Role: Web Developer Consultant

Overview: A consultant or vendor to lead and guide web development initiatives for our organization and/or clients. In this role, you will provide technical leadership and strategic oversight while also being a hands-on developer. You’ll consult on best practices, design scalable web solutions, create lightweight wireframes when needed, and proactively manage workloads across multiple projects. Apiary developers aren’t order-takers; they anticipate needs, present solutions, and collaborate seamlessly with other consultants and client stakeholders to deliver excellence.

Subject Matter Requirements

• 7+ years of professional web development experience, with at least 3+ years of deep, hands-on experience with WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow.
• Proficient in:
• Shopify: Liquid, Polaris, APIs, custom theme/app development
• WordPress: PHP, custom themes/plugins, Gutenberg, REST API
• Webflow: Custom builds, CMS collections, responsive layouts, design-to-dev implementation
• Front-end: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+), React or Alpine.js
• Experience with other web/ecommerce platforms (preferred but not required): Magento/Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, Drupal, Joomla, WooCommerce, headless CMS (Contentful, Sanity, Strapi), or modern frameworks (Next.js, Gatsby, Laravel).
• Experience with wireframing and/or making design best-practice decisions when no designer is present.
• Strong knowledge of performance optimization, accessibility (WCAG), and SEO fundamentals.
• Familiarity with deployment workflows, staging environments, and Git.
• Adept at scoping and estimating work — with the ability to flag when tasks fall outside of scope or require custom development.
• Excellent communication, documentation, and project management skills.

Client Management & Collaboration Requirements

• Proven experience working directly with clients, ideally as a team or project lead.
• Responsive, reliable communicator across email, Slack, and video conferencing.
• Ability to take initiative: propose project plans, recommend approaches, and drive tasks forward without waiting for instruction.
• Skilled at aligning expectations across cross-functional teams (design, paid media, SEO, analytics, content).
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to integrate seamlessly with other Apiary consultants and client stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented and organized — able to manage workloads proactively and prevent bottlenecks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery, define scopes, and propose clear project plans and solutions.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow platforms.
• Design, develop, and maintain custom Shopify themes, apps, and integrations.
• Build and manage custom WordPress themes and plugins with best practices in mind.
• Produce or refine wireframes where needed, applying strong design sensibility.
• Optimize websites for speed, accessibility, SEO, and responsive design.
• Provide accurate estimates and proactively call out risks, scope creep, or dependencies.
• Collaborate with UI/UX designers, content teams, marketers, and other developers to deliver polished experiences.
• Mentor developers and enforce coding standards across projects.
• Troubleshoot issues, perform audits, and provide scalable, future-proof solutions.
• Stay ahead of Shopify, WordPress, and Webflow ecosystem updates, plus emerging best practices.