21GRAMS- Senior Technology Lead

realchemistry

Boston - Massachusetts; Carmel - Indiana; Chicago - Illinois; Lambertville - New Jersey; Remote - USA · Water Street

Posted May 22, 2026

Other
Remote
Advertising AOR

Job description

At Real Chemistry, making the world a healthier place isn’t just an aspiration—it’s our everyday reality. Our drive to transform healthcare is informed by our blend of deep scientific expertise, human-centred creativity, and AI-driven insights, fostering a unique environment where innovation thrives and our people are impact-obsessed. As a global agency, we provide a full suite of services across healthcare communications and marketing to our clients, including top players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Our #LifeatRealChem culture is rooted in our people—we believe we are best together and are committed to excellence for both our clients and colleagues. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your career, if you share our passion for healthcare and connection, we invite you to explore our opportunities.

Discover your purpose. Embrace innovation. Experience #LifeatRealChem.

Real Chemistry is looking for a Senior Technology Lead to join our growing team!  

21GRAMS, Real Chemistry’s advertising agency, has done a lot in its first 5+ years. Known for our creativity, we've just been ranked as the #2 creative health agency in the world by Cannes Lions. It takes a team to do ambitious things, and our ambition is to help people connect with healthcare – by making advertising less of an interruption and more worth people’s time because it gets them. As an agency with the full capabilities of Real Chemistry at our fingertips, we’ve got endless potential.

At ROOM42 — 21GRAMS' in-house production company, content studio, and Digital & Technology services arm — we are seeking an AI-Forward Technical Lead who is simultaneously a craftsperson, a creative partner, and an accelerator. This person moves fluidly between writing production-quality code, protecting design intent through every build decision, and orchestrating AI tooling to compress the distance from concept to shipped experience. Whether the starting point is a client brief, a Figma file, or a napkin sketch, this Technical Lead is the person who figures out the fastest, most technically sound path to a working, beautiful, compliant deliverable — and builds it.

This role spans the full ROOM42 output spectrum: marketing websites, microsites, conference kiosks and panel experiences, interactive apps, and data-driven digital tools for healthcare and pharma clients. The ideal candidate has mastered the traditional web development lifecycle and is actively transforming it — using AI at every meaningful stage.

This is a hybrid role, based in any of our US offices—including New York City, Boston, Chicago, Carmel, Lambertville, or San Francisco—or remotely within the US, depending on team and business needs.

What you’ll do: 

Build and Architect

Own end-to-end technical execution for ROOM42 deliverables — websites, microsites, interactive apps, conference kiosk and panel experiences, and real-world evidence platforms

Write and review production-quality code across the full stack; maintain a target of 50% direct hands-on contribution alongside leadership responsibilities

Architect solutions that balance speed-to-market with long-term maintainability, security, and accessibility compliance

Lead technical solutioning on new engagements — translating UX wireframes and creative briefs into clearly scoped, achievable builds

DevOps and Delivery Infrastructure:

Own Git workflows, branching strategy, and code review standards across all active ROOM42 builds

Maintain CI/CD pipelines for ROOM42's primary hosting environments (WP Engine, Pantheon, Acquia, Netlify/Vercel for JAMstack); make deployments repeatable and low-risk

Manage staging, UAT, and production environment configurations; provision and document access for all ROOM42 developers

Identify and implement automation opportunities across the DevOps lifecycle — from scaffolding new projects to post-deploy validation

AI-Augmented Design-to-Code Pipeline:

Operate Figma MCP server integration to accelerate design handoff — extracting tokens, components, and layout specs directly into code-ready outputs; eliminating manual interpretation cycles

Leverage AI code generation tools (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor AI) as daily build accelerators — not novelties — across front-end, back-end, and configuration work

Define and document ROOM42's AI-augmented build workflows for each deliverable type so the approach scales beyond a single practitioner

Stay ahead of emerging agentic tooling (MCP servers, AI browser agents, generative UI frameworks) and evaluate when adoption creates genuine delivery leverage

QA and Test Automation:

Implement AI-assisted QA automation across ROOM42 project types — visual regression testing, accessibility scanning, cross-browser checks, and functional testing pipelines

