Lead Engineer, Full Stack (US)

twentysix; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Code and Theory seeks a senior, hands-on full-stack lead engineer in Austin to set technical direction and grow a team for The Machine, our agentic operating system for marketing. You will build AI-enabled workflows, architect scalable web platforms, and mentor engineers across product and design teams.

You will own frontend with React/Next.js, backend in Python/Node.js/Go, and end-to-end API integrations while guiding architecture and data flow through complex systems and modern infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Experience building full-stack applications with React/Next.js.
• Strong backend capability in Python, Node.js or Go.
• Experience with cloud infra as code and Kubernetes.
• Design and own API integrations end to end.
• Familiarity with AI-native development tools.
• CI/CD and automated testing in modern pipelines.
• SQL and NoSQL databases and scalable data models.
• Experience with event-driven messaging systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction for full-stack features and systems.
• Build and maintain modern front-end applications with React/Next.js.
• Own API integrations end-to-end with clear contracts.
• Lead architecture discussions and trade-offs across teams.
• Mentor engineers and promote strong engineering practices.
• Define and enforce code quality and documentation standards.
• Shaping adoption of emerging technologies and frameworks.

Skills

React

Next.js

API design

Python

Node.js

Go

SQL

NoSQL

Kubernetes

AI tooling

Tools

Terraform

Pulumi

Kubernetes

Cursor

Devin

Claude Code

LangChain

Job description

Code and Theory is seeking a full-stack lead engineer to help build The Machine, our agentic operating system for marketing. This is a senior, hands-on role, setting technical direction, developing the team, and staying in the code building, the AI-native digital platforms, and user experiences that power enterprise marketing workflows. The engineer will work closely with Engineering, Product, and Design to build performant, scalable applications across web and AI-enabled systems, leading through the work itself, coordinating across functions, and gathering the information that shapes roadmaps and priorities.

The Machine is the agentic operating system for marketing, built by Code and Theory. It plugs into the tools marketing teams use and turns disconnected workflows into a single intelligent system, connecting brand strategy, creative production, and media performance. The Machine helps power agencies across Stagwell's network and world-leading brands.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own the technical direction for features and systems across the full stack, setting standards for scalability, correctness, and maintainability that the team builds against

• Build and maintain modern front-end applications using React and Next.js, focusing on correctness, for long term maintainability, and integration with back-end services

• Own complex API integrations end to end, setting the contracts, validation standards, and reliability bar for how internal and external systems communicate

• Build maintainable and well-structured application logic

• Lead cross-disciplinary alignment on architecture, data flow, and technical trade-offs

• Lead technical discussions, architectural reviews, and problem-solving sessions, shaping how the team approaches hard engineering decisions

• Set the bar for code quality, and define and enforce standards for clean, maintainable, well-documented code across the team

• Mentor and develop engineers, actively growing junior talent through code review, knowledge-sharing, and modeling strong engineering practices

• Help define the vanguard for emerging technologies and frameworks, applying them to projects quickly and effectively to improve the health of our systems over time

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Ability to build independently to figure out how something works for the user

• Self-direction, curiosity, and comfort with ambiguity

• Bias toward action

• Experience in an IDE or harness of choice

• Backend in Python, Node.js, or Go

• Infrastructure and infrastructure as code (GCP, AWS, or Azure; Terraform, Pulumi, or similar; Kubernetes and networking principles)

• SQL and NoSQL databases (relational schema design and vector embeddings for AI search)

• Event-driven systems such as SQS, SNS, Kafka, or RabbitMQ

• Frontend in React and modern CSS such as Tailwind

• CI/CD with GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or Jenkins

• An understanding of build, bundling, imaging, and publishing pipelines

• Familiarity with AI-native development tools like Cursor, Devin, or Claude Code

• Experience with agentic frameworks and infrastructure such as Google ADK, LiteLLM, LangChain, or similar

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience in agency, consultancy, or enterprise SaaS organizations

ABOUT US

Born in 2001, Code and Theory is a digital-first creative agency that sits at the center of creativity and technology. We pride ourselves on not only solving consumer and business problems, but also helping to establish new capabilities for our clients. With a global client roster of Fortune 100s and start-ups alike, we crave the hardest problems to solve. We have teams distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Code and Theory global network of agencies is growing and includes Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Create Group, Current, and TrueLogic.

Striving never to be pigeonholed, we work across every major category: from tech to CPG, financial services to travel & hospitality, government and education to media and publishing. We value the collaboration with our client partners, including but not limited to Adidas, Amazon, Con Edison, Diageo, EY, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lenovo, Marriott, Mars, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, and TikTok.

The Code and Theory network is comprised of nearly 2,000 people with 50% engineers and 50% creative talent. We're always on the lookout for smart, driven, and forward-thinking people to join our team.

The compensation range for this role is $140,000 to $180,000 and spans multiple levels. We're open to hiring at the level that best matches the right candidate's experience. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, budget, and location.