Freelance Full Stack Web Developer Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA

This is a remote position and is NOT limited to Pittsburgh, PA.

We are a fully remote team primarily located in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—but we work from anywhere with clients all over the country. Team members should be available to collaborate primarily during 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern Time, with some flexibility.

Makeway is a digital experience agency committed to making an impact with visionary brands. We help clients see the possibilities in their challenges and deliver the right creative and technical solutions to realize them.

We’re looking for an experienced Full-Stack Web Developer who is especially strong in PHP, WordPress, and modern JavaScript. You’ll build and support polished, high-performing websites and digital experiences, working across both back-end and front-end development. Much of the role centers on custom WordPress work—including themes, plugins, blocks, integrations, performance, security, accessibility, and ongoing support—while also contributing to projects that use modern JavaScript frameworks and other platforms.

We’re a small, collaborative team, so flexibility and a genuine can-do attitude are essential. The right person communicates openly, takes ownership, adapts when priorities shift, and readily helps teammates solve what’s in front of us. We value people who are confident in their craft without being rigid about where their responsibilities begin and end.

AI use is a normal and mandatory part of working at Makeway. We do not use AI to replace jobs; we use it to amplify expertise, improve quality, and accelerate thoughtful work. Team members are expected to use approved AI tools regularly for development, troubleshooting, research, documentation, QA, and workflow improvement—while remaining accountable for accuracy, security, privacy, and sound human judgment. Applicants should be comfortable learning new AI-assisted ways of working as the tools evolve.

Requirements

• Build, maintain, and improve responsive websites and digital experiences, primarily using WordPress and PHP.
• Develop custom WordPress themes, plugins, Gutenberg blocks, and Advanced Custom Fields implementations.
• Build modern front-end interfaces using semantic HTML, CSS, JavaScript or TypeScript, and frameworks such as React, Vue, Next.js, or comparable technologies.
• Integrate third-party platforms and services through REST APIs, webhooks, and other data exchanges.
• Translate designs into accurate, accessible, responsive, and maintainable interfaces.
• Troubleshoot complex issues across the front end, back end, hosting environment, and connected services.
• Participate in technical discovery and project scoping by estimating effort, identifying dependencies, and surfacing risks early.
• Review code, contribute to shared standards, and use Git-based workflows for collaboration and release management.
• Manage work across multiple client projects while communicating progress, blockers, and tradeoffs clearly.
• Collaborate closely with developers, designers, strategists, and project managers; step in where needed to help the team deliver.
• Use AI tools regularly and responsibly to accelerate development and strengthen the quality of the work.
• Continue learning as technologies, platforms, and best practices evolve.

• Strong professional experience with PHP, including object-oriented programming and modern development practices.
• Strong WordPress experience, including custom themes, plugins, Gutenberg, Advanced Custom Fields, and the WordPress data model and APIs.
• Strong proficiency with modern JavaScript and front-end development, including at least one current framework or library such as React, Vue, or Next.js.
• Strong knowledge of HTML, CSS or Sass, responsive design, and cross-browser implementation.
• Experience with SQL and relational databases, especially MySQL or MariaDB.
• Experience integrating REST APIs, webhooks, and third-party services.
• Comfort with Git, code review, package managers, build tools, and modern local-development workflows.
• Working knowledge of website performance, security, accessibility, technical SEO, and browser debugging.
• Ability to produce maintainable, well-documented code and make sound technical decisions within real project constraints.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, organization, and remote collaboration skills.

These are the core requirements, but chances are you know more than what’s listed here. That’s great! Tell us what else you bring to the table and how comfortable you are with those skills.

• Drupal, Shopify, BigCommerce, or other content-management and commerce platforms.
• Cloud and managed hosting environments such as AWS, Pantheon, WP Engine, or similar services.
• Automated testing, continuous integration and deployment, containerized development, or DevOps practices.
• Agency or client-services experience, including balancing multiple projects and communicating with nontechnical stakeholders.

At least 5 years of related professional experience. A bachelor’s or associate degree is preferred, but not required. Demonstrated ability, good judgment, and relevant experience matter more to us than a particular educational path.

Benefits

One of the best benefits is the people and clients you work with every day. Seriously, they’re pretty great ????

In addition, we offer:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance, with employee premiums covered at 100%.
• 401(k) plan with a generous company match.
• Ten days of paid time off and five sick days per year; ten paid holidays, plus a company-wide shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s.
• Six weeks of paid parental leave.
• A strong commitment to work/life balance.
• An annual continuing-education fund for personal and professional development, including online training, conferences, trade shows, books, and other learning resources.
• A company-provided laptop, extra monitor, and computer accessories, plus an annual stipend for additional office expenses or supplies.
• Flexibility to work from wherever you’d like.

Makeway is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, identities, perspectives, and experiences. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the application and employment process.