Lead WordPress Developer – Remote / Worldwide

Filled
March 2, 2026
Apply Now

Job Description

Company: Pangolia (Fast-Growing Pet Company)
Location: 100% Remote
Employment Type: Full-Time (40 hours/week)

About Pangolia

Pangolia is one of the fastest-growing pet companies, operating media sites like Catster.com, Dogster.com, Hepper.com, and PangoVet.com, reaching over 36 million pet lovers annually. We also run our own e-commerce brand, Hepper, on WooCommerce. Our mission is to create the biggest, most helpful pet company in the world.

We are fully remote, with a diverse team of 80+ professionals worldwide, and we value autonomy, collaboration, and accountability.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Lead WordPress Developer to maintain, optimize, and build new features across our media and e-commerce sites. While this is a fullstack role, the primary focus is backend development. You will own projects, manage critical infrastructure, and eventually hire and mentor 1–2 developers in your team.

This role is perfect for someone who enjoys problem-solving, building scalable solutions, and working in a high-growth, autonomous environment.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead backend development and maintenance of WordPress/WooCommerce sites.
  • Develop new features and tools (e.g., interactive calculators, analytics dashboards).
  • Optimize site performance, speed, and security across desktop and mobile.
  • Manage plugins, themes, hooks, filters, and custom APIs.
  • Perform scheduled and emergency maintenance, updates, and security audits.
  • Collaborate with content, marketing, and design teams for seamless workflows.
  • Document development processes, QA procedures, and code changes.
  • Proactively address technical debt and prevent risks (hacks, malware, downtime).
  • Conduct code reviews and mentor junior developers.
  • Participate in strategic planning for site architecture and new projects.

Required Skills & Experience

  • Strong PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript/jQuery skills.
  • Extensive WordPress development experience (themes, plugins, hooks, filters, plugin API).
  • Familiarity with build tools like Webpack or ViteJS.
  • Experience with Composer and dependency management.
  • Comfortable with SSH, Git/GitHub, and terminal usage.
  • Ability to troubleshoot conflicts across CSS, JS, plugins, and themes.
  • Experience delivering projects independently, meeting deadlines consistently.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication for remote collaboration.

Preferred Traits

  • Dependable, proactive, and solution-oriented mindset.
  • Passion for clean, maintainable, and well-documented code.
  • Curiosity and willingness to learn modern WordPress practices.
  • Ability to juggle multiple projects and adapt to fast-paced priorities.

Big Projects You’ll Work On

  • Make our websites fastest-loading among competitors.
  • Revamp Hepper.com e-commerce experience (checkout, product listings, analytics).
  • Clear backlog and optimize workflow for ongoing tasks.
  • Lead hiring, mentoring, and code review for new web developers.

Benefits & Perks

  • 100% remote – work from anywhere globally.
  • Flexible work hours and autonomy over schedule.
  • Biweekly pay with fair hourly compensation.
  • Paid company retreats and co-working space reimbursement.
  • 21 days PTO annually.
  • Work with a highly talented team in a fast-growth environment.

Workflow & Culture

  • Weekly one-on-one Zoom meetings with leadership.
  • Direct collaboration with CEO and cross-functional teams.
  • Freedom to own projects, make decisions, and implement solutions.
  • Emphasis on communication, accountability, and collaboration.