Head of Development

Head of Development (Magento & Hyvä Specialist)

Company: Foundation Commerce Type: Permanent/Contract Location: Hybrid/Remote Salary: Dependent on experience Reporting to: Managing Director

The Role We power growth for those who think bigger. Foundation Commerce isn't your typical agency. We are a high-performance squad of Magento and Hyvä Commerce specialists, and as a Hyvä Platinum Partner, we are at the absolute cutting edge of the Magento revolution. We’ve torn up the hours-for-hire agency model; we don't sell time, we sell outcomes.

From global retailers like Citizen Watch and Wahl to other leading UK retailers, we build lightning-fast, future-proof storefronts that shatter conversion records. We obsess over technical excellence, lean architecture, and delivering outcomes to our clients that exceed their expectations. If you want to work with Hyvä Commerce every day and pioneer in this space, then this is the role for you!

Core Responsibilities Discovery & Scoping: Lead Merchant Discovery Workshops to uncover business requirements, pain points, and growth goals. You will be the technical expert in the room, guiding merchants through the possibilities of the Magento/Hyvä stack. Documentation & SOWs: Translate complex discovery findings into detailed Statements of Work (SOWs). You will ensure project scopes are technically sound, accurately estimated, and designed to exceed client expectations. The Ultimate Problem Solver: Act as the agency’s technical go-to. You don’t just handle complexity; you thrive on solving complex problems that leave others scratching their heads, turning technical roadblocks into elegant solutions. Technical Authority: Maintain the highest standards for Magento 2 and Hyvä implementations. You will oversee architectural decisions, ensuring our solutions are scalable, performant. Team Leadership: Mentor a squad of developers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and code quality through rigorous peer reviews and architectural guidance.You will be responsible for their professional growth, conducting regular performance reviews, and managing salary reviews to ensure talent is recognized and retained. Architecture Design: Oversee the transition from legacy Luma frontends to Hyvä, ensuring seamless integration with third-party modules and complex ERP/PIM backends. AI Strategy & Execution: Create, plan, and execute an internal development roadmap specifically focused on integrating Claude Code AI. You will lead the charge in utilizing AI to automate repetitive tasks, improve code quality, and accelerate our Magento/Hyvä build cycles. Strategic Roadmap: Work with the CTO to evaluate the Magento/Adobe Commerce roadmap and the evolving Hyvä ecosystem (including Hyvä UI, Checkout, and Enterprise). Process Optimisation: Continuously refine our internal workflows, from local environment setups (Warden/Docker/DDEV) to deployment pipelines, ensuring the team has the best possible environment to succeed.

Required Skills & Experience UK Based: You must live in the UK Fluent English Language: You must speak English fluently. Consultative Mindset: Proven ability to lead client-facing workshops and turn "blue-sky" ideas into actionable technical requirements. Commercial Acumen: Experience writing SOWs that balance client needs with agency profitability and technical feasibility. Magento Expertise: Extensive experience architecting Magento 2 (Adobe Commerce) solutions. Hyvä Proficiency: Hands-on experience with Hyvä Commerce. Leadership Experience: Experience managing a development team, ideally within a fast-paced agency environment. Performance Focused: A passion for site speed and a proven track record of achieving elite Google PageSpeed scores. AI Enthusiast: A proactive interest in Claude Code AI, Copilot, and LLMs to radically improve development speed and accuracy. Analytical Rigour: A natural aptitude for troubleshooting. You should be able to deconstruct a complex system issue and identify the root cause with speed and precision.

Technical Specifics Our Stack: We are heavily invested in the Magento + Hyvä stack. Knowledge of the following is essential: Backend: PHP 8.x, MySQL, RabbitMQ, Redis, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch. Frontend: Hyvä, Alpine.js, Tailwind CSS. Infrastructure: Adobe Commerce Cloud, Core Finity or similar specialised Magento hosting.

Why Join Foundation Commerce? Competitive salary You will have a direct hand in shaping the digital future of our merchants from the very first meeting. High level of influence over our development standards and discovery processes. Flexible working hours: Start and finish your day at your own choosing Holiday: 20 days + bank holidays. Remote/Hybrid working: Work remotely from the comfort of your home

How to Apply If you are a Magento expert who loves the challenge of discovery and has the leadership skills to see those visions through to deployment, we want to talk. Please submit your CV and any relevant portfolio pieces.