Director of Engineering

Location note: This role is remote and based in Washington State. In exceptional cases, we may consider candidates located outside of Washington State if experience and fit are strongly aligned.

Temper And Forge is a design, development, and marketing studio that partners closely with clients as an extension of their teams. Our work spans small business websites, complex content platforms, and enterprise-scale systems. As an agency, we work across a wide range of technical environments and client-selected platforms, balancing best practices with real-world constraints.

We value craft, clarity, and long-term relationships over volume or flash.

The Director of Engineering is the steward of how engineering is done at Temper And Forge. This role combines technical authority, people leadership, and future-state thinking. You will shape the technical direction of the organization and its projects, while operating within the realities of an agency environment where client-selected technologies and existing systems are often a starting point.

This is a senior leadership role with real ownership over architecture, tooling standards, team culture, and technical quality across a diverse client portfolio.

Technical Direction and Decision-Making (Agency Context)

• Own final technical decision-making across the development organization, including architecture, tooling, and standards
• Lead technical strategy within the constraints of client-selected technologies, platforms, and existing systems, balancing best practices with budgets, timelines, and long-term maintainability
• Shape and influence future technical direction for new projects, proposals, and long-term client partnerships
• Identify opportunities to modernize, improve, or evolve existing stacks through phased, pragmatic approaches
• Evaluate, adopt, and sunset tools and platforms where appropriate, including enterprise CMS and content systems (Contentful, Sanity, Word Press, headless architectures)

• Define and uphold engineering standards, documentation practices, and review processes
• Establish a sustainable, high-quality development culture that values clarity, craftsmanship, and long-term thinking
• Set expectations around code quality, testing, documentation, and ownership across varied stacks
• Actively manage and reduce technical debt through thoughtful planning and consistent standards

• Lead the thoughtful integration of AI across the production stack and internal workflows
• Identify practical applications of AI for development efficiency, content systems, QA, and internal tooling
• Ensure AI adoption is responsible, maintainable, and focused on real client and team value

• Lead, mentor, and support the engineering team, setting clear expectations and fostering growth
• Help define team structure, hiring needs, and future engineering roles as the organization evolves
• Partner in hiring and onboarding engineers who are adaptable, pragmatic, and quality-driven
• Foster shared ownership, accountability, and strong communication across the team

• Partner closely with design, marketing, project management, and leadership to translate business and creative goals into achievable technical solutions
• Navigate trade-offs and push back thoughtfully when scope, timelines, or technical risk require it
• Act as a translator between technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Work across a wide client base, from small business websites to enterprise-scale platforms
• Participate in client conversations around technical strategy, feasibility, and long-term implications
• Identify and communicate technical risk early, proposing pragmatic alternatives when needed
• Travel occasionally for client visits, workshops, and industry conferences

• Clear, consistent technical direction across a diverse set of client projects
• An engineering team that operates confidently across multiple stacks and environments
• Predictable delivery with reduced rework and fewer late-stage surprises
• Scalable, maintainable systems that respect client constraints and long-term quality
• Clients who trust Temper And Forge’s technical judgment and leadership

• Senior-level experience in web and application development
• Proven experience leading engineering teams or serving as a senior technical lead
• Strong familiarity with modern CMS platforms and architectures
• Experience working within existing systems and client-selected technologies
• Comfort balancing hands-on technical thinking with strategic leadership
• Strong communication skills and comfort in client-facing environments
• Willingness to travel occasionally for client engagements and conferences

• Salary range: $120,000–$140,000
• Fully remote role (Washington State)
• 401(k) with company match
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
• Generous holidays and paid time off
• Investment in…