Senior Full Stack WordPress Engineer/Developer

The Senior Full Stack WordPress Engineer/Developer is a subject matter expert in PHP and WordPress development with impeccable attention to detail, and uses AI coding agents as a core part of how they build, test, and ship software.

You will be in a lead role gathering project requirements, helping define the technical vision of the projects you contribute to, and making sure the code delivered is of high quality. In practice this means estimating effort, defining technical solutions, directing both human and AI contributors, and leading the efficient delivery of well-tested code, with excellent verbal and written communication, all while adhering to company values, Agile methodologies, coding best practices, and established organizational processes.

Rehab Media Group runs a portfolio of more than 100 websites and web applications: WordPress sites, Next.js platforms and applications, static and PHP sites, and automation built on tools such as n8n. The role is responsible for the health of the whole portfolio, but that does not mean building on all of it at once. Active development happens on a few properties at a time, while the rest are maintained and kept stable, secure, and up to date. A large part of the role is hands-on: learning how each property works, documenting it, and continuously improving the processes around it. The role calls for deep subject matter expertise in these technologies, together with the ability to use AI tools efficiently and effectively to get high-quality work done.

Responsibilities
● Hands-on development of both proofs-of-concept and production-ready code.
● Take web application projects from concept or mock-ups (including Figma) to completion.
● Own tickets end to end: scope, estimate, build, QA on staging, release, and verification in production.
● Maintain the full portfolio of websites and applications, and make code and content updates on an ongoing basis, with focused development on a few properties at a time.
● Monitor all properties (WordPress, Next.js, static, and PHP) and ensure maximum uptime, performance, and security.
● Troubleshoot and solve complex technical problems, including performance, caching (object cache, page cache, CDN), and search (Elasticsearch) issues.
● Enforce coding best practices and testing requirements, including the WordPress Coding Standards.
● Write and review unit, integration, and browser regression tests.
● Review pull requests from teammates and from AI agents with the same rigor.
● Use AI coding tools (for example Claude Code) efficiently and effectively to plan, build, test, and document work, and maintain the project context, skills, and scripts that make them productive.
● Apply clear guardrails and verification to AI-assisted work: every change goes through a Git branch and pull request, is tested locally and on staging, and is confirmed in production.
● Estimate effort for user stories and tasks, and follow Agile Scrum practices.
● Liaise with other departments (SEO, content, sales, operations) and initiate projects at the direction of the CTO/CEO.
● Document properties, servers, and processes (runbooks, work logs, handoff notes), and keep that documentation current so any teammate or agent can pick up the work.
● Continuously improve development, deployment, and maintenance processes across the portfolio.
● Be available during established work hours and for production emergencies.
● Stay current with new technologies, especially AI development tooling, and adapt to requirements and assignments as needed.
● Lead, mentor, and support other Web Developers, including coaching them on effective and safe use of AI coding tools.

Skills and Qualifications
● BS/MS in Computer Science or an equivalent technical degree and 5+ years of experience, or proven, demonstrable experience in web development.
● Ability to self-start, self-manage, and prioritize work.
● Deep knowledge of the WordPress platform: Gutenberg, the REST API, WP-CLI, custom post types and taxonomies, hooks, and Advanced Custom Fields (ACF).
● Experience building WordPress themes, plugins, and sites from scratch with minimal direction.
● Comfort working across a mixed stack (WordPress, Next.js, static, and PHP sites) and picking up an unfamiliar codebase quickly.
● Advanced proficiency with PHP, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, Sass, MySQL, and Git/GitHub.
● Demonstrated experience shipping production code with AI coding agents (for example Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex), and sound judgment about where they help and where they do not.
● Strong API and integration design skills.
● Experience connecting AI tools to team systems through APIs and MCP servers, and building LLM-powered features and internal tools.
● Strong knowledge of Linux servers and web server technology: Nginx, Apache, PHP-FPM, Docker, cPanel/WHM, and MySQL, and comfort working over SSH on the command line.
● Experience with CI/CD (GitHub Actions), staging environments, and safe release and rollback practices.
● Experience debugging performance and caching issues (Redis/object cache, page cache, CDN).
● Security mindset: output escaping, input sanitization, least-privilege access, and careful handling of secrets.
● Solid understanding of cross-browser compatibility, responsive design, accessibility, and web standards.
● Excellent debugging and troubleshooting skills.
● Clear and concise verbal and written communication skills, including precise written instructions for both people and agents.
● Ability to work autonomously and lead a team.
● Great attitude and sense of humor.

Nice to Have
● Node.js, React, Next.js, and TypeScript.
● Workflow automation with n8n or similar tools.
● Elasticsearch / ElasticPress.
● Google Cloud Platform, AWS (ECS/Fargate), Terraform, and Supabase/Postgres.
● Playwright or similar browser automation.
● Technical SEO, structured data, GA4, and Google Search Console.