Senior Headless Shopify Engineer (Storefront API Architect)

Senior Headless Shopify Engineer (Storefront API Architect)
Full-time • 40 hrs/week • Long-term • $18–22/hr + performance bonuses


ABOUT THIS ROLE:

I’m a founder (not a developer) who spent the last 6 weeks building a custom product-configurator site on Replit using React + TypeScript.
It’s already faster, cleaner, and more flexible than every Magento site I paid professional teams to build over the last 5 years.

Now I’m ready to take this from a working prototype to a true headless, multi-store Shopify ecosystem - and I need a senior engineer who can own the technical direction.

This is NOT a Shopify theme job.
This is NOT Liquid work.
This is NOT for junior VAs or “Shopify experts.”

This is an architect-level position for someone who understands headless commerce at a deep level - and wants to build something that will scale across 8–10 brands.

You’ll work directly with me as we evolve the Replit build, architect the Shopify integration, migrate off Replit to a permanent host (Vercel/Netlify/AWS), and fork the platform into multiple headless storefronts.

If you love building clean systems, solving complex problems, and owning a codebase, you’ll enjoy this role.


WHAT YOU WILL BUILD (Your First 30–90 Days)

1. Headless Shopify Integration:
- Connect frontend to Shopify Storefront API (GraphQL)
- Set up Admin API for carts, customers, checkout
- Establish clean API architecture and reusable patterns
- Implement product, variants, metafields, and pricing retrieval
- Build secure API layers & token handling

2. Replit ? Permanent Hosting Migration
*(You select the best environment)*
- Vercel
- Netlify
- AWS
- Or other recommended hosting
- Create CI/CD pipeline & deployment strategy
- Optimize performance, build times, and scalability

3. Multi-Store Architecture (Future 5–10 Stores)
- Create a codebase that cleanly forks into multiple storefronts
- Handle environment variables, configs, and branding overrides
- Ensure the system can scale without rewrites
- Prepare structure for rapid duplication & rollout

4. Magento ? Shopify Migration (Critical Phase)
- Help migrate legacy Magento content into Shopify
- Plan SEO-safe URL mapping & 301 redirects
- Build the backend foundations that keep SEO intact
- Stabilize the system for enterprise-level traffic


TECH STACK YOU MUST KNOW
You don’t need all of these - but you must be strong in most:

Core:
- React
- TypeScript
- GraphQL
- Shopify Storefront API
- Shopify Admin API

Hosting / Infrastructure:
- Vercel, Netlify OR AWS
- CI/CD
- Environment variable management
- Git workflows
- Repo architecture for multi-store systems

Bonus (Nice to Have):
- Next.js (or willingness to move the codebase there)
- Experience with headless Shopify builds
- SEO migration understanding
- Familiarity with dynamic product configuration
- Experience with multi-brand multi-store ecosystems


WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR
- Someone who can think like an engineer and ship like a founder
- Someone who wants to own the architecture, not take orders
- Someone who cares about structure, scalability, and performance
- Someone who can explain things simply (I’m not a dev)
- Someone who takes pride in clean code and system design
- Someone who wants a long-term, evolving project
- Someone who loves innovation and solving hard problems

This is not a one-project role.
You will be the technical backbone of a growing ecosystem of brands.


COMPENSATION:
$18–22/hr depending on experience

PLUS performance bonuses for:
- Store launches
- Performance improvements
- Stability milestones
- Successful migrations
- Clean and scalable architecture

I’m fair, direct, and I reward excellence.
If you help me scale, you’ll grow with me.


HIRING TIMELINE
- Interviews over the next 5–7 days
- Offer immediately after Thanksgiving
- Start onboarding early December
- Begin Shopify headless build that same week

We move fast.


HOW TO APPLY - please include:
- A brief intro (tell me how you think about architecture)
- Examples of headless Shopify work
- Your experience with Storefront API (GraphQL)
- Your preferred hosting environment
- Your GitHub or portfolio
- Why you want a long-term role

Serious candidates only.
This is a senior position.