Web Developer Job Description and Skills

Web Developer Job Description and Skills

Web developer job description: what the role involves, the skills and competencies to assess when hiring, and how to test candidates.

Information Technology


6

mins

Web Developer Job Description and Skills

Web developer job description: what the role involves, the skills and competencies to assess when hiring, and how to test candidates.

Information Technology


6

mins

/

Web Developer

About the role

A Web Developer job description covers designing, coding, testing, and maintaining websites and web applications, from page layout to back-end data integration. The role delivers a usable, reliable, and consistent web presence for customers and internal teams. Hiring managers should assess HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting and debugging, and AI fluency.

Day to day, a web developer builds layouts and interfaces, connects them to data from back-end services and databases, and checks that sites work across browsers. Core duties include:

  • Build. Design, code, and modify websites, from layout to function.

  • Code quality. Write well-designed, efficient, and testable code.

  • Test. Perform testing and necessary debugging.

What are the essential Web Developer skills?

The essential Web Developer skills are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting and debugging, and AI fluency.

Skill

Why it matters

Bryq assessment and level

HTML

Structures pages and interfaces to web standards.

HTML (intermediate)

CSS

Controls layout and styling across browsers.

CSS (intermediate)

JavaScript

Adds the functions that make pages work.

Javascript (intermediate)

Troubleshooting and debugging

Finds and fixes issues found in testing.

Troubleshooting (intermediate)

AI Fluency

Coding assistants now shape how code is written, reviewed, and tested.

AI Fluency Assessment (functional)

The core work is turning a design into a working, reliable site. Developers structure and style pages with HTML and CSS, add behavior with JavaScript, and use troubleshooting to find and fix problems across browsers. AI fluency helps them use coding assistants well and check the results.

Levels are a starting point. Bryq lets you set the level each role needs.

Which nice-to-have skills help a Web Developer stand out?

SQL, a front-end framework such as React, CI/CD and version control workflows, and collaboration with designers and stakeholders add value but are not needed on day one.

  • SQL for back-end data integration. Helps when integrating data from back-end services and databases.

  • React or similar front-end framework. Useful, though frameworks vary by team.

  • CI/CD and version control workflows. Adds value, though practices vary by team.

  • Collaboration with designers and stakeholders. Supports agreeing on design, feel, and layout.

Use these skills as tie-breakers between candidates who are equally strong on the essentials. Never screen out candidates who can learn them on the job.

Which competencies predict success as a Web Developer?

The essential competencies are Learning Agility and Communication.

  • Learning Agility. Tracks emerging technologies and standards and applies them.

  • Communication. Agrees on design with stakeholders and explains technical tradeoffs.

Empathy and Leadership Potential are optional: Empathy adds user-focused design, and Leadership Potential adds mentoring.

What AI skills does a Web Developer need?

A web developer should use AI for code generation, testing, and debugging to work faster while staying accountable for quality, accessibility, and security.

AI fluency matters because developers use coding assistants daily to draft, refactor, and explain code. They need to prompt well and verify outputs, since unchecked AI-generated code can introduce bugs and security flaws.

  • Draft components. Use an AI coding assistant to draft HTML/CSS components and JavaScript functions, then review and refine the output for standards and cross-browser compatibility.

  • Generate tests. Generate unit tests and test cases with AI, then check that they cover edge cases before running them in the testing process.

  • Debug. Paste error messages and stack traces into an AI tool to get debugging hypotheses, then confirm the root cause before changing the code.

How do you assess Web Developer candidates with Bryq?

Bryq measures all the essential skills and traits for a Web Developer in one integrated candidate profile: cognitive ability, personality traits, soft and hard skills, including AI fluency. Bryq builds an ideal profile for the role and matches candidates against it.

All Bryq assessments are validated by I/O psychologists. Profile Fit is independently bias-audited under New York City Local Law 144 (code4thought, April 2026). The AI Fluency Assessment is built on peer-reviewed and subject-matter expert research. A person makes every hiring decision.

