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.
Skills Required
- Ability to build independently and understand user needs
- Self-direction, curiosity, and comfort with ambiguity
- Bias toward action
- Experience using an IDE or development harness
- Backend development experience with Python, Node.js, or Go
- Infrastructure and infrastructure-as-code experience with GCP, AWS, or Azure; Terraform, Pulumi, or similar; Kubernetes; and networking principles
- SQL and NoSQL database experience, including relational schema design and vector embeddings for AI search
- Experience with event-driven systems such as SQS, SNS, Kafka, or RabbitMQ
- Frontend development experience with React and modern CSS such as Tailwind
- CI/CD experience with GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or Jenkins
- Understanding of build, bundling, imaging, and publishing pipelines
- Familiarity with AI-native development tools such as Cursor, Devin, or Claude Code
- Experience with agentic frameworks and infrastructure such as Google ADK, LiteLLM, or LangChain
- Experience in an agency, consultancy, or enterprise SaaS organization
Code and Theory Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Code and Theory and has not been reviewed or approved by Code and Theory.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off policies include an “unlimited”/flexible PTO approach with paid holidays/sick time and seasonal early-close Fridays, offering notable flexibility. These options provide additional downtime beyond standard accrual models.
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Healthcare Strength — Core medical, dental, and vision coverage is part of the standard package, with employer-verified health plan information cited as current. Life and disability insurance further reinforce foundational coverage.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match is included in the package, supporting long-term savings. Candidates are encouraged to confirm the match formula during the offer stage.
Code and Theory Insights
What We Do
Code and Theory is a strategically driven, digital-first creative agency that lives at the intersection of creativity and technology. We solve consumer and business problems across the entire customer journey that flex to meet the ever-changing needs of consumer expectations. We put the user, their behaviors and needs, at the center of everything we do — from our proprietary research methodologies, to product development processes, to how we create brand, channel and messaging strategies. Our goal is simple: to solve our clients business problems. We bring big ideas to life by looking holistically at brand ecosystems where digital plays a prominent role in driving the consumer from first-touch through to conversion to relationship deepening over time. We identify gaps in the consumer journey and opportunities in culture that require products, services or communications to fill. We work across categories, ranging as far and wide as health care (Pfizer, Sanofi, Reach MD, Bioreference Laboratories) to financial services (JP Morgan Chase, Prudential, Morgan Stanley, First Data) to cpg (Mars, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson) to technology companies (Facebook, Xerox, Samsung, Comcast) to culture brands (adidas, H&M). And because our DNA is in publishing — we’ve embedded in over 135 newsrooms in the past decade — we bring unique expertise in understanding how content is created, distributed and optimized, including our work with CNN, NBC News, NBC Sports, and Bustle Digital Group. At Code and Theory, we strive to only be limited by our own ambition and creativity. We believe in pushing our creativity beyond the easy and obvious answers in order to deliver the solutions that are right for our clients, their businesses, and their consumers.
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