Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Web Designer & Developer

🎯 Role Definition

As a Web Designer & Developer, you will bridge the worlds of visual design and code by creating engaging, responsive and performant web experiences that align with business objectives. You will collaborate with UX/UI designers, content strategists, backend engineers and marketing teams to deliver high‑quality websites and web applications. You will own both the aesthetic and interactive front‑end, as well as ensure seamless integration with functional back‑end services, while adhering to best practices around performance, accessibility and SEO.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Web Designer
Front‑End Developer
UI/UX Designer with coding skills

Advancement To:

Senior Web Designer & Developer
Lead Web Engineer / Front‑End Architect
Head of Web Experience & Digital Platforms

Lateral Moves:

Full‑Stack Web Developer
Digital Product Designer (Design + Code)
User Experience Engineer / Front‑End Architect

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Gather requirements from clients, stakeholders and product owners, translate those into web design concepts, information architecture, user flows, and technical specifications.
Create wireframes, mock‑ups, storyboards and interactive prototypes for web experiences, presenting designs to stakeholders and iterating based on feedback.
Design and implement responsive web layouts and interactive interfaces using HTML5, CSS3/SASS/LESS, JavaScript and modern frameworks/libraries for cross‑device support, accessibility and mobile optimization.
Integrate visual design with development: collaborate with graphic/UX teams to convert design assets into reusable code components, style guides and front‑end patterns.
Develop web pages and web applications that adhere to branding guidelines, typography, color theory, visual hierarchy and user‑experience best practices.
Build and maintain content management system (CMS) templates, themes, modules or components (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, headless CMS) so that content authors can publish sites efficiently.
Implement and maintain front‑end state management, client‑side logic, API integration (REST/GraphQL) and dynamic data flows to deliver rich interactive web features.
Ensure websites and web applications meet SEO, analytics and metadata requirements including site structure, link architecture, crawlability, load‑speed and search visibility.
Conduct performance optimisation of websites: minimise load times, optimise assets/images, implement code‑splitting, caching strategies, and monitor Core Web Vitals and other metrics.
Ensure cross‑browser and cross‑platform compatibility, test across multiple devices and screen sizes, handle device and browser fragmentation and troubleshoot issues.
Collaborate with backend development or DevOps teams to ensure data exchange, integrations, environment configuration, deployment pipelines and hosting infrastructure are aligned with front‑end code.
Maintain and enhance web applications post‑launch: monitor performance, collect user feedback, manage bug‑fixes, implement enhancements and support scaling of web platforms.
Adhere to and promote web accessibility standards (WCAG), usability best practices, inclusive design and ensure that both design and code deliver accessible and inclusive experiences.
Write and maintain technical documentation, style guides, component libraries, onboarding guides and deployment run‑books to ensure consistency and scalability across web projects.
Champion best practices in front‑end development: code review, modular architecture, automated testing (unit/integration/UI), version control (Git), continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) and maintainable codebases.
Stay current with industry trends in web design, front‑end frameworks, browser APIs, performance optimization techniques and emerging web standards, and propose new approaches or tools.
Collaborate across marketing, content, UX, operations and analytics teams to align web deliverables with digital strategies, user acquisition goals, conversion optimization and branding initiatives.
Lead or contribute to planning and execution of web redesigns, migrations (CMS upgrades, headless architecture), site expansions or re-platforming projects with minimal disruption to live users.
Support analytics, data tracking and user‑behaviour monitoring: configure analytics tools, interpret web metrics, iterate on design/code to improve engagement, retention and conversion.
Manage project timelines, communicate status, risks and deliverables to stakeholders, prioritise tasks, estimate work, participate in agile/sprint ceremonies and ensure delivery of web projects on‑time and in‑budget.

Secondary Functions

Support ad‑hoc data requests and exploratory analytics for content, web‑usage and user‑behavior insights.
Contribute to the organisation’s digital web strategy and roadmap, aligning web-design and development initiatives with business objectives.
Collaborate with business units (marketing, content, operations) to translate content and design needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily stand‑ups and agile ceremonies within the web development and digital teams.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficiency in HTML5, CSS3 (SASS/LESS), JavaScript (ES6+), responsive and mobile‑first design.
Experience with front‑end frameworks/libraries such as React, Angular, Vue.js or similar, and ability to build reusable component libraries.
Strong knowledge of CSS layout techniques, including Flexbox, Grid, media queries and cross‑browser compatibility.
Experience designing and developing content management system (CMS) templates, themes and modules (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, headless CMS).
Understanding of web performance optimisation, asset‑compression, code‑splitting, caching, and measuring Core Web Vitals.
Knowledge of SEO best practices, metadata, site‑architecture, link structure and analytics integration.
Familiarity with design tools such as Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch, Photoshop or Illustrator, and ability to convert visual design into front‑end code.
Experience with version control (Git), automated testing, build tooling, CI/CD pipelines and deployment workflows.
Ability to integrate front‑end code with back‑end services: REST/GraphQL APIs, database connections, and basic server‑side understanding.
Understanding of web accessibility standards (WCAG), usability principles, cross‑device layout, navigation and inclusive design.

Soft Skills

Excellent communication and collaboration: ability to work with designers, developers, content, marketing and stakeholders, and present design/technical decisions effectively.
Analytical and problem‑solving mindset: able to identify usability, performance or cross‑platform issues, propose solutions, iterate and improve.
Time‑management and prioritisation: managing multiple projects, meeting deadlines, balancing design enhancements, development tasks and maintenance.
Adaptability and continuous learning: staying updated with web technologies, design trends, front‑end frameworks and leading practices.
User‑centric mindset: empathize with end‑users, content authors and stakeholders; ensure web experiences address needs, engagement and accessibility.
Attention to detail: aesthetic precision, code quality, consistent brand application, cross‑browser fidelity and performance awareness.
Ownership and accountability: take responsibility for full life‑cycle of web deliverables, from design spec to deployment and post‑launch iteration.
Team‑player and mentor: support junior colleagues, share best practices, facilitate knowledge transfer and maintain high‑quality standards.
Creative thinking: translate business goals into user experiences, design innovative interactions, visual flows and intuitive interfaces.
Strategic thinking: align web design/development efforts with business objectives, digital strategy and measurable outcomes such as conversions or engagement.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Web Design, Digital Media or a related discipline (or equivalent professional experience).
Preferred Education:
Master’s degree or advanced certification in Web Technologies, Digital Experience Design, Human‑Computer Interaction or related field is a plus.
Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Web Design or Development
Digital Media / Interactive Design

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
3 – 6 years of professional experience in web design and development, ideally with experience in a combined role spanning design and implementation.
Preferred:
Proven track record of building responsive web applications, managing CMS implementations, optimizing web performance and mentoring junior designers/developers.

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Web Designer & Developer