Theme development (Liquid)
Custom sections and blocks, Online Store 2.0 templates, theme speed work, accessibility fixes, and keeping a customized theme up to date.
Roles · Software Development
Hire a Shopify developer for your themes, apps and Shopify Plus store
A developer who knows your theme and your apps well enough to change them safely, and works through your store's list of changes every week without waiting on agency quotes.
Your store's to-do list, handled in-house
A growing store always has a queue: a landing page for the next campaign, a slow theme, an app conflict, a checkout tweak, a new market to open. Sending each one to an agency means a quote and a wait. A Shopify developer on your team works through that queue continuously and learns the store well enough to change it safely.
What they do for you
- Build theme sections, templates and landing pages in Liquid and Online Store 2.0
- Speed up the store by cleaning out app scripts and fixing image handling
- Install and troubleshoot apps, and swap heavy ones for lighter code where it makes sense
- Build custom apps and integrations through the Admin and Storefront APIs
- Set up Shopify Plus features: checkout extensions, Shopify Functions, Flow and B2B
- Configure Shopify Markets for new regions, including currencies and shipping rules
- Test changes on a duplicate theme and publish with a way to roll back
- Fix broken pages and failed integrations as soon as they show up
- Build seasonal campaign pages with your marketing team
What a good Shopify hire knows
Tools they work in
LiquidShopify CLIOnline Store 2.0Shopify Admin API (GraphQL)Storefront APIHydrogenShopify FunctionsCheckout UI extensionsShopify FlowKlaviyoRechargeGorgiasGitHubTheme CheckLighthouseMany more
A good fit if:
- Your store has a steady list of changes and you're tired of agency quotes for each one
- You're on Shopify Plus, or moving to it, and want the advanced features set up properly
- Your theme has grown slow or fragile after years of app installs and edits
Not the right fit if:
- Your store runs on BigCommerce, Magento or WooCommerce. That's an E-commerce Developer; see Software Development.
- You want a whole new store designed and delivered as a project; Managed Project Delivery builds stores
- You need help with listings, orders and inventory, and no code; that's E-commerce Virtual Assistant, a page added after launch
Questions for your Shopify shortlist
01
"Our product page is slow on mobile. Where do you start?"
Strong answer: they measure first with Lighthouse and the theme inspector, then look at app scripts, image sizes and render-blocking code, and they don't promise a score.
02
"How do you change a live theme without breaking the store?"
Strong answer: a development theme, version control through the Shopify CLI and GitHub, a preview link for approval and a quick way back.
03
"When would you build a custom feature instead of installing an app?"
Strong answer: they weigh the monthly app cost, speed and lock-in against build and upkeep time, and admit when an app is the better answer.
04
"Walk us through moving 5,000 products and customers from another platform to Shopify."
Strong answer: data mapping, URL redirects to protect SEO, a test import, checks on order history and customer accounts, and a cut-over plan.
Signs of a strong Shopify developer:
- Works on a copy of the theme and publishes only after approval
- Thinks about conversion and page speed as well as whether it works
- Keeps theme code readable for whoever comes next
Signs of a weak Shopify developer:
- Edits the live theme
- Adds another app for every request
- Has never written Liquid from scratch or used the APIs
Shopify apps and integrations
Custom apps, Admin and Storefront API work, webhooks, and connecting Shopify to your ERP, 3PL, CRM or marketing tools.
Shopify Plus
Checkout extensibility, Shopify Functions for discount and delivery rules, Flow automations, B2B catalogs and expansion stores.
Migrations to Shopify
Moving products, customers and orders from WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce or a custom platform, with SEO redirects and a planned cut-over.
Store operations support
Ongoing technical upkeep: app updates, broken-page fixes, seasonal campaign pages and small feature requests from your marketing team. More on hiring for online stores: E-commerce.
How we find your Shopify developer
- 1
Talk it through
We agree the work, the stack, the hours you share and who the developer reports to. For this role: your plan (standard or Plus), your theme and main apps, and what's in the first month's queue.
- 2
Meet a shortlist and choose
Each developer on the shortlist has passed screening and a test set from your brief, plus background and reference checks. You interview and decide who joins.
- 3
Start with support in place
Your developer gets access to the store, a development theme and the repository, and we stay in contact as the work gets going.
Plus specialists and migration experience can make the search a little longer, because fewer people have done that work well.
How pricing works for a Shopify developer
You can hire a Shopify developer with any of our ways to hire, for ongoing store work or a fixed stretch like a migration. The decision is yours, and the price follows seniority, scope and how you hire. We can compare the options with you whenever you like.
Who approves, who ships
Swipe to see more →
| Task | You | JiveTalent |
|---|---|---|
| Store roadmap and what gets published | Own: you approve every live change | – |
| Theme and app changes, tested on a copy before release | Review the preview | Your developer builds and tests them; we ask at each check-in how the release rhythm is going |
Shopify hiring questions
Will they work in our existing theme, or rebuild it?
In your existing theme by default. If it's holding you back, they'll explain the case for a rebuild, and you decide.
Will they work during our business hours?
The brief sets your developer's hours and the part of your day they share, so releases and reviews happen while your team is around.
Can they build us a whole new store?
A developer on your team can, given time and a clear brief. If you'd prefer the store designed and delivered as a project, Managed Project Delivery does that.
What if it isn't working out?
Speak to your account lead. We sit down with you and your developer, work out what's wrong and agree a way forward.
Do you also hire developers for WooCommerce, Magento or BigCommerce?
Yes. Those are E-commerce Developer roles in our Software Development family. This page is for Shopify specialists.
Can they set up selling in new countries?
Yes. Your developer configures Shopify Markets (currencies, languages, domains, duties and local payment methods) and adjusts the theme for each market. Tax and legal questions stay with your advisors.
Who owns the theme changes and custom apps?
You own all of it. Theme code stays in your store and your Git repository, and custom apps are created under your store's own accounts, so you have nothing to get back if your developer moves on.
How do we see what our Shopify developer is working on?
Their hours are tracked in the client app and reported there for you to see, and each change waits as a theme preview until you approve it.
Related pages
E-commerce DeveloperStores on BigCommerce, Magento and WooCommerce.Frontend DeveloperTurns designs into fast, accessible interfaces.UI/UX DesignerResearch, flows, wireframes and the screens your developers build from.Email Marketing SpecialistFlows, campaigns and list health.Software DevelopmentE-commerce and QA developers.Design & CreativeDesigners for your store's pages and campaigns.Customer Service AgentSupport for your store's customers.All roles
Ready to ship store changes every week?
Book a call. We'll agree the brief for your Shopify developer and set out the ways to hire.