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Headless Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Web Developer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$84K - $109K/yr

The Web Developer will actively participate in web development efforts, driving continuous ... Extensive understanding of headless content management systems (Contentstack, Contentful, Sanity ...

Experience Developer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$35.66 - $44.58/hr

You'll partner with product, engineering, and operations stakeholders to reduce incidents and ... Author components and experiences in a headless CMS and build campaigns to deliver personalized ...

Front-End Developer

Tustin, CA · On-site

$114K - $133K/yr

The Front-End Developer is responsible for implementing and maintaining the digital interfaces that ... Familiarity with Salsify/PIM systems, Algolia search, or headless ecommerce ecosystems.

Front-End Developer

Tustin, CA · On-site

$83K - $104K/yr

The Front-End Developer is responsible for implementing and maintaining the digital interfaces that ... Familiarity with Salsify/PIM systems, Algolia search, or headless ecommerce ecosystems.

Front-End Developer

Tustin, CA · On-site

$114K - $133K/yr

The Front-End Developer is responsible for implementing and maintaining the digital interfaces that ... Familiarity with Salsify/PIM systems, Algolia search, or headless ecommerce ecosystems.

... in a headless CMS across multiple Adobe surfaces and customer journeys • Build campaigns to ... engineering teams • Collaborate with internal and client teams to resolve complex incidents ...

We're looking for a Front-End Web Developer who doesn't just implement designs - they elevate them ... Work fluidly across headless CMS environments, static builds, and custom code as the project ...

Exposure to working with headless CMS tools like Contentful * Exposure to building Power BI ... Contribute to engineering standards, documentation, and code quality, while ensuring applications ...

.Net Developer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$51.75 - $68.50/hr

D. in Computer Science or related technical discipline, equivalent work experience will be considered • 5+ years working in software engineering in building modular or headless applications at ...

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Headless Developer information

What is a Headless Developer?

A Headless Developer specializes in building applications using headless architecture, where the frontend (user interface) is decoupled from the backend (content management or data source). This allows developers to create flexible, scalable, and customizable digital experiences across multiple platforms like web, mobile apps, and IoT devices. Headless Developers typically work with APIs to connect the backend to various frontends, enabling faster development cycles and easier content delivery. Their expertise is valuable for organizations seeking omnichannel solutions and modern web development practices.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Headless Developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Headless Developer, you need a strong background in web development, API design, JavaScript frameworks (such as React or Vue), and a solid understanding of headless CMS platforms. Familiarity with tools like Contentful, Strapi, GraphQL, RESTful APIs, and version control systems (e.g., Git) is typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, effective communication, and adaptability to rapidly changing technologies are valuable soft skills. These competencies ensure seamless integration of backend and frontend systems, delivering flexible, scalable digital experiences.

How does a Headless Developer typically collaborate with designers and backend teams on projects?

As a Headless Developer, you will often work closely with designers to implement user interfaces using frontend frameworks, while collaborating with backend teams to integrate APIs and data sources. This role requires strong communication skills to ensure the visual and functional aspects of the application align with both design guidelines and backend capabilities. Expect to participate in regular stand-ups, code reviews, and planning sessions where cross-team coordination is essential for delivering seamless digital experiences. Effective collaboration is key to addressing challenges that arise from decoupling the frontend and backend.

What is the difference between Headless Developer vs Front-End Developer?

AspectHeadless DeveloperFront-End Developer
Primary FocusBuilding and integrating decoupled backend systems with APIs for flexible content deliveryDesigning and implementing user interfaces and user experiences for websites and applications
Required SkillsAPI integration, backend development, JavaScript frameworks, CMS knowledgeHTML, CSS, JavaScript, UI/UX design, responsive design
Work EnvironmentOften collaborates with backend teams, works on headless CMS and API-driven platformsPrimarily works on client-side development, visual design, and user interaction

While both roles involve JavaScript and web development, a Headless Developer specializes in backend and API integration for flexible content management, whereas a Front-End Developer focuses on creating engaging user interfaces and experiences. Understanding these differences helps employers and job seekers target the right skills and responsibilities for each role.

