Senior WordPress Developer (Full Stack)

Job Description

Senior WordPress Developer (Full Stack)

Location: Cheshire, CT (In-Person / 4 Days per Week) -- Not Remote

Rebellion Group is looking for a Senior WordPress Developer who treats CMS development as a high-level engineering discipline. You won't just be "installing plugins"—you will be architecting custom, high-traffic solutions, building bespoke Gutenberg blocks, and ensuring our sites are the fastest and most secure on the web. We need a technical leader who understands the "WordPress Way" but brings modern software engineering practices (Version Control, CI/CD, Component-based CSS) to the table.

Agency experience is a plus; this is a semi-hybrid work schedule, requiring at least 4 days per week in the Cheshire office, one of those days being Wednesday.

Core WordPress & Technical Focus:

• Expert PHP & WordPress: Deep knowledge of the WordPress hook system, REST API, custom post types, and database optimization.
• Modern Front-End: Mastery of React (specifically for custom Gutenberg block development) and modern CSS (Tailwind or SCSS).
• The "Engineered" Approach: Experience with professional WordPress workflows (e.g., Roots/Sage, Bedrock, or custom Timber/Twig setups) rather than "off-the-shelf" page builders.
• Performance Mastery: Proven ability to hit 90+ Core Web Vitals scores on complex builds.
• Database Systems: Strong command of both relational and non-relational databases:
  • SQL Databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL): Advanced querying, optimization, and database design (schemas, indexing, normalization).
  • NoSQL Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Redis): Understanding when to use them, data modeling, and performance tuning.

Additional Bonus Technical Expertise:

• API Development: Mastery of designing and building efficient, secure APIs:
  • RESTful APIs: Design principles, best practices, and versioning.
• Version Control: Complete mastery of Git and platforms like GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket.
• Cloud Platforms: Familiarity with major cloud service providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and core services like compute, storage, and networking.
• Hosting Infrastructure support: WPEngine, DigitalOcean, Netlify - familiar with many hosting methodologies, shared, virtual, baremetal, etc, & website host migrations
• CMS: Concrete CMS, Shopify and familiarity with various other CMS solutions such as Decap, Craft, BigCommerce, Drupal
• Static Sites: Experience with static site generators such as Eleventy or Jekyll

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Architecture: Decide when to go Headless (Next.js), when to stay monolithic, and how to structure complex data via ACF or Custom Tables.
• Security & Stability: Audit code for OWASP vulnerabilities and manage secure deployments via WPEngine or DigitalOcean.
• Mentorship: Lead code reviews for the dev team, emphasizing DRY principles and WordPress coding standards.
• Client Consultation: Act as the technical voice in discovery meetings, translating business needs into technical requirements.

Qualifications:

• Profile: 8+ years of professional web development experience, with at least 5 years focused on high-end WordPress environments.
• The Stack: PHP (8.x), JavaScript (ES6+), MySQL, and Git.
• The Environment: Comfortable with SSH, WP-CLI, and managing hosting environments (WPEngine, Forge, etc.).
• Bonus Skills: Node.js, or Containerization (Docker), Kubernetes, GraphQL, Security Best Practices: Knowledge of common vulnerabilities and mitigation techniques (OWASP Top 10) secure header configuration, and content security policies (CSP).

Preferred Soft Skills:

• A passion for continuous learning and staying current with emerging web technologies and industry trends including coding with AI
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Consultation Meetings - Client and Internal
  • Support the creation of detailed technical and user documentation
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a proven track record of resolving critical issues.
• Proven leadership and technical oversight experience .
  • Work with other Rebels and clients to identify business requirements and draft project definitions, technical specifications and the appropriate architecture
  • Perform to high quality standards while understanding the importance of meeting client delivery deadlines and budgets
  • Best Practices & Shortcuts when necessary and team professional development, coaching, mentorship
  • Code Review and PRs

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Rebellion Group, we celebrate difference. We don’t just accept it — we want it. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment for all Rebels.