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

About Tailscale 

Tailscale is building the new Internet by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We’re building a future for the Internet that’s easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we’re backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.

Job Description

We’re looking for an experienced Web Developer to bring our brand to life by building and maintaining beautiful, performant, and accessible web experiences. This role is pivotal in shaping the future of our website and internal web tooling, ensuring it is scalable, flexible, and empowering for stakeholders.

As a key member of the web team, you will work closely with designers, marketers, researchers, support teams, writers, and product managers to deliver high-quality, impactful web solutions. Reporting to the web manager on the marketing team, you’ll join two other developers in evolving tailscale.com, refining our headless CMS (Sanity), optimizing performance, and leading major web projects from conception to execution.

We are seeking a strategic and creative developer who is passionate about modern web technologies, structured content models, and stakeholder enablement. If you love optimizing content management workflows, making it easier for non-technical users to self-serve, and leading cross-functional projects, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and up-level our Sanity CMS implementation

• Redefine and optimize our Sanity CMS setup to create a more scalable, flexible, and user-friendly content management system.
• Architect reusable, maintainable schemas and workflows to make content publishing seamless for non-technical teams.
• Ensure self-serve enablement for stakeholders, reducing reliance on engineering for content updates.
• Improve performance, maintainability, and governance of our CMS structure.

Own and scale web development

• Develop and enhance tailscale.com, including landing pages, documentation, sales enablement tools, and marketing automation features.
• Write clean, efficient, and maintainable code that prioritizes performance, scalability, and accessibility.
• Optimize Next.js features (ISR, SSR, edge functions) to improve site speed and scalability.
• Build and refine reusable UI components, ensuring consistency across all web properties.

Lead large-scale web projects

• Take ownership of major web initiatives from planning through execution, working with multiple stakeholders across the organization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including marketing, design, product, and support teams to align business goals with web development priorities.
• Manage project complexity, timelines, and expectations, ensuring successful outcomes on large, multi-team efforts.

Ensure best practices in web development

• Advocate for web performance, accessibility, and SEO best practices, ensuring a first-class user experience.
• Contribute to and maintain design systems, enforcing development standards and consistency.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, bringing innovative solutions and technologies to the team.

What We Are Looking For

Sanity CMS Expertise

• Deep experience working with Sanity CMS and structured content models.
• Ability to build and improve schemas, custom components, and content workflows that make it easier for non-technical teams to manage content.
• A track record of improving CMS usability for internal teams and reducing reliance on developers for content updates.

Frontend development and Next.js

• Strong proficiency in React, Next.js, and TypeScript.
• Experience with ISR, SSR, and API routes to optimize performance and content delivery.
• Deep understanding of responsive design, semantic HTML, modern CSS (Tailwind preferred), and accessibility best practices.

Project leadership and cross-functional collaboration

• Proven experience leading large-scale web development projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to scope, prioritize, and execute projects efficiently.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to translate technical decisions into business impact for non-technical teams.

Performance, SEO, and analytics knowledge

• Familiarity with Vercel, AWS, or other deployment platforms for optimizing performance and scalability.
• Understanding of SEO best practices, A/B testing, analytics tracking, and experimentation tools.
• Experience using Mutiny, UserPilot, or other tools to help build experiments and optimize user engagement.

Industry experience

• Experience at a B2B SaaS company, ideally working on web experiences that support product-led growth, content marketing, and demand generation initiatives.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Hugo and/or Go.
• Strong background in brand-driven web experiences and maintaining design systems.
• Experience building interactive graphics and micro-animations to enhance user engagement.

As a company, we strive to maintain fair and equitable compensation practices within our team across all roles and all levels. Tailscale’s compensation package includes base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The salary range displayed on each job posting represents the target range for a new hire’s base salary. Individual offers may vary based on experience and skill set.

Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to help us break that statistic!

What We Offer

• An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self. We recognize the impact of diverse voices and backgrounds on the growth of our people, product, and company. And that flexibility in how and when you work empowers our team to integrate work and life.
• A competitive total compensation package. This includes a base salary, an equity incentive plan and variable commission (for quota-based roles).
• Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period. Take advantage of coverage for health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family!
• All-remote with the opportunity to work from anywhere—enjoy a change of scenery wherever you can get wifi, participate in virtual and in-person social events, and leverage our corporate co-working program to visit WeWork (or other similar spaces near you). 
• Connect with other Tailscalars IRL. Attend our annual company retreat, participate in team/department off-sites, or use your individual travel budget to meet up with team members in Canada, the US, or the UK. 
• Support for your personal and professional development. Grow your career thoughtfully with $1500 USD annually for professional development, or take advantage of mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities. 
• Paid time off and a healthy work-life integration. Our flexible, paid time off program supports you for any situation life throws your way, whether moving homes or travelling the world! We encourage all Tailscalars to take 4-6 weeks of vacation annually. 
• A build-your-own home office setup. You choose your own company-owned laptop (Mac or PC), receive a monthly home internet reimbursement, and $1000 USD to customize your workstation to make it your own. 
• Generous parental leave program from your first day. We care about your life outside of work and encourage new parents to take advantage of parental leave top-ups for up to 26 weeks.