technologies, as well as extensions for desktop applications.

Quantum is built on a hybrid contribution model: a central team (2 designers, 2 front-end developers) operates in Agile-Kanban and collaborates with a guild of 30 contributors across Thales entities.

Our Target:

We are looking for an experienced developer, passionate about design, capable of bridging design and development, and contributing to a robust, scalable, and inspiring system for teams.

Who are you?

• A senior developer with at least 8 years’ experience, including 2–3 years in a Design System team
• You have a strong UI culture and attention to detail, ensuring visual consistency and quality
• You collaborate effectively with designers thanks to your understanding of design logic
• You like to structure, rationalize, and document to make development reusable and scalable
• You inspire confidence and leadership, and can bring others along in a collective approach
• Your Mindset?
• Curious and proactive: you enjoy exploring, proposing, and thinking beyond the obvious
• Rigorous and passionate, with a systemic approach
• Autonomous and humble: you can self-train and know that nuance is a strength
• Impact- and learning-oriented: you’re here to build as much as to learn, in a changing environment
• Inspiring and collaborative: you share your energy and good practices to help the team and community grow
• Comfortable with uncertainty: you can navigate non-fixed contexts and provide well-considered solutions

Your Skills and Experience:

• Strong expertise in modern UI development, with a sharp eye for detail and a solid understanding of UI principles: accessibility, code quality, and design rigor.
• Advanced knowledge of web development fundamentals: HTML, CSS (pre/post processors a plus), JavaScript/TypeScript, and experience building and maintaining component libraries in a collaborative IDE environment.
• Proficient in translating design assets from Figma to code (experience with Penpot is a plus).
• Demonstrated experience integrating and developing accessible components and interfaces to meet at least AA accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1).
• Experience implementing and consuming design tokens, supporting theming and scalable design patterns, with a strong interest in advancing this area.
• Awareness of UX design methodologies (user research, usability testing, etc.) and comfort participating in, or facilitating, workshops with designers and stakeholders.
• Capacity to thrive in a hybrid and agile environment, favoring collaboration and contribution
• Strong communication and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
• Strong, stimulating, and flexible leadership
• Excellent command of English (C1 level minimum) and professional proficiency in French is desirable but not mandatory

🚀 Does this sound like you? Let’s talk missions!

Your Mission:

Under the operational responsibility of the Tech Lead of the Design System, you will play a key role in advancing Quantum, our Design System, to a new level of maturity. Quantum is currently undergoing an ambitious transformation: implementation of an advanced Design Token system, creation of a brand-new visual language, while consolidating the development libraries. As such, you will be at the heart of strategic developments, take part in scaling to the next version, and support the smooth adoption of these innovations within the organization. By joining the Thales Quantum Design System team, you will play a key role in evolving our Design System.

Your missions will include:

• Designing and developing design system components using a code-first approach and best development practices, ensuring quality, scalability, and maintainability.
• Collaborating closely with the Design Lead and Tech Lead to tackle large-scale design system challenges, and contribute to technical decisions and architectural choices.
• Gathering and understanding user needs and behaviors in collaboration with UX specialists, and participating in UX activities such as interviews, workshops, and user testing to inform component development.
• Contributing to and implementing a complete visual review of the design system, ensuring developed components elevate the brand and align with premium design standards.
• Structuring, implementing, and maintaining design tokens, including the modeling, management, and automation required for scalability and multi-theme support.
• Translating design specifications and prototypes into robust, reusable code.
• Contributing to comprehensive documentation, formalization, and support of the design system, explaining usage to the internal developer and designer community and supporting adoption.
• Acting as a UI and frontend reference within the team and broader community: participating in code/design reviews and sharing best coding and UI practices.
• Staying informed about advancements and best practices in design systems, frontend development, and related technologies.

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.