Web and Digital Studio LeadDepartment: Creative Services
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Seattle, WA
Compensation: $124,000 - $134,000 / year
DescriptionWeb and Digital Studio Lead (Associate I) Alta Planning + Design seeks an experienced
Web and Digital Studio Lead (Associate I) to lead and help grow the digital capabilities within our TDM Marketing & Creative Services team. This role is ideal for a hands-on technical leader who can guide a multidisciplinary digital team while also contributing directly to complex websites, web applications, data-driven tools, marketing technology solutions, integrations, and other digital products.
The Web and Digital Studio Lead will help shape how Alta approaches digital work across the firm, from client-facing websites and interactive tools to marketing technologies, data integrations, automation, and emerging digital services. The role combines technical leadership, team management, project delivery, and strategic development, with the opportunity to strengthen the systems, standards, and capabilities that support Alta's growing digital portfolio.
About Alta's TDM Marketing & Creative Services Group Alta's Marketing & Creative Services team brings together strategists, marketers, designers, and digital developers to help clients communicate complex ideas, engage audiences, and inspire action. Our work spans branding, campaigns, communications, graphic design, digital strategy, websites, interactive tools, and technology-enabled experiences.
Within this team, the Web and Digital Studio supports web-based and digital products and services across Alta's client portfolio. The team partners closely with Marketing & Creative Services staff as well as planners, engineers, GIS specialists, civic data analysts, and project teams across the firm to create digital solutions that support both client needs and Alta's broader services. As our digital work expands, the team is increasingly working across full-stack development, data visualization, APIs and system integrations, marketing technologies, automation, GIS-enabled tools, and other emerging digital applications.
Day to DayClient Production & Project Delivery (65%)- Lead full-stack development of websites, web applications, dashboards, calculators, and data-driven tools from specifications, wireframes, and mockups through deployment
- Establish technical architecture and development approaches - front-end and back-end frameworks, databases, APIs, data integration, hosting, security, and analytics
- Build interactive data visualizations that let users explore information by geography, time, scenario, or demographics
- Integrate GIS data and web mapping platforms (ArcGIS Online/Portal, ArcGIS Feature Services, StoryMaps, Mapbox, or similar) into web products
- Develop or coordinate Python-based data processing, automation workflows, and APIs
- Oversee integrations with external databases, CRMs, CDPs, and marketing platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or Ortto
- Ensure products meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA or current client requirements) across design, development, and testing
- Lead QA/QC for code, integrations, responsive behavior, and final deliverables
Strategic Leadership & Team Management (15%)- Lead and mentor the Digital Studio team - workload management, technical QA, skill development, and performance feedback
- Assign and rebalance work based on staff capacity, technical fit, and project needs
- Provide technical direction and escalation support for complex development challenges
- Oversee technical contractors and vendors, including scope, budget, and quality
- Manage web development personnel, including reviews, goal-setting, and day-to-day supervision
Corporate Marketing, R&D & Product Innovation (15%)- Identify and apply emerging technologies, open-source frameworks, and development practices to advance Alta's digital offerings
- Build repeatable development practices, documentation standards, and reusable components across projects
- Support proposal development and business development by shaping technical approaches, scopes, and budgets for digital work
Workload Balancing & Operational Support (5%)- Manage the team's software, platform, and hosting subscriptions, including expense tracking and renewals
- Maintain accurate inventories of websites, domains, hosting environments, and tools used by the team
QualificationsRequired- 7+ years of professional full-stack web development experience, including demonstrated leadership of complex web or digital projects from scoping through deployment
- Prior people management experience, plus experience overseeing technical contractors or vendors
- Expert-level comfort with core development tooling: VS Code (or similar), Git/GitHub, Docker, WSL or macOS, and CI/CD workflows
- Advanced experience with the modern front-end ecosystem - JavaScript, TypeScript, Node.js, CSS/SASS, and frameworks like Vue, Nuxt, Astro, or Vite
- Working to advanced Python experience with frameworks such as FastAPI or Django; familiarity with PHP is a plus
- Experience with geospatial/GIS web mapping platforms (ArcGIS, Mapbox, or comparable)
- Familiarity with dashboard/data visualization tools like Tableau
- Experience with design/prototyping tools such as Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud
- Strong client-facing and consultative skills - requirements gathering, discovery, and translating business goals into technical solutions
- Proactive, clear communication skills, with the ability to explain technical tradeoffs and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences alike
- A genuine interest in sustainable transportation, active transportation, transportation demand management, or city planning
Education: Experience in lieu of education is welcome. A bachelor's or associate's degree in computer science, software engineering, information technology, or a related field is a plus.
Travel: 5-10%
What We OfferFlexible ScheduleAlta offers a flexible, hybrid work schedule where most employees work from home three days per week. In-office days support our collaborative culture, one of our core values.
CompensationThe base salary range for this role is indicated in the posting. This range reflects the company's good faith estimate of the compensation for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and geographic location.
BenefitsAlta offers comprehensive benefits to all full-time employees:
- Medical: PPO or HSA medical plans, Alta pays 75% of the cost
- Dental/Vision: PPO, Alta pays 90% of the cost
- Life Insurance: Alta pays 100% of the premium for life and AD&D, equal to your base compensation
- 401(k): Alta provides a match up to 3%
- PTO: 21 days accrued annually to start
- Holidays: 11 total company paid holidays
- Paid Parental Leave/Short-Term Disability
- Additional Benefits: Wellness reimbursement up to $800 annually, Alta Gets Around benefit of up to $900 annually, 5-year travel award, and professional development opportunities
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