MV
Available for senior frontend roles · Remote-first · EU / UK

Margarita Vlachou.
I build frontends that feel honest.

Frontend Engineer · React · Next.js · Vue.js. Four years building high-performance, accessible interfaces for SaaS, insurance, and EV platforms — turning Figma designs into pixel-perfect, scalable component systems.

01 · About

I'm a frontend engineer with 5 years of commercial experience across product startups, SaaS platforms, and digital agencies. I own features end-to-end — from architecture and component-library design through deployment and performance optimization.

My work spans greenfield builds, EV charging SaaS, insurance comparison platforms (serving brands like Confused.com and GoCompare), and enterprise tooling — always prioritizing WCAG 2.1 AA, Core Web Vitals, and maintainable architecture.

I hold an MSc in Software Engineering (Distinction) from the University of Hertfordshire. On the side I run 5AM Digital, a boutique studio building AI-assisted production sites for UK SMBs.

02 · Stack

The tools, picked over time.

Languages

  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript (ES6+)
  • HTML5
  • CSS3

Frameworks

  • React.js
  • Next.js
  • Vue.js (2 & 3)
  • Nuxt.js

Styling

  • Tailwind CSS
  • SASS / SCSS
  • CSS Modules

State

  • TanStack Query
  • React Context
  • Pinia
  • Vuex

Testing

  • Jest
  • React Testing Library
  • Storybook
  • Vitest
  • Playwright

Tooling / DevOps

  • Git
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • CI/CD
  • Webpack
  • Vite
  • Azure

Practices

  • Agile / Scrum
  • Component Architecture
  • WCAG 2.1 AA
  • Core Web Vitals

AI & Automation

  • Lovable
  • OpenAI API
  • Anthropic API
  • LLM Integration
  • Prompt Engineering
03 · Latest project

AI Job Search Copilot.

Side project · 2026

A self-hosted dashboard for managing a job search

Next.js 14 · TypeScript · TanStack Query · Zod · Playwright

Full-stack app that tracks applications through a Kanban pipeline, tailors CV summaries and cover letters to specific roles with AI, and surfaces live conversion analytics — built to demonstrate production-grade React and Next.js engineering with end-to-end type safety, optimistic UI, and a Vitest + RTL + Playwright test pyramid.

  • —Single Zod schema source-of-truth shared by react-hook-form on the client and Route Handlers on the server.
  • —TanStack Query cache (["jobs"]) with optimistic drag-and-drop and automatic rollback on failure.
  • —Server-authoritative stage timestamps to protect pipeline-velocity metrics from client tampering.
  • —Keyboard-accessible alternative to drag-and-drop so the core workflow never depends on a mouse.
AI Job Search Copilot dashboard showing the Kanban board with job applications organized by stage
Live demo Source codeRead the case study →
04 · Selected work

Things I've shipped.

Case study · theidol.com

Accessible Insurance Comparison Platform

2024 — Present · Lead frontend on accessibility & shared UI

theidol.com powers travel and motor insurance comparison journeys for partners including Confused.com and GoCompare. I joined as the frontend engineer responsible for the consumer-facing quote flow and the shared component library that backs every partner skin.

  • —Led the WCAG 2.1 AA remediation programme — rewrote form semantics, focus management, and screen-reader announcements across the quote funnel.
  • —Designed a Tailwind + Vue component library consumed by multiple partner sites, replacing duplicated per-brand markup with themeable tokens.
  • —Cut LCP and INP on the funnel's heaviest steps through route-level code-splitting, image strategy, and trimming third-party JS.
  • —Partnered with Go backend engineers to tighten API contracts and remove a class of runtime null-handling bugs from the UI.
  • Vue.js
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Go REST APIs
  • Storybook

Case study · Fuuse

EV Charging Network Operator Suite

2021 — 2022 · Frontend engineer on the operator dashboard

Fuuse builds SaaS for operators of public and workplace EV charging networks. The operator dashboard had grown organically alongside the hardware fleet and needed a calmer, more consistent UI before the next wave of customer onboarding.