Establish a QA automation baseline for repeatable deliverable types (CMS sites, kiosk apps, email builds) so that human QA effort concentrates on edge cases and client-specific requirements

Triage technical defects surfaced by QA — classify root cause, assign or resolve remediation, verify fix integrity before re-advancing to UAT

Standards, Mentorship, and Team Health:

Define and maintain ROOM42's technical standards across deliverable types — coding conventions, repo structure, accessibility requirements, security baselines, deployment protocols

Conduct code reviews for all ROOM42 developers before deliverables advance to QA; enforce standards consistently and use reviews as teaching moments

Partner with RC's VP of Technology on standards alignment, tooling strategy, and team architecture as the practice scales

Lead technical onboarding for new ROOM42 hires — tool access, standards orientation, and first-week productivity within two weeks of start date

Serve as primary technical escalation point when blockers threaten delivery; resolve environment, integration, and access issues within 24 hours of identification

Technical Delivery:

Partner with Producers and TDMs on SOW scoping — translate creative and functional requirements into accurate technical estimates for hours, stack decisions, and phased rollout

Own the technical delivery lifecycle for key ROOM42 engagement from kickoff through post-launch, work with technical delivery managers to ensure timeline integrity, milestone readiness, and handoff completeness

Maintain a live view of technical progress across all active projects; proactively flag risks to Delivery Managers before they surface in status calls

Drive milestone gates: work closely with QA lead to ensure that what moves from development to QA to UAT to production is actually ready — not optimistically ready

Manage technical dependencies across concurrent projects (shared environments, overlapping APIs, licensing constraints) and surface conflicts before they collide

Own technical documentation throughout each engagement: architecture decisions, environment setup, API integration specs, deployment runbooks — so no knowledge lives only in one person's head

Participate in client-facing conversations where technical credibility matters — scoping sessions, risk discussions, demo walkthroughs — presenting clearly and without jargon

Quality Outcomes:

Define 'done' for every deliverable type — not just 'it works' but that it is performant, accessible, secure, cross-browser validated, and visually faithful to approved design

Own quality accountability end-to-end: if something ships broken, looks wrong, or fails an MLR technical review, this role is accountable for the root cause and the remediation

Work with QA lead to establish and maintain a ROOM42 quality checklist for each deliverable type — covering functional, visual, performance, accessibility, and security checks — so quality is structural, not ad hoc

Review developer output not only for code correctness but for UX implementation fidelity: does the built experience actually look and behave like the approved design?

Lead post-launch quality reviews on major engagements; document defect patterns and translate them into upstream process improvements

Champion performance as a quality dimension: page load, animation smoothness, kiosk responsiveness, and interactive load times are quality metrics, not afterthoughts

Maintain zero tolerance for preventable defects reaching client UAT — own the internal quality bar so clients aren't the ones finding the obvious problems

Design Eye, UX/UI Partnership, and Creative Collaboration:

Speak UX fluently — understand information architecture, user flows, interaction patterns, and content hierarchy well enough to actively contribute to UX decisions, not just receive them

Evaluate wireframes and prototypes through both a user experience lens and a technical feasibility lens simultaneously: identify where a flow creates friction before it's built, and where a design pattern creates technical debt before it ships

Read a Figma file not just for spec values but for design intent — understand what the designer was solving for and protect that intent through every build decision, especially when specs have gaps or edge cases aren't covered

Catch UX implementation drift before QA does: spot when a multi-step interaction is off-sequence, a loading state is missing, an error condition is unhandled, or a mobile breakpoint breaks the intended user journey

Catch visual implementation drift with the same discipline: notice when padding is off, a typeface is rendering incorrectly, a hover state feels wrong, or a component is pixel-perfect in isolation but contextually broken in the live layout

Participating actively in UX and design reviews as a technical partner — able to say 'that interaction pattern will feel laggy on kiosk hardware' or 'here's how we can get the same UX outcome with a lighter implementation' or 'this flow needs an empty state that the design doesn't account for'

Understand foundational UX/UI principles — user task flow design, progressive disclosure, feedback and affordance, responsive and adaptive layout, motion and timing — well enough to make confident decisions when the design file doesn't cover every scenario

Bridge the gap between design and engineering vocabulary; translate UX intent and creative direction into precise technical implementation notes that developers can execute without ambiguity or interpretation risk

Push back constructively when a UX or design spec is technically infeasible at the required timeline or budget — and always bring an alternative that preserves the experience intent, not just a 'no'

Appreciate that in healthcare and pharma, the human story being told is someone's life — and that the quality of the experience we build, how it feels to use, how clearly it communicates, how gracefully it handles errors, is not separate from the mission

This position is a perfect fit for you if: 

Our Company values – Best Together, Impact-Obsessed, Excellence Expected, Evolve Always and Accountability with an “I” – really speak to you.

You are adaptable, resilient, and OK with adjusting your scope, responsibilities, and focus as we grow. When things change, so do we. We’re always evolving.

You are proactive, driven, and resourceful with strong prioritization skills and a desire to dive into the data.

You are highly organized self-starter, able to work independently and under tight deadlines.

What you should have:  

7+ years of hands-on development experience, with at least 3 years in a technical lead, staff engineer, or architect role

Demonstrable full-stack proficiency — not a generalist who dabbles; someone who can build, review, and unblock at every layer

A genuine design eye with UX/UI depth: able to evaluate user flows and interaction patterns for experience quality, read a Figma file for intent, catch UX and visual implementation drift, and make confident decisions at the design-code boundary without designer supervision

Technical delivery experience: has owned milestone tracking, risk communication, and deployment readiness across concurrent projects — not just individual coding output

Demonstrated accountability for quality outcomes: has owned defect triage, post-launch quality reviews, and upstream process improvements when things go wrong

Active, daily practitioner of AI code generation tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor AI, Claude Code) — able to define team-wide workflows around them

Hands-on experience with Figma MCP server or comparable design-to-code AI tooling; familiar with design token standards and component handoff patterns

QA automation experience: visual regression, accessibility automation, or AI-assisted test generation in a production environment

Pay Range: $119,000 - $140,000
This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting.  Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors including but not limited to work experience, skills, certifications, and geographical location. The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. 

Real Chemistry is proud to be Great Place to Work® certified; check out what our people shared about our culture and workplace on our Great Places to Work Profile here.

We believe we can do our best when feeling our best, which is why we’ve put together a benefits program designed to give you the support you and your family need at every stage of life. Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks, tailored to your region. Globally, this includes offices in our key markets with free snacks to keep you running all day long, generous holiday and paid time off, options for private medical, dental, and vison plans, and support in saving for the future. Other perks include mental wellness coaching and support and access to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning. Learn more about our great benefits and perks and search specific offerings in your region at: www.realchemistrybenefits.com.

At Real Chemistry, we believe we're at our best when we're connected. Our Real Hybrid and Regional Teams (Real HART) approach is designed to foster collaboration, learning, innovation, and meaningful relationships while providing flexibility where appropriate. Because our workforce spans multiple countries, regions, and client needs, work arrangements may vary by role and location. Some positions offer hybrid or remote flexibility, while others require regular in-office presence. For example, certain teams and regions, including some of our UK operations, have office-based requirements. Your recruiter will discuss the specific expectations for the role you're pursuing during the interview process and keep you informed throughout the hiring journey. For employees located within a one-hour commute of a Real Chemistry office, we require in-person attendance two days per week, either from a Real Chemistry office or when working onsite with clients. Employees in regions without a nearby office may work remotely and come together throughout the year for collaboration, culture-building, learning, and team connection opportunities. While these guidelines reflect our current workplace model, we understand that everyone’s circumstances are unique. If you require additional flexibility, we welcome an open conversation with your recruiter and our HR team to discuss your needs and determine what may be possible.

Real Chemistry is an Equal Opportunity employer. We continually strive to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable work environment where our employees feel empowered to leverage all they bring from their personal lived experience and professional expertise, to make our team the best in the industry. We encourage motivated and qualified applicants to apply without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ethnic or national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Real Chemistry operates. Should you require accommodations throughout the interview process please let your recruiter know.

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