Lead Engineer, Full Stack (US)

Code and Theory; Austin, New York (TX, NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Code and Theory is seeking a full-stack lead engineer in Austin to set technical direction and lead a hands-on, senior engineering team. You will shape enterprise marketing platforms and AI-enabled systems, collaborating with Engineering, Product, and Design to deliver scalable web applications and impactful user experiences.

You will own the frontend with React/Next.js and drive end-to-end API integrations, while guiding architecture, data flows, and technology choices.

Qualifications

• Must be able to build independently and figure out how things work for the user.
• Demonstrated self-direction, curiosity, and comfort with ambiguity.
• Bias toward action and ownership of outcomes.
• Experience working in an IDE or harness of choice.
• Backend in Python, Node.js, or Go.
• Experience with infrastructure as code (GCP, AWS, or Azure; Terraform, Pulumi, or similar).
• SQL and NoSQL databases, including AI search capabilities.
• Event-driven systems (SQS, SNS, Kafka, RabbitMQ).
• Frontend in React with modern CSS (Tailwind).
• CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or Jenkins.
• Understanding of build, bundling, imaging, and publishing pipelines.
• Familiarity with AI-native development tools and agentic frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction for features and systems across the full stack, setting standards for scalability, correctness, and maintainability.
• Build and maintain modern front-end applications using React and Next.js, focusing on correctness and long-term maintainability.
• Own complex API integrations end to end, defining contracts and reliability standards for communications.
• Build maintainable and well-structured application logic.
• Lead cross-disciplinary alignment on architecture, data flow, and trade-offs.
• Lead architectural reviews and problem-solving sessions for hard engineering decisions.
• Set the bar for code quality and enforce standards for clean, documented code.
• Mentor and develop engineers, growing junior talent through code reviews and knowledge sharing.
• Define and adopt emerging technologies to improve system health over time.

Skills

Self-direction

Curiosity

Bias toward action

Architectural thinking

Mentoring

Agile methodologies

Tools

React

Next.js

Python

Node.js

Go

Terraform

Kubernetes

CI/CD

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.