Headless Shopify / Hydrogen Developer - Multi-Region E-Commerce Migration

## About the Company We are an established e-commerce brand in the martial arts industry running on Shopify Plus. We operate both direct-to-consumer and B2B/wholesale channels with a growing product catalog and an expanding international customer base across multiple regions. Our current Shopify theme has served us well, but we're ready to make the leap to a headless architecture to unlock the next level of performance, flexibility, and customer experience. Note: Company identity and detailed strategic documentation will be shared after hiring under NDA. ## Project Context We are planning a full headless migration of our Shopify Plus storefront. The goal is to build a blazing-fast, modern frontend using NextJS and/or Shopify Hydrogen while keeping Shopify Plus as our commerce engine via the Storefront API and Admin API. This is a major architectural initiative — not a theme tweak. We need a developer (or small team lead) who has actually shipped headless Shopify builds in production and understands the trade-offs, gotchas, and performance optimization strategies that come with decoupling the frontend from Shopify's monolithic theme system. This role starts with the migration build but transitions into ongoing development and optimization as we iterate on the new architecture. ## Role Responsibilities Phase 1 — Architecture & Planning (Weeks 1–3): - Audit current Shopify Plus store: theme customizations, apps, integrations, checkout flows - Design headless architecture: framework selection (NextJS with Shopify Storefront API vs. Hydrogen/Remix), hosting strategy (Vercel, Oxygen, or alternatives), CDN configuration - Map all current functionality to headless equivalents — identify what migrates cleanly vs. what needs custom solutions - Create a migration plan with phased rollout strategy (not a big-bang cutover) - Document app compatibility: which Shopify apps work headless, which need alternatives, which need custom API integrations Phase 2 — Core Build (Weeks 3–14): - Build the headless storefront from scratch using NextJS/React or Hydrogen - Implement all Storefront API integrations: product catalog, collections, cart, customer accounts, search - Build responsive, high-performance UI components with modern CSS (Tailwind or equivalent) - Implement server-side rendering (SSR) and static generation (SSG) strategies for optimal Core Web Vitals - Integrate checkout flow — either Shopify's hosted checkout or custom checkout (if applicable to our Plus plan) - Implement product filtering, search (Shopify Search & Discovery or Algolia), and merchandising features - Build dynamic landing pages and content management integration (Shopify Metaobjects, or headless CMS like Sanity/Contentful if needed) - Handle internationalization (i18n) and multi-currency if applicable - Implement customer account portal: order history, saved addresses, wishlists Phase 3 — Integration & Performance (Weeks 10–16): - Integrate third-party services: email marketing, reviews, loyalty programs, analytics (GA4, GTM) - Implement structured data (JSON-LD) for products, breadcrumbs, organization — critical for SEO preservation - Performance optimization: target 90+ Lighthouse scores across all Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID/INP, CLS) - Image optimization pipeline: responsive images, WebP/AVIF, lazy loading, Shopify CDN integration - Implement proper SEO migration: 301 redirects, canonical URLs, sitemap generation, meta tag management - QA and cross-browser/device testing - Staged rollout with A/B traffic splitting if possible Phase 4 — Ongoing Development (Ongoing): - Continuous performance monitoring and optimization - Feature development: new page templates, promotional experiences, interactive product configurators - Shopify API version upgrades and breaking change management - Bug fixes and incident response - Collaboration with design and marketing teams on new feature requests ## Required Skills Must-Have: - 3+ years of production experience with headless Shopify builds (not just tutorials/demos) - Expert-level NextJS (App Router preferred) or Shopify Hydrogen/Remix - Deep knowledge of Shopify Storefront API (GraphQL) and Admin API - Strong React skills with modern patterns (Server Components, Suspense, streaming SSR) - Proven Core Web Vitals optimization — show us Lighthouse scores from your production builds - Experience with Shopify Plus features: Scripts, Flow, Launchpad, custom checkout extensibility - Git-based workflow with CI/CD experience (GitHub Actions, Vercel deployments) - Understanding of SEO preservation during site migrations (redirects, structured data, crawl management) Strong Plus: - Experience with Shopify Oxygen hosting platform - Familiarity with Tailwind CSS - Experience integrating e-commerce tools via APIs in headless setups - Knowledge of edge computing / edge middleware for personalization - Experience with headless CMS platforms (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi) - Performance monitoring tools: SpeedCurve, Calibre, web-vitals.js - Shopify app development experience (custom apps via App Bridge) - Experience with B2B/wholesale functionality on Shopify Plus ## Deliverables 1. Architecture Document — Framework decision, hosting strategy, API integration map, app compatibility matrix 2. Migration Plan — Phased rollout timeline with milestones, risk assessment, and rollback strategy 3. Headless Storefront — Fully functional, production-ready NextJS/Hydrogen storefront 4. Performance Benchmarks — Documented Core Web Vitals scores (target: 90+ across all metrics) 5. SEO Migration Checklist — 301 redirect map, structured data implementation, sitemap verification 6. Integration Layer — All third-party services connected and functional (analytics, email, reviews, etc.) 7. Documentation — Component library docs, API integration guides, deployment procedures 8. Ongoing Support — Continued development, optimization, and maintenance ## Why This Is a Great Opportunity - Greenfield architecture: You're not patching an old codebase — you're designing and building from scratch with modern tools - Shopify Plus: Access to the most powerful Shopify tier with enterprise features and API limits - Long-term role: This isn't a build-and-bounce contract. We want a developer who stays on to evolve the platform - Technical ownership: You'll own the frontend architecture decisions and have real influence on the tech stack - Growing brand: We're investing heavily in digital infrastructure — this is a well-funded, strategic initiative - Collaborative environment: Work with a team that includes SEO specialists, marketing ops, and business leadership who understand and respect engineering - Professional environment: NDA-protected work with clear requirements and defined scope We need 30+ hours/week for the initial build phase, transitioning to ongoing part-time after launch. Are you open to a long-term engagement?