EY GDS MENA, Design Studio, Senior - Lead UX Engineer

Overview

GDS Design Studio, a part of MENA GDS’ Customer and Growth team, combines design, marketing, and customer experience (CX) technology to drive client growth and drive organizational efficiency. We leverage a "design first," human-centred approach to ensure our solutions are built around true user needs and delivered with the latest technology.

We focus specifically on the innovative and growing need for digital transformation within the region. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences by working closely with cross-functional teams in an agile approach within a dynamic environment. Join us to work on high-impact projects across diverse industries.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior / Lead Full Stack Engineer to architect and deliver solutions using a React front end and .NET backend, with SQL data stores. You will ensure performance, accessibility, reliability, and secure delivery, while partnering with design and product teams to convert high-fidelity designs into scalable production systems.

This is a lead role: you will contribute to RFPs, solutioning, build prototypes, and collaborate with larger technology teams for deployment and operations.

Key Focus Areas

• End-to-End Engineering: Own features across React UI, .NET APIs, and SQL data—from design handoff to production.
• Architecture & Standards: Define pragmatic patterns for component architecture, API contracts, data models, security, and observability.
• Solutioning & RFPs: Provide technical estimates, solution blueprints, and prototype demos during pursuits and discovery.
• Design-to-Code Integrity: Implement with design tokens, grid/spacing systems, and accessibility best practices; uphold API/domain integrity.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with design, product, QA, and platform teams to plan, deliver, and transition to operations.
• Quality & Performance: Champion code reviews, testing, performance tuning, and clear documentation.

The Impact You’ll Make

In recent years, industries have been disrupted and transformed by digital technology. As a design and innovation consulting professional, you will help our clients navigate this landscape by creating engaging, intuitive solutions. As organizations look to leverage the competitive advantages of technology, we are committed to helping you develop the right skills for today’s fast-paced environment. Working on programs that cross borders and sectors, the experiences you gain here will be invaluable to your career growth and your development as a global leader in digital innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Front End (React):
  • Build responsive, accessible UIs using React (Hooks, Context/Redux), TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3/SCSS, and modern layout techniques.
  • Implement design tokens, component libraries, and interaction patterns; ensure WCAG/ARIA conformance.
  • Optimise bundle size, loading strategy (lazy/code-split), runtime performance, and cross-browser/device behaviour.
  • Collaborate in Figma to inspect grids, auto-layout, components/variants, and responsive specs.
• Backend (.NET):
  • Design and develop ASP.NET Core APIs with clean domain models, validation, error handling, paging, and caching.
  • Implement authentication/authorisation (OAuth2/OIDC/JWT), configuration, logging, and observability.
  • Integrate with SQL databases (e.g., SQL Server/PostgreSQL), write performant queries, and leverage Entity Framework Core.
  • Build maintainable services with high testability and clear API contracts.
• Delivery, DevOps & Reliability:
  • Work within Git and Agile/Scrum practices; contribute to branching/release strategies.
  • Collaborate on CI/CD pipelines (GitHub/GitLab/Azure DevOps) with quality gates and automated tests.
  • Preferred: Containerise with Docker and collaborate on Kubernetes deployments; contribute to environment configuration, secrets management, and release readiness.
• Leadership:
  • Shape solution direction, estimate effort, and de-risk delivery; lead small workstreams or features.
  • Prepare technical inputs for RFPs; build prototypes/POCs to validate approaches.
  • Partner with larger tech teams for deployment, monitoring, and handover to run.

Ability to travel for client engagement, workshops, and project needs to onsite.

Requirements

Education

• Engineering, Computer Science, BCA/MCA, or equivalent.

Experience

• 7–10 years in software engineering, with substantial full stack delivery in production environments.
• Experience leading features/workstreams; mentoring.

Technical Skills

Must Have

• Front End: React (Hooks, Context/Redux), TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3/SCSS; accessibility (WCAG/ARIA) and semantic structure.
• Backend: ASP.NET Core (C#), RESTful API design, clean domain modelling, secure auth (OAuth2/OIDC/JWT).
• Data: SQL (schema design, indexing, query tuning), Entity Framework Core.
• Process: Git, Agile/Scrum, code reviews, unit/integration testing, documentation.
• AI & GenAI Awareness: Understanding of AI and Generative AI concepts, ability to integrate AI/GenAI services/APIs (e.g., Azure Cognitive Services, Azure OpenAI, ChatGPT) into applications; familiarity with common use cases like summarisation, conversational UX, and personalisation.

Preferred Skills

• CI/CD: GitHub Actions / GitLab CI / Azure DevOps; pipelines with quality gates and test automation.
• Containers & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes (AKS/EKS).
• Cloud Exposure: Azure or AWS for app hosting, databases, storage, identity (e.g., Azure App Service, Azure SQL, Azure AD).
• Performance & Observability: Caching strategies, logging/metrics/tracing, incident triage, root cause analysis.
• Front-End Tooling: Tailwind/Material UI/Bootstrap; SSR/SSG awareness (Next.js optional).
• GenAI Hands-On: Experience with prompt engineering basics, LangChain, or similar frameworks is a plus.

Soft Skills

• Clear communication with designers, developers, product managers, and stakeholders.
• Ability to translate business goals into technical plans and explain constraints/trade offs.
• Detail oriented, quality driven; systematic approach to debugging and optimization.
• Strong ownership, prioritization, and delivery mindset in fast paced environments.
• Collaborative, feedback positive, and mentorship oriented.
• Continuous learner—curious about emerging front-end, backend, DevOps, and cloud practices.

Ideal Candidate

• Balances design sensitivity with engineering rigor and operational excellence.
• Comfortable spanning UI, API, data, and cloud—from discovery to production.
• High attention to detail in alignment, spacing, typography, interaction, API contracts, and reliability.
• Eager to improve workflows, performance, accessibility, security, and developer experience.

What Working at EY Offers

At EY, we’re dedicated to helping our clients, from start–ups to Fortune 500 companies — and the work we do with them is as varied as they are.

You get to work with inspiring and meaningful projects. Our focus is education and coaching alongside practical experience to ensure your personal development. We value our employees, and you will be able to control your own development with an individual progression plan. You will quickly grow into a responsible role with challenging and stimulating assignments. Moreover, you will be part of an interdisciplinary environment that emphasizes high quality and knowledge exchange.

Plus, we offer:

• Support, coaching, and feedback from some of the most engaging colleagues around
• Opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career
• The freedom and flexibility to handle your role in a way that’s right for you