Contract Senior WordPress Developer

The Contract Senior WordPress Developer collaborates closely with 829 Studios’ client services, design, and project teams to architect, build, and maintain high-quality WordPress websites for diverse clients. This senior role requires deep WordPress expertise combined with strategic consultation and cross-disciplinary collaboration to deliver performant, accessible, and visually refined digital experiences.

You will translate strategy and design into scalable, maintainable WordPress implementations. Key responsibilities include custom theme and plugin development, content architecture, and performance optimization, ensuring every WordPress build meets technical and business objectives.

What You'll Do:

WordPress Development & Implementation

• Build, configure, and maintain WordPress sites utilizing modern best practices for custom themes, plugins, and content architecture.
• Develop custom WordPress themes that accurately translate design specifications, delivering responsive and accessible experiences across all devices.
• Build and maintain custom plugins, blocks (ACF & Gutenberg), post types, taxonomies, and editorial workflows tailored to client requirements.
• Implement and maintain block-based editing experiences (both ACF and native Gutenberg) to empower content teams while maintaining design consistency.
• Manage site migrations, rebuilds, and deployments, ensuring preservation of performance, SEO, and content integrity.
• Maintain WordPress core, themes, and plugins with a strong focus on security, stability, and long-term maintainability.

Performance, Accessibility & Integrations

• Optimize WordPress sites for speed, scalability, and reliability across various traffic patterns and hosting environments.
• Ensure sites meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.x AA), integrating accessibility into both front-end development and editorial experiences.
• Integrate WordPress with third-party services and APIs, including CRMs, marketing platforms, analytics, and form systems.
• Debug and resolve front-end and backend issues using a methodical approach and clear communication.

Collaboration & Technical Leadership

• Collaborate with Account Managers, Project Managers, Designers, and Engineers to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Participate in technical planning, estimation, and documentation during discovery and delivery phases.
• Provide guidance on WordPress architecture, development standards, and best practices.
• Support smooth deployments and releases by collaborating with hosting and DevOps stakeholders.
• Act as a senior technical voice on WordPress projects, ensuring quality, consistency, and long-term success.

What You'll Bring:

• 8–10+ years of professional web development experience, with significant hands-on WordPress expertise.
• Proven experience building and maintaining custom WordPress websites using custom themes and plugins.
• Strong proficiency in PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Deep understanding of WordPress core concepts, including the block editor (ACF & Gutenberg), theme architecture, and plugin development.
• Experience building flexible content models using custom post types, taxonomies, and block patterns.
• Familiarity with modern front-end tooling and CSS frameworks.
• Strong understanding of performance optimization techniques for WordPress.
• Working knowledge of accessibility standards and best practices.
• Experience integrating WordPress with REST APIs and third-party platforms.
• Ability to translate design files (Figma, Adobe, etc.) into pixel-accurate, responsive implementations.
• Comfort performing basic DevOps and hosting-level tasks (e.g., debugging caching issues, reviewing logs, importing databases).
• Strong attention to detail, excellent problem-solving skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects concurrently.
• Experience with headless or decoupled WordPress architectures is a plus.