Senior WordPress Backend Developer

Job description

### **Who We Are** Teal Media is a full-service creative and design agency with a conscience. We believe purposeful design can transform organizations, inspire action, and enable progress. Our clients and nonprofit partners are committed to creating positive social change—and we pour every ounce of our passion and skill into helping them succeed. We offer a variety of strategic, creative, and technical services, including brand strategy, web design and development, and creative support. We’re a woman-founded and woman-led firm with a team that reflects a broad range of lived experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. At Teal, we value our people above all else and choose to work with partners and clients who share those values. **No recruiters, please.** Teal Media is looking for a Senior WordPress Backend Developer who’s a thoughtful problem-solver and hands-on builder. This role is a client-facing technical lead who partners with designers, frontend developers, and strategists to architect, build, and evolve WordPress and other platforms for our clients. You bring years or decades of backend expertise, take ownership of technical decisions, and enjoy translating complex client needs into reliable, scalable solutions. You’re confident when leading technical work, adaptable as projects evolve, and motivated by supporting mission-driven organizations. ## What success looks like in this role - You translate ambiguous client needs into clear, actionable technical approaches. - You’ve worked at an agency or have other experience juggling multiple competing priorities. - You build trust with clients through clarity, responsiveness, and sound judgment. - You balance ideal technical solutions with real-world constraints (budget, timeline, team capacity). - You take ownership of outcomes, not just assigned tasks. ## What You’ll Do ### Build & Deliver - Lead the architecture and development of custom web projects, primarily using open-source tools, with a strong focus on WordPress backend development (themes, plugins, and systems integrations). - Act as the lead developer on both new builds and ongoing support work, owning technical decisions and translating complex client needs into thoughtful, scalable solutions. - Take pride in building long-term, maintainable solutions. - Identify risks early and propose alternative approaches when needed. ### Collaborate with Purpose - Act as a technical lead in client conversations, clearly explaining complex concepts in accessible terms. - Present tradeoffs and recommendations with confidence, helping clients make informed decisions. - Navigate ambiguity and challenging situations with professionalism and sound judgment. ### Lead & Support the Team - Mentor developers across the team through thoughtful feedback, pairing, and code reviews. - Participate in hiring and evaluation of technical talent as needed. - Model strong communication, collaboration, and accountability within project teams. ### Qualifications: - 10+ years of experience building with WordPress and other PHP tools, including deep expertise in custom themes, plugins, and WordPress architecture - Strong proficiency in PHP and modern backend development practices, including AI-based workflows. - Experience working in an agency or consulting environment, balancing multiple projects and priorities. ### Location Ideal Location: Remote (US) ### Salary The salary range for this role is $115,000 - $135,000, commensurate with experience and location. At Teal, we use transparent salary bands to promote equity and clarity across our team. Final offers are based on a candidate’s skills, experience, and demonstrated expertise within the scope of this role. In addition, Teal offers a comprehensive benefits package, generous PTO, and a flexible, people-first workplace that supports balance and professional growth. ### Application Instructions **Important:** This position requires deep experience with WordPress backend development. In your cover letter, please describe your experience architecting and developing custom WordPress solutions, including themes, plugins, integrations, and content/editorial workflows. We’d also love to hear about a project you’re especially proud of, your specific contributions to it, and how you approached key technical or client challenges along the way. **No recruiters, please.** ### **Equal Opportunity Statement** If your experience doesn’t exactly match the qualifications listed, but you believe you’d thrive in this role, we’d love to hear from you. Please apply and tell us why you’re the right person for the job. We strongly encourage individuals from historically marginalized communities to apply—including Black and Indigenous people, people of color, immigrants, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, and those who have been system-impacted. Teal Media is an equal opportunity employer that values a diverse workforce and inclusive culture. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, disability, and veteran status. We are not offering US visa sponsorship at this time.