Lead Engineer (BEE/FEE)

This is a remote position within the United States

Reports to: Director of Engineering

A lead engineer at WebDevStudios is more than just a technical authority; they are the bridge between a client’s vision, the PM’s schedule, and the project team’s execution. 

It’s so much more than shipping high-quality code on time; the real impact of a successful team lead lies in their ability to navigate the ‘grey areas’ between a client’s ambitions and technical reality. This person should be able to mentor engineers, own the technical roadmap of a project, and safeguard the long-term health and success of a project.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• End-to-End Ownership: Provide technical direction throughout the project lifecycle, from environment setup and version control to production deployments and final launch execution.
• Performance & Quality: Lead the code review process to ensure all contributions strictly adhere to WDS Coding Standards and WordPress best practices for security and maintainability.
• Problem Solving: Serve as the primary escalation point for Frontend and Backend Engineers to triage and troubleshoot complex bugs and technical blockers.

Team Mentorship & Growth

• Engineering Culture: Drive best practices and maintain team morale, ensuring a healthy and productive environment for the engineering team.
• People Development: Supervise and mentor engineers, lead the onboarding process for new team members, and foster a culture of continuous learning and open-source contribution.
• Internal Communication: Maintain clear, proactive, and effective communication with all team members, including PMs, Strategists, Designers, other engineers, and managers, to support the overall success of projects and the company.
• Resource Flexibility: Fill critical engineering gaps when necessary, stepping in to handle high-priority tasks or providing coverage during team absences to maintain project momentum.

Strategic Project Management

• PM Partnership: Work closely with Project Managers to review task tickets, manage timelines, and ensure all documented deliverables are met on schedule. Ensure that engineering efforts align with project milestones and client goals.
• Consultative Sales Support: Collaborate with the Sales department and strategists on technical requirements and project estimates to ensure realistic and profitable project scopes.
• Client Communication: Serve as the lead technical liaison in client communications, emphasizing clear and effective communication as the foundation for successful project outcomes. Translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights to build stakeholder trust and confidence and ensure alignment across all parties.

Operational Excellence

• Standard Setting: Assist the Director of Engineering with internal initiatives to audit, refine, and enact development standards and internal policies.
• Efficiency & Reporting: Maintain productivity and accurate time tracking. Ensure time estimates allow engineers to do the same.

Qualifications

Technical Qualifications

• Extensive professional experience building complex, large-scale WordPress applications. This includes custom theme and plugin development from scratch, not just "assembling" sites.
• The Modern Stack: Deep proficiency in PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (both vanilla and modern frameworks like React).
• Block Development: Intimate familiarity with Full Site Editing and “The WordPress Way” of building websites.
• Architectural Fluency: Ability to design database schemas, map out API integrations, and select the right tech stack for specific project goals.
• Infrastructure & DevOps: Experience with Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and managing environments on enterprise WordPress hosts like WP Engine, VIP, or Pantheon.
• AI/LLM Experience: Someone who can utilize AI not just as a tool in their toolkit, but as an extension of human expertise, knowledge, and skill.

Leadership Qualifications

• Lead Experience: At least 3-5+ years of experience leading project teams at scale.
• Mentorship Background: Experience leading code reviews and providing constructive, actionable feedback to mid-level and junior developers.
• Client-Facing Skills: Ability to sit with a client and confidently explain technical trade-offs, timelines, and strategy without using alienating jargon.
• Process Mindset: A history of not just following workflows, but creating them. You should have experience writing documentation, coding standards, or deployment checklists.

Execution and Delivery

• Agency Agility: You thrive in fast-paced environments, successfully managing multiple project deadlines and maintaining a high standard of productivity.
• Precision & Accountability: You value accurate time-tracking and active participation in department scrums to keep internal initiatives moving forward.
• Triage and Troubleshooting: Demonstrated skill in quickly diagnosing and resolving bugs in both frontend and backend systems, especially in high-pressure situations.

Extra Credit

• Open Source Contributions: A public GitHub profile or a history of contributing to WordPress Core or popular plugins.
• Lifelong Learner: A commitment to continuous growth, demonstrated by a proactive interest in developing your own skills and contributing to the wider WordPress community through attending, volunteering, or speaking at WordPress Meetups or conferences.
• Specialized Knowledge: Experience with new WordPress features (Interactivity API), WooCommerce at scale, AI and WordPress, or high-security government/enterprise requirements.

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