T

Web Developer (Frontend, Next.js & Sanity CMS)

Tailscale
Full-time
Remote
Worldwide
๐ŸŒ Digital Marketing

๐Ÿ“Œ Core Information

๐Ÿ”น Job Title: Web Developer (Frontend, Next.js & Sanity CMS)

๐Ÿ”น Company: Tailscale

๐Ÿ”น Location: Canada (Remote)

๐Ÿ”น Job Type: Full-time

๐Ÿ”น Category: Web Development / Frontend Development


๐Ÿ“Œ Essential Job Details

๐Ÿš€ Job Overview

As a Web Developer at Tailscale, you'll play a pivotal role in developing and maintaining the company's web presence, focusing on the implementation and optimization of Sanity CMS and Next.js. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to build scalable, accessible, and high-performance web experiences that bring the Tailscale brand to life while enabling stakeholders through improved content management workflows.

ASSUMPTION: Based on the mention of reporting to the web manager on the marketing team and working with two other developers, this appears to be an individual contributor role with significant project ownership rather than a managerial position.


๐Ÿ“‹ Key Responsibilities

โœ… Lead Sanity CMS Implementation: Redefine and optimize the CMS setup for scalability, flexibility, and user-friendliness; architect reusable schemas and workflows for seamless content publishing.

โœ… Web Development Ownership: Develop and enhance tailscale.com with clean, efficient code; optimize Next.js features for improved performance; build reusable UI components for consistency.

โœ… Project Leadership: Take ownership of major web initiatives from planning through execution; collaborate with cross-functional teams; manage project complexity and timelines.

โœ… Ensure Best Practices: Advocate for web performance, accessibility, and SEO; contribute to design systems; stay current with industry trends and technologies.


๐ŸŽฏ Required Qualifications

Education: Not specified

Experience:

  • Deep experience with Sanity CMS and structured content models
  • Strong proficiency in React, Next.js, and TypeScript
  • Proven experience leading large-scale web development projects
  • Experience at a B2B SaaS company (preferred)

Skills:

  • Frontend development with React, Next.js, and TypeScript
  • Sanity CMS expertise (schemas, components, content workflows)
  • Responsive design, semantic HTML, modern CSS (Tailwind preferred)
  • Web accessibility best practices
  • Performance optimization (ISR, SSR, API routes)
  • SEO best practices and analytics tracking
  • Project management and cross-functional collaboration
  • Strong communication skills

ASSUMPTION: Although specific years of experience aren't mentioned, the depth of technical expertise and leadership requirements suggest this is a mid-to-senior level position requiring at least 3-5 years of relevant experience.


๐Ÿ’ฐ Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $200,277 - $249,995 CAD

Benefits:

  • Equity incentive plan
  • Comprehensive health, vision, and dental coverage (no waiting period)
  • Flexible, remote work environment
  • Annual company retreat and team off-sites
  • Individual travel budget for team meetups
  • $1,500 USD annual professional development budget
  • Flexible paid time off (company encourages 4-6 weeks annually)
  • Company-owned laptop and $1,000 USD home office setup budget
  • Monthly home internet reimbursement
  • Generous parental leave with top-ups for up to 26 weeks

Industry Comparison: The compensation package is highly competitive for web development roles in Canada, with the salary range sitting at the upper end of the market for frontend development positions, reflecting the specialized skills in Next.js and Sanity CMS required for the role.


๐Ÿ“Œ Applicant Insights

๐Ÿ” Company Context

Industry Position: Tailscale is building network security software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and devices, competing in the VPN/network security space with a focus on simplicity and usability.

Company Size: Not explicitly stated, but appears to be a growing startup.

Company Stage: Founded in 2019, venture-backed by prominent investors including Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital, indicating a well-funded growth-stage startup.

ASSUMPTION: Based on the founding date (2019) and prominent VC backing, Tailscale is likely a Series A or B company with a headcount between 50-150 employees, though exact size is not stated in the listing.


๐Ÿ“Š Role Analysis

Career Level: Mid to Senior level

Reporting Structure: Reports to the web manager on the marketing team

Team Size/Composition: Will join two other developers on the web team

Growth Opportunities: Potential for leadership in web architecture, mentorship opportunities, and ownership of major web initiatives that have cross-functional visibility

ASSUMPTION: Given the explicit mention of leading large projects and ownership of the Sanity CMS implementation, this role likely offers opportunities to develop technical leadership skills that could lead to senior or lead developer positions.


๐ŸŒ Location & Work Environment

Office Type: Fully remote/distributed

Geographic Context: Position is based in Canada, which has several tech hubs including Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Canada offers a strong tech ecosystem with favorable immigration policies for tech workers.

Work Schedule: Not explicitly stated, but the emphasis on flexibility suggests some autonomy in setting work hours.

Regional Considerations: This role is based in Canada, but Tailscale is a fully distributed company with team members likely across multiple time zones. The generous home office setup allowance reflects the company's commitment to remote work.

ASSUMPTION: While the position is for Canada, the fully distributed nature of the company suggests flexible working hours to accommodate collaboration across time zones.


๐Ÿ’ผ Interview & Application Insights

Typical Process: For technical roles like this, expect:

  1. Initial screening call with a recruiter
  2. Technical interview focusing on Next.js and Sanity CMS expertise
  3. Portfolio review of previous web development work
  4. Panel interview with cross-functional stakeholders
  5. Possible technical assessment or take-home challenge

Key Assessment Areas:

  • Technical proficiency with Next.js and Sanity CMS
  • Project leadership capabilities
  • Communication skills, especially with non-technical stakeholders
  • Problem-solving approach to content management challenges
  • Understanding of performance optimization for web applications

Application Tips:

  • Highlight specific Sanity CMS projects and how they improved content workflows
  • Showcase Next.js optimization techniques you've implemented
  • Quantify performance improvements achieved in previous roles
  • Demonstrate cross-functional collaboration experience
  • Include examples of user-friendly systems you've built for non-technical users

ATS Keywords: Next.js, Sanity CMS, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, headless CMS, content schemas, ISR, SSR, edge functions, web accessibility, responsive design, SEO optimization, cross-functional collaboration, B2B SaaS, project leadership

ASSUMPTION: This interview process is based on standard practices for technical roles at similar companies and the specific skills emphasized in the job description.


๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Tools & Technologies

  • Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
  • CMS: Sanity
  • Deployment: Vercel (mentioned as familiarity desired)
  • Cloud Services: AWS (mentioned as familiarity desired)
  • Marketing Tools: Mutiny, UserPilot (mentioned as helpful)
  • Nice to Have: Hugo, Go

ASSUMPTION: While version control systems aren't explicitly mentioned, it's standard for web development teams to use Git, likely with GitHub or GitLab for collaboration.


๐Ÿ‘” Cultural Fit Considerations

Company Values: Based on the job listing, Tailscale values:

  • Inclusivity and flexibility
  • Authenticity ("be your authentic self")
  • Work-life integration
  • Continuous learning and development
  • Collaboration across teams

Work Style: The role requires a collaborative approach with cross-functional teams while maintaining ownership of technical decisions. The emphasis on stakeholder enablement suggests a service-oriented mindset.

Self-Assessment: Consider:

  • Do you thrive in a fully remote work environment?
  • Are you comfortable leading projects with multiple stakeholders?
  • Do you enjoy creating systems that make content management easier for non-technical users?
  • Are you proactive about staying current with web development trends?
  • Can you balance technical excellence with business priorities?

ASSUMPTION: The cultural elements are inferred from the company description, benefits package, and job responsibilities which emphasize collaboration, enablement, and work-life flexibility.


โš ๏ธ Potential Challenges

  • Complex Stakeholder Management: Working with multiple teams (designers, marketers, researchers, support, writers, product managers) may require balancing competing priorities.
  • Technical Breadth: The role requires deep expertise across multiple technical areas (Next.js, Sanity CMS, performance optimization, accessibility).
  • Distributed Team Coordination: Being fully remote may present communication challenges, particularly when leading large projects.
  • Legacy System Evolution: Redefining and optimizing the existing Sanity CMS setup may involve working with pre-existing code and architectural decisions.

ASSUMPTION: These challenges are inferred from the responsibilities and company structure described in the job posting and represent common challenges in similar roles.


๐Ÿ“ˆ Similar Roles Comparison

This role differs from standard frontend developer positions in several ways:

  • CMS Specialization: Deeper focus on Sanity CMS than most frontend roles, which might focus more broadly on UI development.
  • Stakeholder Enablement: Stronger emphasis on creating systems for non-technical users than typical engineering-focused positions.
  • Marketing Technology Focus: Positioned within the marketing team rather than product engineering, suggesting close alignment with marketing objectives.
  • Project Leadership: Greater emphasis on leading cross-functional projects than typical individual contributor roles.

ASSUMPTION: This comparison is based on standard industry patterns for frontend and web development roles.


๐Ÿ“ Sample Projects

Based on the role responsibilities, you might work on projects such as:

  • Rebuilding the Sanity CMS schema architecture to enable marketers to create and publish landing pages without developer assistance
  • Implementing a component library in Next.js that integrates seamlessly with Sanity content models
  • Creating a performance optimization strategy using Next.js ISR and edge functions to improve site speed metrics
  • Developing a new documentation portal that pulls content from Sanity with automated publishing workflows
  • Building marketing automation features that connect web interactions with customer data platforms

ASSUMPTION: These projects are illustrative examples based on the listed responsibilities and typical needs of companies using the mentioned tech stack.


โ“ Key Questions to Ask During Interview

  1. "What are the biggest pain points in the current Sanity CMS implementation that you're looking to solve?"
  2. "How do you measure success for the website in relation to company objectives?"
  3. "Can you describe the collaboration process between developers, designers, and content creators on a typical project?"
  4. "What are the most important upcoming web initiatives on your roadmap for the next 6-12 months?"
  5. "How does the web team balance competing priorities from different stakeholders across the organization?"
  6. "What does career growth look like for someone in this role who performs exceptionally well?"

ASSUMPTION: These questions are suggested based on the role type and may need adaptation for specific interviews.


๐Ÿ“Œ Disclaimer

โš ๏ธ This enhanced job description was AI-generated based on the original job listing. Information has been organized and supplemented with industry-standard insights where details were not provided. All assumptions are explicitly labeled. Applicants should verify all details directly with the employer before making decisions based on this content.


๐Ÿ“Œ Next Steps for Applicants

  1. Optimize Your Application: Tailor your resume to highlight experience with Next.js, Sanity CMS, and cross-functional project leadership. Include specific metrics from previous projects.
  2. Portfolio Preparation: Prepare examples of Sanity CMS implementations or Next.js projects you've led, focusing on architecture decisions and performance optimizations.
  3. Research Tailscale: Familiarize yourself with Tailscale's product, blog posts, and public-facing documentation to understand their technical approach and communication style.
  4. ATS Optimization: Ensure your resume includes key terms like "Next.js," "Sanity CMS," "TypeScript," "content models," and "web performance optimization" to pass automated screening.
  5. Technical Assessment Preparation: Refresh your knowledge of Next.js features (particularly ISR, SSR, and edge functions) and Sanity schema design best practices.
  6. References: Prepare references who can speak to your project leadership abilities and cross-functional collaboration skills.