Lead Web Developer (WordPress, WooCommerce, Backend Focus)

Job Description

Location: Remote (Worldwide)
Company: Pangolia

About Pangolia

Pangolia is one of the fastest-growing pet companies, on a mission to become the biggest and most helpful pet company in the world. Our largest sites, Catster.com, Dogster.com, Hepper.com, and PangoVet.com, attract over 36 million pet lovers annually. As we experience rapid growth, we are looking for a Lead Web Developer to join our fully remote team.

We are a 100% remote company, allowing you to work from anywhere, with the freedom to set your own schedule. This is a full-time position (40 hours/week) where you’ll have ownership over your workstream and the opportunity to make a direct impact on the lives of millions of pet lovers.

Key Responsibilities

• Backend Development: Work primarily on backend coding, optimizing the performance and security of our WordPress websites.
• Manage and Develop: Maintain and build new features for our WordPress-based sites, including Hepper’s WooCommerce e-commerce platform.
• Team Leadership: After 3-4 months, hire, manage, and lead a team of 1-2 developers. Provide code reviews and mentorship.
• Performance Optimization: Work towards making our websites the fastest loading in the industry, with fewer display ads than competitors.
• Collaboration: Work closely with other teams (content, design, marketing) to resolve bugs, implement new features, and improve site functionality.
• Security & Maintenance: Regularly update and secure our WordPress sites from hackers and malware. Perform scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance.

Skills and Experience

• Backend Focus: Strong experience in PHP, MySQL, WordPress development (themes, plugins, hooks, filters, and the API).
• Frontend Experience: Familiarity with HTML, CSS, JavaScript/jQuery, and responsive design.
• Technical Tools: Experience with build tools like Webpack or ViteJS, and managing dependencies using Composer.
• Version Control: Experience using Git (and GitHub) for code management.
• Troubleshooting: Ability to resolve CSS/JavaScript conflicts and track down issues in theme/plugin codebases.
• E-commerce: Experience with WooCommerce or similar platforms for e-commerce.
• Self-Driven: Capable of taking ownership of projects and delivering high-quality code within deadlines.
• Strong Communication Skills: Must be able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical teams. (Most communication is via Slack, with occasional calls).

Who We’re Looking For

• Dependable Communicator: You’re a clear communicator, and you enjoy working with a diverse, international team.
• Problem-Solver: You enjoy solving complex challenges and delivering clean, elegant solutions.
• Self-Starter: You’re proactive, always taking the initiative and seeing projects through to completion.
• Curious & Eager to Learn: You are passionate about modern web practices and are excited to learn and grow with new technologies.
• Team Player: You enjoy working collaboratively but can work independently with little supervision.
• Leadership Potential: Excited about managing and guiding a team of developers in the future.

Big Projects Ahead

• Site Speed Optimization: Make our websites the fastest loading in the industry.
• E-commerce Experience: Revamp and optimize Hepper’s e-commerce pages and checkout.
• Backlog Management: Address the current backlog of tasks and catch up on overdue development.
• Team Expansion: Hire and manage 1-2 developers within the next 3-4 months.

Benefits

• Remote Work: Work from anywhere, with a flexible schedule.
• Company Retreats: Paid retreats (we just went to Phuket, Thailand).
• Paid Time Off: 21 days of paid leave per year.
• Competitive Pay: Paid bi-weekly.
• Co-Working Space: Monthly allowance for co-working space membership or day passes.
• Growth Opportunities: Fast-paced, high-growth environment with opportunities to move up and earn higher pay/bonuses.
• Collaborative Culture: Work with talented individuals across the globe in a supportive, open culture.