UI/UX Frontend Developer - Detroit, MI

Position Summary

The Data Services department is seeking a Front-End Developer (Contractor) to support two student-facing initiatives: an Attendance Display Pilot and the Student Hub. In this role, you will own front-end design and development — building intuitive, performant, and visually engaging interfaces for K-12 students and school staff.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Web Development, Design, or a related field, and/or equivalent professional experience
• Required Experience & Skills:
  • 4 years work experience working in front-end development
  • Demonstrated experience building production React applications with TypeScript
  • Strong UI/UX sensibility — able to own visual design and interaction decisions, not just implement them
  • Experience integrating REST APIs into front-end applications, including authentication headers and error handling
  • Proficiency with data visualization libraries (Recharts, Chart.js, or equivalent)
  • Ability to build accessible, responsive interfaces appropriate for K-12 audiences
• Preferred Experience & Skills:
  • Experience developing SharePoint Framework (SPFx) web parts
  • Familiarity with Azure AD authentication and MSAL token acquisition flows
  • Experience building kiosk-style or display-only web applications
  • Prior work in K-12 education or public sector environments

Essential Functions

• Under the direction of the Senior Director, Data Services and the Data Platform Team Lead, the Front-End Developer will:
• Front-End Development: Design and build React/TypeScript web applications from defined technical specifications, across both display-only and authenticated use cases
• Implement data visualization components including summaries, trend charts, and gamified recognition displays
• Develop kiosk-style interfaces optimized for continuous, unattended display on screens and embedded devices
• Build authenticated web parts within the SharePoint Online environment using the SharePoint Framework (SPFx)
• Ensure all interfaces are visually clear, performant, and appropriate for K-12 student audiences
• API Integration & Authentication: Integrate front-end applications with RESTful APIs, including proper handling of authentication tokens, error states, and loading behavior
• Implement Azure AD token acquisition flows for student-authenticated features using MSAL
• Career Development: Coordinate on API contracts and response shapes before building dependent UI components
• Quality & Collaboration: Work directly from defined requirements — this role does not define scope, requirements, or data business rules
• Flag design ambiguities or requirement gaps before building, not after
• Maintain clean, documented, version-controlled front-end code in Azure DevOps
• Participate in sprint planning and review as needed

Contact

DTS offers an excellent compensation package.