Web Developer job description template

Copy and paste this template, then replace the text in square brackets. To write or rewrite your own, use Bryq’s free job description AI skill, which works in Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot.

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Web Developer

About [Company name]

[Add a short description of your company.]

About the role

We are looking for a talented, detail-oriented Web Developer to join our Information Technology team. You will design, code, test, and manage our web-based projects. You will work closely with teammates and stakeholders to keep our web presence usable and reliable.

Responsibilities

  • Design, code, and modify websites, from layout to function.

  • Write well-designed, efficient, and testable code.

  • Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to shape the website’s design, feel, and layout.

  • Create website layouts and user interfaces using standard HTML/CSS practices.

  • Follow emerging technologies and industry trends and apply them in our work.

  • Integrate data from back-end services and databases.

  • Test and debug code as needed.

Qualifications

  • Degree in computer science, IT, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

  • Proven working experience in web programming, with a good understanding of web applications, programming languages, and web services.

  • Knowledge of coding languages (for example JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3) and frameworks or systems (for example AngularJS, Git).

  • Excellent problem-solving skills and an eye for detail.

  • Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.

  • Strong understanding of UI, cross-browser compatibility, general web functions, and standards.

Skills and competencies we look for

  • HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

  • Troubleshooting and debugging

  • Confident, responsible use of AI tools

  • Learning agility: keeping up with new technologies and standards

  • Clear communication with stakeholders and teammates

Working with AI

  • Use AI coding assistants to draft components and functions, and review the output for standards and cross-browser compatibility.

  • Use AI to generate tests and suggest debugging hypotheses, and confirm results before changing code.

What we offer

  • [Salary range]

  • [Benefits]

  • [Work location and arrangement]

Equal opportunity

[Add your equal opportunity statement.]

Frequently asked questions

The essential skills are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting and debugging, and AI fluency. SQL, React, CI/CD, and collaboration with designers are nice to have.
Learning Agility and Communication matter most. Developers keep up with new technologies and standards, and they explain technical tradeoffs to stakeholders.
Yes. Web developers use AI coding assistants daily, so they need to prompt well and verify the output. Unchecked AI-generated code can introduce bugs and security flaws.
Use a web developer test that covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting, and AI fluency, alongside Profile Fit. Bryq combines these into one candidate profile.
No. React or a similar framework is a nice-to-have skill. Frameworks vary by team, so use it as a tie-breaker, not a screening rule.
The essential skills are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting and debugging, and AI fluency. SQL, React, CI/CD, and collaboration with designers are nice to have.
Learning Agility and Communication matter most. Developers keep up with new technologies and standards, and they explain technical tradeoffs to stakeholders.
Yes. Web developers use AI coding assistants daily, so they need to prompt well and verify the output. Unchecked AI-generated code can introduce bugs and security flaws.
Use a web developer test that covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting, and AI fluency, alongside Profile Fit. Bryq combines these into one candidate profile.
No. React or a similar framework is a nice-to-have skill. Frameworks vary by team, so use it as a tie-breaker, not a screening rule.
The essential skills are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting and debugging, and AI fluency. SQL, React, CI/CD, and collaboration with designers are nice to have.
Learning Agility and Communication matter most. Developers keep up with new technologies and standards, and they explain technical tradeoffs to stakeholders.
Yes. Web developers use AI coding assistants daily, so they need to prompt well and verify the output. Unchecked AI-generated code can introduce bugs and security flaws.
Use a web developer test that covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, troubleshooting, and AI fluency, alongside Profile Fit. Bryq combines these into one candidate profile.
No. React or a similar framework is a nice-to-have skill. Frameworks vary by team, so use it as a tie-breaker, not a screening rule.

You can explore more job profiles on Bryq.

Assess your next Web Developer with Bryq

Book a demo to see how Bryq helps you test web developer candidates on the skills and competencies that matter.

Author

The Bryq I/O Team

Bryq’s I/O Psychology Team is a group of industrial-organizational psychologists who design and validate the science behind our assessments. They write about what research says on hiring, skills, personality, and performance, and how HR leaders can apply it to make fairer, evidence-based decisions.

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