Frontend Engineer

Web3 has created a new era of decentralised finance, democratising financial access. However, it has fallen short in generating mass consumer applications and remains largely centred around finance. We believe blockchain technology is a cornerstone for the future of new, open Internet applications.

Today, there are limits to what you can build on-chain. Many factors constrain this, from the cost of running applications to the fundamental performance limitations of existing blockchains. We believe that new technologies can unlock a new class of real-time applications that normally must be built on Web2 foundations. Enabling these systems to be built on-chain will allow the free movement of businesses and users between online platforms, creating what we call a true virtual society.

We are building Somnia, a fast and cost-effective EVM-based blockchain, to achieve this. Somnia is a layer-one blockchain with full EVM compatibility, capable of processing over 400,000 transactions per second with sub-second latency and low fees. This will unlock a new wave of on-chain applications. Initially, we are focusing on gaming, metaverse, and social experiences. But we are not even 100% certain of what can be built with the technology we are creating.

Somnia is being developed by Virtual Society Foundation, an independent organisation initiated by Improbable, a British start-up that has been at the forefront of building virtual worlds for over a decade. VSF received initial funding from MSquared, which raised $150 million in funding from a16z crypto, SoftBank, Mirana Ventures, CMT Digital, and SIG.

Your Mission 

We are seeking an experienced Front End Developer to architect, develop and deploy front-end code for a variety of web3 applications. The primary focus will be on creating intuitive, responsive and attractive front ends to interact with our existing set of smart contracts. The goal is to contribute to developing a thriving blockchain ecosystem on our chain Somnia.

Our current tech stack is React, Next.js, Typescript, wagmi and viem. Wallet interaction through Rainbowkit or ConnectKit. Styling includes Tailwind, Material UI, Shadcn and Framer Motion. The idea candidate will have experience interacting with EVM based smart contracts through the frontend, either through wagmi hooks or ethers.js

Responsibilities: 

• Write clean, reusable and performant React code.

• Style and animate components based on design specifications (Figma or others).

• Synchronize smart contracts (read functions) and subgraph data with client-side state.

• Create functions that interact with smart contracts deployed on public blockchains.

• Collaborate in the creation or improvement of UX/UI components.

• Collaborate with product owners, designers and backend/blockchain developers.

Qualifications: 

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in front end development roles.

• Experience with React and latest versions of Next.js with Typescript.

• Experience with a variety of styling methods.

• Ability to follow designs and suggest viable solutions to UI/UX problems.

• Web3 experience interacting with EVM-based contracts through frontend libraries. Basic understanding of blockchain, NFTs and Defi.

• Experience with subgraphs (GraphQL).

• Familiarity with gaming and the videogame industry is a plus.

• Bonus: experience with three.js and/ or React Fiber.