What job categories do people searching Headless Developer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Headless Developer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Headless Developer jobs? Cities in California with the most Headless Developer job openings:

Senior Full-Stack Engineer -Headless Commerce

Plaud

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$150K - $260K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago


Job description

About Plaud Inc.
Plaud is building the world's most trusted AI work companion for professionals to elevate productivity and performance through note-taking solutions, loved by over 2,000,000 users worldwide since 2023. With a mission to amplify human intelligence, Plaud is building the next-generation intelligence infrastructure and interfaces to capture, extract, and utilize what you say, hear, see, and think.
Plaud Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, San Francisco-based company pushing the boundary of human-AI intelligence through a hardware-software combination. With ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA, and EN 18031 compliance, Plaud is committed to the highest standards of data security and privacy protection.
To learn more about Plaud, please visit https://www.plaud.ai and follow along on Instagram, X, Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube
Why You Should Join Us
Plaud is building the next generation intelligence infrastructure and interfaces to capture, extract, and utilize intelligence from what people say, hear, see, and think.
  • Plaud is a bootstrapped, skyrocketing, profitable company with a $250M revenue run rate achieved in just three years.
  • Define the next-gen paradigm for human-AI interaction.
  • Gain exposure to cutting-edge AI for Pro tools and play a direct role in our global expansion.
  • Work with passionate teammates who value innovation, collaboration, and customer success.
  • Grow your career in a culture that champions continuous learning and fast career development.
  • Market-competitive compensation, global exposure, and a vibrant, creativity-fueled work atmosphere.

We're looking for a Senior Full-Stack Engineer to lead the technical execution of Plaud's transition from Shopify Liquid to a headless commerce stack. This is the foundational engineering role for Plaud's e-commerce platform for the future. You will treat the website as a long-lived product platform - not a one-shot rebuild.
What you will do
  1. Architecture & Code Quality
    • Design and lead the Hydrogen + Shopify Storefront API + Contentful architecture
    • Set patterns for multi-locale routing (plaud.ai/[lang-country]), data fetching, caching, edge runtime
    • Define and enforce performance budgets (LCP < 2.0s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1)
    • Lead CI/CD, preview deploys, observability, and code review standards
  2. Migration Execution
    • Own phase-by-phase migration: non-commerce pages → PDP → Collection → Checkout → Multi-region
    • Drive technical decisions on App migrations (Klaviyo SDK, Refersion/Impact, Yotpo, Algolia)
    • Ensure 95%+ Ads pixel parity in dual-tracking phase
    • Coordinate redirect mapping and SEO-safe URL migration
  3. Cross-Functional Leadership
    • Partner with Marketing (Performance + Lifecycle), SEO, Finance, Logistics, and Partnership teams
    • Translate business requirements into engineering work; defend engineering bandwidth from scope creep
    • Own the technical narrative for cross-functional decision gates (M0-M11)
  4. Team Leadership
    • Recruit and mentor 2 junior engineers; embed AI-augmented development (Claude Code / Cursor / Copilot) as default
    • Establish and enforce quality bars (testing, A11y, performance)
    • Drive engineering culture: ownership, ship velocity, blameless postmortems

Skills, qualifications and experience we look for
  • 5+ years full-stack web engineering with React-based stacks (Next.js, Remix, or Hydrogen)
  • Production experience with headless commerce on Shopify Storefront API (or comparable: Commercetools, BigCommerce, Saleor)
  • Strong Ruby (Rails or scripting) - comfortable with Shopify backend tooling and Shopify Functions
  • HTML Canvas / WebGL or graphics-heavy frontend experience
  • Proven track record on Core Web Vitals optimization at production scale
  • Hands-on with at least one edge runtime: Cloudflare Workers/Pages, Shopify Oxygen, Vercel Edge, or AWS Lambda@Edge
  • Has owned a Liquid → Headless or comparable major frontend migration end-to-end
  • Demonstrated technical leadership (formal or informal) of ≥2 engineers

Preffered Qualifications
  • TypeScript fluency at scale
  • Tailwind CSS in a design-system context
  • Experience with Algolia, Searchspring, or Coveo
  • Integration experience with Klaviyo, Refersion / Impact.com, Avalara / Shopify Tax
  • Direct-to-consumer brand or premium SaaS background
  • Multi-locale / multi-currency rollout experience

What we offer
  • Founding Team: Opportunity to join the founding team of this new initiative, with meaningful ownership and impact on a fast-growing startup.
  • Competitive Compensation: $150K-$260K base salary+performance bonus+Equity.
  • Comprehensive Benefits: Top-tier healthcare for employees and dependents, including dental and vision, and a generous employer subsidy.
  • Retirement Planning: 401(k) plan for full time employees with company matching.
  • Paid Time Off: Unlimited PTO, plus 13 paid holidays.
  • New Parent Leave: 12 weeks of paid time off to spend time with your new family, regardless of gender.
  • Hybrid Office: Minimum of 3x in office per week.
  • Gear: New hires are equipped with their choice of new top-of-the-line laptops and workstation setups.
  • Perks: Best office equipment. Annual offsites. Free office drinks and snacks. Commuter Benefits.
    Plaud is and will continue to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics..