CompanyBraintrust is a global talent network that connects top independent professionals with leading companies for high-quality, flexible work. We help organizations hire skilled talent faster while giving professionals access to vetted opportunities with innovative teams. Job descriptionSenior Technical LeadPlatform Modernization & AI SystemsType - Full-TimeLocation- RemoteReports To - VP of ProductLevel - Senior / Tech LeadAbout the RoleWe run a marketing agency serving 20+ active clients on a WordPress and Kadence-based platform. It works — and it’s actively serving customers — but we’ve outgrown it. We’re moving toward a Laravel + Filament central hub that gives us multi-tenant control, reliable data ingestion, and AI-assisted content workflows.This is not a greenfield project, and it’s not a quick one. It’s a deliberate, multi-phase migration that will unfold over months — with real clients on the line the entire time. You will be responsible for keeping production stable while progressively building the system that replaces it.The person we’re looking for doesn’t just know how to build the destination. They understand where we’re coming from, how to get from here to there without dropping anything, and how to do it as a small team with limited overhead — prioritizing the right work at the right time.Where We Are TodayCurrent Stack - Serving customers in production todayWordPress MultisiteKadence Theme / BlocksCSV-based content ingestion20+ active client accountsTarget State - Migrated progressively — no big bangLaravel + Filament central hubMulti-tenant architectureQueue-based ingestion pipelinesAI-assisted content workflowsHow We're Getting ThereThis role owns the migration path. We expect a phased approach that keeps clients live at every step:Phase 1 - Audit & DesignAssess current WP/Kadence architecture, content structures, and CSV workflows. Design multi-tenant data model and migration strategy.Phase 2 - Parallel BuildDevelop Laravel/Filament hub alongside existing WP system. No client disruption — new platform builds in parallel.Phase 3 - Pilot MigrationMigrate 1–2 internal or low-risk clients. Validate ingestion pipelines, environment tooling, and content parity.Phase 4 - AI LayerIntroduce AI-assisted content workflows with structured prompts, brand voice configs, and human-in-the-loop approval.Phase 5 - Progressive RolloutMigrate remaining clients in cohorts. Maintain WP fallback until each client is fully validated on new platform.What You'll OwnThe migration strategy — how we move from WordPress/Kadence to Laravel/Filament without service disruptionLaravel + Filament hub development: client environment management, content ops, data ingestionMulti-tenant architecture design and implementationCSV/data ingestion pipelines: queue-based, fault-tolerant, and auditable (replacing current WP ingest)AI-assisted content workflows: LLM API integration, prompt design, brand voice config, approval flowsWordPress environment stewardship during transition — keeping 20+ client sites stableThe technical roadmap, with real input into sequencing and prioritiesDay-to-day technical leadership of the existing team — supporting active client website builds on WP/Kadence while the new platform takes shapeEstablishing and enforcing development standards, code review practices, and build processes that work across both the current WP environment and the emerging Laravel platformDefining and implementing repeatable processes for new client site builds — templating, onboarding checklists, handoff documentation, and quality gatesMentoring and guiding the existing development team through the transition — building their capability on the new stack without stalling current client deliveryWhat We're Looking ForPlatform & Migration ExperienceProven experience migrating live production systems — not just greenfield buildsDeep WordPress knowledge: content architecture, plugin ecosystem, multisite, data structuresFamiliarity with Kadence theme/blocks — enough to audit and replicate frontend behavior5+ years of Laravel; hands-on Filament or equivalent admin panel experienceAbility to design multi-tenant systems with a clear opinion on shared vs. isolated data modelsReliability EngineeringExperience building background job pipelines (Laravel Horizon, Redis, queues)Thinks about rollback, failover, and data integrity from day oneKnows how to run two systems in parallel and cut over safelyAI & AutomationProduction LLM API integration (Anthropic, OpenAI, or similar) — not just experimentsTreats prompt engineering as a design discipline tied to content schemasHas built or designed human-in-the-loop workflows for AI-generated contentUnderstands cost controls, caching, and token budgeting at scaleDefines and enforces quality standards for AI-assisted code generation, including review strategies, automated checks, and prompt constraints to prevent low-quality outputs from entering productionLeadership & ProcessLeads by doing — sets the technical standard through their own work and brings the team along rather than delegating from a distanceImplements process where it doesn’t exist — build workflows, review checklists, deployment standards — without letting process become overheadKeeps the team unblocked on active builds while managing their own migration work — knows how to context-switch without dropping either threadSlows down on ambiguous problems before writing code — and creates clarity for others, not just themselvesCommunicates tradeoffs clearly to both the team and non-technical stakeholders — can translate technical risk into business terms and vice versaTreats documentation, system design, and process definition as core leadership deliverables — not afterthoughtsComfortable owning decisions in a lean environment — with real accountabilityNice to HaveExperience with headless or decoupled frontend architecturesFamiliarity with Laravel Forge, Ploi, or Docker-based environment provisioningBackground inside a marketing or digital agencyExperience managing white-label or multi-brand SaaS platformsWhat This Is NotThis is not a ticket-closing role, and it’s not a clean-slate build. You’ll be navigating a live system with real customers while building its replacement — and doing it without a large team behind you. There’s no dedicated QA function, no army of developers to delegate to, and no big-bang go-live at the end. The migration will happen in stages over an extended timeline, and progress will be measured in stability and incremental momentum, not sprints.If you need a fully resourced team, a scoped backlog, or external validation at every step to do your best work, this isn’t the right fit. We want someone who treats migration risk as a design constraint, works well with limited support, and builds accordingly.Why This RoleYou'll own the architecture of a system that directly determines how 20+ clients are servedReal AI integration work with production stakes — not a proof of conceptA clear mandate: modernize without breaking what's workingA small, focused team where your decisions carry real weight — and real ownership comes with it