  • —Rebuilt the charger management views in Vue 3 + Tailwind, replacing one-off SCSS with a documented Storybook design system.
  • —Introduced Jest + Vue Test Utils coverage on the critical tariff and session-pricing flows where mistakes cost real money.
  • —Collaborated directly with operations users to redesign the alerting and live-session screens — measurably faster triage of broken chargers.
  • —Set up Vuex modules and typed API clients so new charger features could ship without touching shared state.
  • Vue.js
  • Vuex
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Storybook
  • Jest

Case study · Code ComputerLove

Greenfield Next.js Product Platform

2023 · Frontend engineer on a cross-functional squad

A greenfield consumer product for a UK retail client, replacing a legacy stack. The brief was a fast, SEO-strong storefront with rich search and a component library the in-house team could own after handover.

  • —Built the App Router architecture, GraphQL data layer, and Algolia-powered search/filtering UI from scratch.
  • —Authored the React component library in Storybook with accessibility and visual regression baked into CI.
  • —Set up the Azure deployment pipeline with preview environments per PR so design and QA could review without local setup.
  • —Documented patterns and handover docs so the client's internal team could extend the system independently.
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • GraphQL
  • Algolia
  • Storybook
  • Azure

Case study · TotalMobile

Enterprise Field-Service UI Modernisation

2022 — 2023 · Frontend engineer on the modernisation track

TotalMobile's field-service SaaS runs on a long-lived Ext JS codebase used daily by utility and healthcare workforces. The goal was to introduce modern Vue surfaces inside the legacy shell without a risky big-bang rewrite.

  • —Embedded Vue.js islands inside Ext JS containers, sharing auth and routing without breaking existing workflows.
  • —Standardised styling on Tailwind so new screens stopped inheriting legacy CSS specificity wars.
  • —Shipped accessibility and keyboard-navigation improvements to high-traffic scheduling screens used by dispatchers all day.
  • Vue.js
  • Ext JS
  • Tailwind CSS
  • TypeScript
05 · Experience

Where I've been useful.

  1. Frontend Developer · theidol.com

    Feb 2024 — Present · Remote

    • —Vue.js frontend for a travel & insurance comparison platform serving major UK brands.
    • —Led WCAG 2.1 AA compliance: screen-reader semantics, keyboard navigation, audit remediation.
    • —Built a shared Tailwind component library; cut design-to-build time across teams.
    • —Core Web Vitals optimization (LCP, INP) through code-splitting and image strategy.

  2. Founder · 5AM Digital Ltd

    May 2025 — Present · Leeds, UK

    • —AI-assisted website studio for UK SMBs — discovery, design, build, and post-launch support.
    • —Production sites with SEO and Core Web Vitals as first-class concerns.

  3. Web Developer (Contract) · Made by Sauce

    Oct 2023 — Jan 2024 · Remote

    • —React and Vue.js solutions across concurrent client projects.

  4. Frontend Engineer · Code ComputerLove

    Feb 2023 — Sep 2023 · Manchester, UK

    • —Greenfield Next.js app with Algolia search and GraphQL.
    • —Built a React component library in Storybook; deployed to Azure.

  5. Frontend Engineer · TotalMobile Ltd

    Aug 2022 — Jan 2023 · Remote

    • —Enterprise UI with Ext JS, Vue.js, and Tailwind for field-service SaaS.

  6. Frontend Engineer · Fuuse

    Oct 2021 — Aug 2022 · Lancaster, UK

    • —EV charging SaaS with Vue.js, Vuex, Tailwind, Storybook, and Jest.

  7. Web Developer · Few and Far

    Jun 2021 — Oct 2021 · Manchester, UK

    • —Vue.js / Tailwind agency builds with Laravel backend integration.

Education

MSc Software Engineering (Distinction) — University of Hertfordshire, 2020–2021

06 · Writing

Daily learning log.

07 · Contact

Got a frontend that deserves better?

I'm open to senior frontend roles (remote, UK / EU) and select studio work via 5AM Digital.

LinkedIn GitHub