A dedicated Shopify developer is an assigned, senior-level Shopify engineer assigned exclusively to your account on an ongoing basis. Unlike project-based developers, a dedicated developer works as part of your team: participating in standups, managing your backlog, and building continuity with your codebase. IWD's dedicated developers are US-based, certified, and agency-tested before placement. See also hire Shopify developers for all engagement options.

A dedicated developer from IWD provides employee-like availability without direct employment overhead: no HR, no benefits management, no severance risk, no ramp time on platform knowledge. They start within 5 business days, already certified and project-ready. When you no longer need them, you adjust the engagement. No employment exit process required.

Yes. We can place multiple dedicated developers simultaneously: a frontend developer, a backend developer, and an integration specialist as a coordinated unit. IWD's project management team can manage the team structure, sprint coordination, and code review process. Full development team placement for enterprise Shopify Plus brands with complex roadmaps.

Dedicated Shopify developer placement happens within 5 business days of signed agreement. This includes developer matching, NDA and IP documentation, communication setup, and initial store briefing. The developer is contributing to your codebase in week one. No 3-month hiring pipeline.

You own all code written by dedicated IWD developers. We sign work-for-hire agreements and IP assignment documentation before engagement start. No licensing restrictions, no code escrow. All themes, apps, integrations, and scripts built during the engagement are your intellectual property.

We replace the developer. If a placement is not meeting technical expectations, communication standards, or project requirements, we identify the issue and make a change. Developer-client fit is evaluated regularly through monthly reviews. We do not hold clients in underperforming engagements.

Yes. Dedicated developers can handle a mix of development and support work. This is often the most cost-effective model: one dedicated engineer handles new feature development, bug fixes, performance optimization, and content updates. This combined model aligns with our Shopify support services offering.

Yes. We place dedicated Shopify Hydrogen developers for brands building headless Shopify storefronts. Hydrogen expertise includes React, server-side rendering, Shopify GraphQL Storefront API, and performance optimization for Core Web Vitals. See our headless commerce development practice.

Minimum dedicated developer engagements are typically 3 months to ensure meaningful continuity and codebase familiarity. Month-to-month arrangements are available after the initial term. Longer commitments provide better developer retention and deeper institutional knowledge of your platform.

Yes. Our dedicated developers work in your preferred tools: Jira, Linear, Asana, Trello, GitHub, GitLab, or any project management and version control system you use. We adapt to your workflow, not the other way around. Direct tool access is configured during onboarding.