Front End Competence Owner (Manager Strategic / Cross-country Leadership Role)

Sanoma Learning is the leading European learning company, serving over 20 million students in 11 countries. We offer printed and digital learning materials as well as digital learning and teaching platforms for primary, secondary, and vocational education. The development of our methodologies is based on deep teacher and student insight and really understanding their needs. By combining our educational technologies and pedagogical expertise, we create learning products and services with the highest learning impact. In our Technology organization, you will join the largest cross-cultural community of Sanoma Learning and contribute to the digital transformation and future of education in Europe.

Location : Poland (Warsaw or Gdańsk) / Spain (Barcelona)

Employment type : Full-time employment agreement

Work Model : Hybrid (extent of office presence to be agreed)

About the Role :

We are looking for a highly skilled and visionary  FrontEnd Competence Owner to lead our frontend development practice and manage the growth and success of our frontend engineers. This is a hybrid role that combines strategic leadership, technical excellence, and people development. As a Competence Owner, you will oversee competence leads, define professional standards, and ensure the operational integrity of the frontend competence group.

You will be at the forefront of setting the direction for frontend engineering across our organization, supporting the development of scalable, secure, and maintainable applications used by thousands of users.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Technical Leadership

Deliver the strategic view of the competence group for Operations and act as the hierarchical and supportive leader of Competence Leads within the group.

Define and execute the frontend strategy and set Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).

Ensure technology solutions deliver prioritized business value.

Evaluate and introduce modern frameworks, tools, and practices.

Competence Group Management

Lead and mentor competence leads and frontend engineers.

Set and enforce frontend standards, development methodologies, and architectural consistency.

Plan resource and competence allocation in collaboration with domain and team leads.

Talent Development

Drive upskilling and reskilling initiatives.

Guide engineers through regular feedback, evaluations, and coaching.

Support a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and knowledge sharing.

Operational Oversight

Manage budgets, resources, and administrative responsibilities for the competence group.

Solve complex technical problems and provide expert consultations as needed.

Collaborate cross-functionally to align frontend strategy with product and business needs.

Other

Define professional standards and methodologies in collaboration with Competence Leads and HR business partners.

Ensure integrity and smooth operation of the competence group, driving capability growth, best practices consistency, and knowledge development.

Coordinate resource and competence allocation with Domain and Team Leads.

Achieve an optimal mix of skills and technical levels through upskilling / reskilling.

Own the performance evaluation framework for the competence group.

Act as an expert or facilitator in solving complex, cross-functional challenges.

A successful candidate will have the following :

Education

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Mathematics, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

Must-Have Technical Skills

Over 10 years of proven experience in frontend development, encompassing technical leadership and the management of development teams of 20 or more professionals.

Angular 2+ (v16)

Angular Material

Reactive Programming / RxJS

Strong understanding of Responsive Web Design (RWD) best practices

Web application security knowledge (CORS, CSP, etc.)

Experience with WebComponents

Strong experience with REST APIs

Familiar with version control tools and repository hosting services (Git, Bitbucket, GitHub, GitLab)

Familiarity with CI tools (Bitbucket Pipelines, Maven, Jenkins, Nexus)

Familiarity with tools for static code analysis and continuous inspection of code quality (SonarQube, Codacy)

Strong focus on Clean Code and Design Patterns

Excellent English language proficiency

Agile mindset and proven team collaboration

Strong problem-solving and analytical skills

Proven technical leadership : mentoring, code reviews, and coaching team members

Expertise and  Behavior

Recognized as highly proficient in their competence group.

Experience in developing methods for better performance.

Ability to promote work standards across the organization.

Experience in managing staff : hiring, interviewing, and assessing.

Proven mediation and conflict resolution skills.

Excellent communication skills to convey complex topics clearly.

Coaching experience with Team Members and Team Leads in standards and work methods.

Ability to build and maintain high-performing, engaged teams.

Strategic mindset focused on innovation and improvement.

Passion for the competence area; proactive in organizing related events and activities.

Receptiveness to new ideas and commitment to learning and growth.

Fosters a culture of ownership, continuous learning, and feedback.

Nice-to-Have Skills

Developing accessible solutions in line with WCAG 2.2 AA standards

Proven experience creating and maintaining component libraries for reuse

Experience with AWS, Kubernetes, Datadog

Familiarity with OAuth2 and Auth0

Experience using Figma or collaborating closely with UX / UI designers

Knowledge of microfrontend architecture

Background in design systems or UI / UX principles

Experience with JavaScript, CSS, unit testing (e.g., Jest), and NX

Vue.js, React or others

What We Offer

A key leadership position with impact on strategy, people, and technology

A collaborative, learning-oriented work culture

Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies in modern projects

Support for your personal growth and technical development

Competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package

As an employer, Sanoma offers a working environment where you are able and encouraged to show your best self. The working environment is result-oriented as well as flexible with a focus on collaboration. We offer you a key position with interesting and challenging tasks and excellent opportunities for professional growth. You will be part of a highly professional and experienced international team in an open and informal setting, where initiative is expected and rewarded.