WordPress Technical Lead

This position is open to applicants in the US and Canada.

About Our Company

Kanopi Studios is a Design, Development & Support Agency with a fully distributed team of people who are experts in Drupal & WordPress.

Our clients are mission-driven — and so are we. We design, build, and support websites that help their missions thrive.

We believe the people behind the work matter just as much as the work itself. That's why we're deeply committed to supporting our team's growth, well-being, and success. When our people thrive, our clients do too — and together, we build a web that works better for everyone.

As Kanopi continues to grow, we're excited to welcome a new WordPress Technical Lead (aka Senior Engineer II) to our team.

About the Role

Kanopi Studios is seeking a WordPress Technical Lead (aka Senior Engineer II) to join our collaborative, fun, and fully distributed team. In this leadership role, you'll drive technical execution across client projects, mentor developers, shape architectural decisions, and ensure delivery excellence—all while getting to build alongside a talented team. This position reports to our WordPress Engineering Manager.

As a WordPress Technical Lead, you will combine hands-on development with team leadership and strategic planning. You'll work directly with clients, project managers, and internal stakeholders to understand technical requirements and guide the project team toward successful outcomes. You'll be responsible for estimating, architecting, coding, and mentoring—all while helping uphold Kanopi's high standards of quality, collaboration, and inclusion.

We are looking for candidates who have experience with the following:

- Leading the technical approach on WordPress projects and ensuring development is on track and aligned with client needs.
- Collaborating with UX, design, and PM teams during the discovery and planning phases.
- Building and configuring WordPress sites using modern development practices.
- Developing native Gutenberg blocks using React and building custom themes and plugins.
- Creating HTML templates and patterns optimized for full-site editing.
- Providing architectural guidance and mentoring to team members.
- Writing and reviewing code and technical documentation.
- Leading code peer reviews and encouraging team best practices.
- Meeting directly with clients to clarify requirements and discuss technical challenges and solutions.
- Managing the technical team's workload and offering continuity across phases of the project lifecycle.

About the compensation and work requirements

This is a full-time position. The salary range for this position is $92,050 - $121,825 - the range is broad, but it is commensurate with experience, aligned with current members of our team with similar experience, and may shift a bit depending on your geographic location. This is a 100% remote role, but you must live and be able to work in the US or Canada.

Now, let's talk about you

We're looking for candidates who...

- 8+ years of WordPress experience in a professional setting.
- Comfortable working in support roles and open to doing so.
- Deep expertise with WordPress architecture and custom development (themes, plugins, full-site editing, Gutenberg blocks).
- Proficient in Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), CPTs, taxonomies, and integrating with the REST API.
- Strong understanding of full-site editing (FSE), templates, and block patterns.
- Skilled in JavaScript and React (Next.js a plus), along with solid PHP and SQL experience.
- Familiar with development tools and workflows like CLI, GitHub, Docker, and multi-environment deployment.
- Deep understanding of modern web standards and technologies.
- Strong writing and documentation skills, with experience creating technical specs and process documentation.
- Experience mentoring or leading developers and managing distributed teams.
- Proven ability to manage competing priorities and keep development aligned with timelines and scope.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a collaborative, inclusive approach to problem solving.
- Regularly communicate with your team regarding questions, task estimates, progress, and potential issues.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or equivalent professional experience.

Nice-to-Haves

- Prior experience working in a remote agency environment.
- Familiarity with performance optimization, accessibility, and web standards.

At Kanopi, we know that a diverse team makes us stronger, more creative, and more effective. We enthusiastically welcome applicants of all backgrounds, and we strongly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those from other underrepresented communities to apply.

Ready to apply?

If you think this post was written just for you, here's what to do next:

1. Use the 'Apply for this Job' button located toward the bottom of the page.
2. Fill out all required fields on the Application page.
3. Please upload a resume and cover letter (including your answer to the question below).

About that cover letter… This is VERY important

We'd love to hear what makes you a great fit for this role — and be sure to include your answer to this question: What's your favorite piece of technology, and why?

What to expect after you apply:

We want to make sure we're a great fit — for you and for us Here's what our process generally looks like:

- Application review: We'll take time to carefully review your application.
- Initial questions: If we'd like to learn more, we'll send a short set of questions to get to know you better.
- Interviews: You'll meet with several team members to chat about the role and your experience.
- Code Test: You may be asked to complete a code test to show us how you approach your work.
- Ongoing communication: We aim to follow up with every applicant, but if you haven't heard from us, feel free to reach out — we're happy to connect

We'll explain each step more fully as you move through the process. We're excited to get to know you

Kanopi Studios is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require accommodations at any stage of the application process, please let us know, and we will work with you to meet your needs.

We offer a comprehensive range of health, professional, remote workspace, and other fun benefits for all full time US and Canadian employees. For more information, see the benefits section of our careers page.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by those assigned to this classification. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by those occupying this position. The job description and job functions described herein are subject to possible modification by Kanopi Studios in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

No agencies, recruiters or overseas applicants (for consideration, applicants must live in the US or Canada).

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