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Creative Agency

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Instrument is a values-driven digital agency that is dedicated to shaping a better future for all. With a team of 392 talented makers, including designers, strategists, engineers, and wordsmiths, they create things that people love to use. Over the past 18 years, Instrument has helped the world's most progressive brands solve problems, seize opportunities, and achieve lasting business growth. At Instrument, their work is guided by their core values. They prioritize putting people first and cultivate an inclusive and diverse workplace. They strive for excellence, partnering with incredible clients to deliver work that goes above and beyond. Instrument embraces growth, continuously expanding their size, capabilities, and cultural intelligence. They are committed to using their powers for good, taking action to leave a positive impact on the world. Offering a range of services, Instrument leverages their unique perspectives and collective knowledge to build experiences that make a real impact and resonate with people. With offices in Portland, Los Angeles, and New York City, they also embrace a hybrid work approach that allows their team members to work from anywhere in the United States. Join Instrument on their mission to shape a better future.

Instrument

Instrument is a digitally native design and technology company built to help brands unlock their full potential. Since 2005, our team of makers, thinkers, and storytellers has partnered with leading brands like Google, Nike, Uber, ŌURA, and Eventbrite to craft digital experiences that create impact and drive results.

Unlike traditional agencies, we don't just design—we build. Our work lives at the intersection of taste and technology, powered by curiosity, thoughtful curation, and a commitment to delivering the most fitting solution for every brief. We bring this to life across three core offerings: **Brand, Marketing, and Product.**

As a member of our freelance network, you'll collaborate with our teams to bring bold ideas to life—whether launching new brands, building digital products, or shaping experiences that move people. We welcome collaborators from all backgrounds and experiences who share our curiosity, creativity, and care for craft.

We believe great work comes from diverse perspectives and shared purpose. If you're passionate about learning, experimenting, and making work that matters, we'd love to hear from you.

## Technical Lead (Freelance)

**Position:** Senior Backend Engineer / Tech Lead

**Location:** Remote (EST-PST timezones)

**Employment Type:** Contract / Freelance

**Timing:** 3/23 – 4/3

**Hours:** 40 hrs/week

**Tech Stack:** Python, Django, Wagtail CMS, PostgreSQL, Google Cloud Platform (App Engine, Cloud SQL, Cloud Storage), StreamField / StreamBlocks

### What You'll Do

- Lead backend development for a Wagtail CMS implementation, ensuring scalable and maintainable architecture

- Customize and extend **Wagtail internals**, including render logic, StreamFields, and admin configurations

- Partner closely with frontend engineers to enable complex UI patterns through **custom Blocks and templates**

- Model content structures that support flexible, component-driven design systems

- Own and support deployments on **Google Cloud Platform**, ensuring stability and performance

- Collaborate on technical planning, proactively identifying risks and proposing solutions

- Contribute to a high-velocity development environment, supporting sprint execution and delivery

### What You'll Bring

- Strong experience with **Python and Django**, with deep expertise in **Wagtail CMS**

- Proven ability to work within Wagtail internals (custom Blocks, StreamFields, rendering logic, templates)

- Experience deploying and maintaining Wagtail projects on **Google Cloud Platform (GCP)**
  - Familiarity with **App Engine**, **Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL)**, and **Cloud Storage**

- Strong understanding of backend architecture, CMS modeling, and API design

- Experience collaborating closely with frontend teams on component-based builds

- Ability to move quickly, unblock teams, and provide technical leadership in a short-term engagement

### Pay Range

- The expected pay range for this role is $96 - $117 per hour based on the US 3 pay range
  - Our company has three regional pay bands that it adheres to depending on your location, we reference them as US 1, US 2, and US 3
  - US 3 is our base pay. Examples of cities in US 3 are Portland, Houston and Miami.
  - US 2 pay is 7.5% higher than US 3 to meet the market rates. Examples of cities in US 2 are Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle
  - US 1 pay is 15% higher than US 3 to meet market rates. Examples of cities in US 1 are Brooklyn and San Francisco

Instrument - Technical Lead (Freelance)

A clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.

Python

Technical Lead

Technical Leadership

API Design

Google Cloud Platform

Instrument is seeking a Contract Technical Lead for a remote position in the US. The role involves leading backend development for a Wagtail CMS implementation, collaborating with frontend engineers, and managing deployments on Google Cloud Platform. The contract is from March 23 to April 3, requiring 40 hours per week. The pay range is $96 - $117 per hour.

Interim Technical Lead

Legal

Instrument is a digitally native design and technology company built to help brands unlock their full potential. Since 2005, our team of makers, thinkers, and storytellers has partnered with leading brands like Google, Nike, Uber, ŌURA, and Eventbrite to craft digital experiences that create impact and drive results.

Unlike traditional agencies, we don't just design—we build. Our work lives at the intersection of taste and technology, powered by curiosity, thoughtful curation, and a commitment to delivering the most fitting solution for every brief. We bring this to life across three core offerings: **Brand, Marketing, and Product.**

We believe great work comes from diverse perspectives and shared purpose. If you're passionate about learning, experimenting, and making work that matters, we'd love to hear from you.

## Design Director (Freelance)

**Position Type:** Contract / Remote

**Contract Duration:** 3/19 – 6/26

**Hours:** 40 hrs/week

**Location:** Remote (U.S. preferred)

### What You'll Do

- Lead design direction across two concurrent website redesigns, ensuring a cohesive system-driven approach across both experiences

- Define and evolve a shared design system, including components, patterns, and templates that scale across multiple sites

- Guide and mentor a team of designers, providing clear feedback and direction to elevate the work

- Partner closely with product, engineering, and production to ensure feasibility and quality in execution

- Stay close to the work—reviewing flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity designs to maintain a high bar for craft and usability

- Establish and reinforce best practices for responsive design, accessibility, and component-based thinking

- Drive alignment with stakeholders, clearly articulating design rationale and decisions

- Identify risks, gaps, or inconsistencies across both builds and proactively solve for them

- Balance speed and quality in a fast-moving, iterative environment

### What You'll Bring

- 8+ years of experience in digital product or web design, with time spent in a Design Director or Lead role

- Proven experience leading large-scale website redesigns, ideally for enterprise or eCommerce brands

- Strong expertise in **design systems and component-based design**, with experience scaling across multiple properties

- A portfolio demonstrating both high-level design direction and hands-on execution

- Experience managing and mentoring designers while staying close to the work

- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, especially with engineering and product partners

- Ability to articulate design decisions clearly to stakeholders and clients

- High attention to detail with a passion for craft, interaction, and usability

### Pay Range

- The expected pay range for this role is $103 -$122 per hour based on the US 3 pay range
  - Our company has three regional pay bands that it adheres to depending on your location, we reference them as US 1, US 2, and US 3
  - US 3 is our base pay. Examples of cities in US 3 are Portland, Houston and Miami.
  - US 2 pay is 7.5% higher than US 3 to meet the market rates. Examples of cities in US 2 are Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle
  - US 1 pay is 15% higher than US 3 to meet market rates. Examples of cities in US 1 are Brooklyn and San Francisco

Instrument - Design Director (Freelance)

Chief Design Officer

Design Systems

Scaleup

Freelance Design Director role leading design direction for website redesigns, focusing on design systems and mentoring a team.

Instrument

Jobs

Past roles

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