Associate Director, Technology

Our engineering team ensures Code and Theory delivers innovative, immersive web experiences that delight our clients and their customers. We are always striving to balance the demanding nature of working on cutting-edge technologies with the real-world demands of high performance, high security, and accessibility. Working in collaboration with our multi-disciplinary engineering, design, and quality assurance teams, you will build software that solves real-world problems for incredible clients. React is our most frequently implemented frontend framework and we have built up substantial skill in implementing React and its ecosystem of technologies. Our engineers partner with our cross-functional teams to identify and implement innovative technologies that enhance customer experiences and drive business growth.

As an Associate Director, you will play a pivotal role in driving technical leadership, hands-on coding, ensuring successful delivery, and fostering a collaborative team environment. You will act as a trusted advisor to clients and stakeholders while mentoring and developing the next generation of technology leaders. This role demands a combination of strategic thinking, hands-on technical expertise, management of multiple client accounts and strong leadership capabilities to lead innovative projects and contribute to organizational growth.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Work hands-on to develop user-focused, immersive, responsive web applications, advocating for clean code, testing, process refinements, and continuous improvements
• Leverage advanced TypeScript/JavaScript frameworks (NextJS, React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, etc) as well as modern styling frameworks (Tailwind, MUI, CSS Modules, etc) on modern content, commerce, or custom applications
• Take ownership of end-to-end delivery for critical projects, ensuring technical excellence and timely execution
• Provide strategic direction on architecture, design, and technology adoption
• Contribute to Technical Approach documents and propose plans to implement solutions technically and to deliver within budgeted timelines
• Build and nurture relationships with clients and stakeholders, ensuring alignment of technical solutions with business needs; experience with North America clients preferred
• Demonstrate exemplary leadership skills by fostering a positive, inclusive, and high-energy work environment
• Lead the ideation and development of innovative solutions that add value to projects and align with organizational goals
• Groom and mentor the next generation of technical leaders within the organization
• Work on all aspects of web products, including implementation of the design wireframes, animation/motion, business logic, interfaces to the backend APIs, incorporating analytics & SEO, performance and security, CI/CD pipelines
• Implement best practices for maintaining high standards of quality delivery
• Optimize user interfaces for performance, scalability, and accessibility, ensuring a seamless user experience across devices and screen sizes
• Define, validate, implement, and test your approach to building scalable and performant software
• Collaborate with our design and product teams to identify and implement innovative technology solutions that enhance customer experiences and drive conversion
• Work with the quality assurance team to set up and complete testing activities in scope for the project
• Set up necessary deployment pipelines and environments in collaboration with DevOps
• Develop and maintain reusable web software components/libraries for internal use to maximize development efficiency
• Be proactive and results-oriented with a strong desire to learn and grow
• Act as a product evangelist with a deep curiosity about technology trends
• Cultivate a collaborative working environment and a culture of technical ownership

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 16-21 years of total experience, with 5+ years of hands-on experience building web applications using TypeScript (NextJS, React)
• Proven track record of successfully managing technical delivery and leading teams to achieve ambitious goals
• Strong experience in stakeholder management and building client trust
• Deep expertise in architecture, design, and emerging technologies with a consultative approach
• Experience mentoring and developing technical talent, with a passion for growing leadership skills within teams
• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and align technical solutions with organizational strategy
• 4+ years of experience in setting up and maintaining web servers
• Proficiency in HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript ES6
• Proficiency in Tailwind, Bootstrap and SCSS is a must
• Proficiency in React state management libraries like Redux, Zustand and XState
• Experience using component library like Radix UI, ShadCN
• Experience in building reusable code and libraries
• Proven record of building large frontend applications with focus on scalability, performance and accessibility (a11y)
• Experience handling multiple client accounts and successfully delivering projects with high code quality and on-time delivery
• Experience with API integrations including REST or GraphQL
• Experience troubleshooting CI/CD pipelines, hosting services
• Experience managing the full SDLC in version control systems (Git, GitHub) and modern development workflows (Agile, SCRUM)
• Experience building cross-browser compatibility applications that work seamlessly across all browsers
• Exposure to Cloud services like AWS, Azure, GCP
• Experience with at least one headless CMS (Contentful, Sanity, or similar) with SSR
• Experience collaborating effectively within an agile development environment
• Experience addressing client concerns, providing regular updates, and maintaining trust through transparent communication
• Experience leading a team through challenges, aligning efforts toward common goals, and driving to the finish line
• Experience guiding teams on best practices, emerging technologies, and innovative approaches to achieve business objectives
• Experience fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation within a team
• Experience identifying and nurturing talent to build high-performing teams
• Clear communication skills to represent projects to internal and external stakeholders with technical fluency
• Solid foundation in building scalable and performant systems
• Ability to mentor junior engineers and to contribute to technical decision-making
• BS or MS in Computer Science, or equivalent
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience implementing performant Animations using libraries like Framer Motion, React-spring
• Experience with Angular / Vue and Data Visualisation frameworks like D3 or Highcharts preferred
• Experience using Vercel
• Experience with Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Expert understanding of web accessibility with animations

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, Mediacurrent, Rhythm, 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.