Job VC
Senior WordPress Developer (PHP)
Technologies
Description
About Respona
Respona is a done-for-you service that helps brands increase their visibility in AI answers and improve their Google rankings by earning authoritative brand mentions and backlinks from top-tier publications. We sit at the intersection of two of the most important shifts in marketing right now: the rise of AI search and the enduring importance of authority in Google. We deliver results without our customers lifting a finger.
The Role
We're hiring a
Senior WordPress Developer
on a part-time, hourly basis to help us extend and maintain the custom WordPress stack that powers respona.com.
This is not a "fix my WordPress site" gig. Our site runs on a custom theme (
Respona 2.0
) and a custom OOP-based plugin (
Respona Core
) that we built ourselves. It's an organized, modern codebase with proper class architecture, custom post types, custom shortcodes, REST API endpoints, Webpack-based asset builds, and Cloudflare-aware caching. We want a senior developer who appreciates that and can work inside it like a craftsperson, not bolt on twelve plugins and call it a day.
We care a lot about code quality, performance, and long-term maintainability, so we're looking for a developer who shares that mindset and wants an ongoing engagement.
What You'll Own
Theme and plugin development
Build new features inside the Respona Core plugin using the existing OOP architecture (Element, Hook, Shortcode, CPT, REST, and Ajax classes)
Develop and maintain custom page templates in the Respona 2.0 theme (Homepage, Pricing, Tools, Integrations, Glossary, Use Case, and more)
Build custom shortcodes, hooks, and elements following the existing modular structure under /shortcodes, /hooks, and /elements
Custom post types and content models
Extend our custom post types (Elements, Templates, Integrations, Glossary) and their associated taxonomies as new content needs emerge
Work closely with ACF Pro to give the team flexible, structured ways to manage page content
Performance and infrastructure
Maintain and improve our Webpack-based asset pipeline (CSS/JS minification and bundling per page template)
Keep caching layers healthy across LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare, and Cloudflare APO
Optimize page load performance, Core Web Vitals, and rendering of our custom Bootstrap-based frontend
Modernization and code health
Help us continue migrating legacy patterns from Respona 1.0 into the cleaner Respona 2.0 architecture
Refactor older code where it makes sense (for example, modernizing AJAX endpoints into REST API routes for consistency)
Keep dependencies, security, and best practices up to date
REST API and integrations
Maintain and extend our custom REST endpoints under the respona/v1/ namespace (Turnstile validation, MailChimp subscription, lead submission, Backlink Checker, Email Verifier, Email Finder)
Implement new endpoints with proper permission checks, parameter validation, and clean JSON responses
Who You Are
Senior WordPress developer.
You have 5+ years of professional WordPress development experience and you've built real custom themes and plugins, not just configured them
Strong PHP and OOP fundamentals.
You're comfortable working inside class-based architectures, you understand abstraction, and you write code that other developers can read and extend
Deep WordPress internals knowledge.
Hooks, filters, custom post types, taxonomies, REST API, transients, the template hierarchy, and Gutenberg are second nature to you
Modern frontend tooling.
You're comfortable with Webpack-based asset pipelines, Bootstrap, and writing maintainable CSS and JS
Performance-minded.
You think in terms of Core Web Vitals, caching strategy, asset loading, and render performance, and you've shipped sites that score well in production
Quality-obsessed.
You sweat the details, you write clean code, and you'd rather slow down to do it right than ship something fragile
Comfortable working independently.
You're hourly and part-time, which means you can scope your own work, manage your time, and ship without needing to be managed
Bonus Points
Experience with ACF Pro, Yoast SEO Premium, LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare APO, and Smush Pro
Custom Gutenberg block development
Experience migrating legacy WordPress codebases into cleaner modern architectures
Familiarity with custom Bootstrap builds and design system work
Experience integrating WordPress with third-party APIs (MailChimp, Cloudflare Turnstile, custom services)
Background working on high-traffic content sites where SEO and performance matter
Why Join Us
Work on a real, well-organized codebase, not a wild plugin zoo
Profitable, founder-led, and growing. No growth-at-all-costs theater
Flexible hours, fully remote, and a long-term ongoing engagement (not a one-off project)
Competitive hourly rate based on experience
Direct collaboration with a small, sharp team that respects developer craft
Respona is a done-for-you service that helps brands increase their visibility in AI answers and improve their Google rankings by earning authoritative brand mentions and backlinks from top-tier publications. We sit at the intersection of two of the most important shifts in marketing right now: the rise of AI search and the enduring importance of authority in Google. We deliver results without our customers lifting a finger.
The Role
We're hiring a
Senior WordPress Developer
on a part-time, hourly basis to help us extend and maintain the custom WordPress stack that powers respona.com.
This is not a "fix my WordPress site" gig. Our site runs on a custom theme (
Respona 2.0
) and a custom OOP-based plugin (
Respona Core
) that we built ourselves. It's an organized, modern codebase with proper class architecture, custom post types, custom shortcodes, REST API endpoints, Webpack-based asset builds, and Cloudflare-aware caching. We want a senior developer who appreciates that and can work inside it like a craftsperson, not bolt on twelve plugins and call it a day.
We care a lot about code quality, performance, and long-term maintainability, so we're looking for a developer who shares that mindset and wants an ongoing engagement.
What You'll Own
Theme and plugin development
Build new features inside the Respona Core plugin using the existing OOP architecture (Element, Hook, Shortcode, CPT, REST, and Ajax classes)
Develop and maintain custom page templates in the Respona 2.0 theme (Homepage, Pricing, Tools, Integrations, Glossary, Use Case, and more)
Build custom shortcodes, hooks, and elements following the existing modular structure under /shortcodes, /hooks, and /elements
Custom post types and content models
Extend our custom post types (Elements, Templates, Integrations, Glossary) and their associated taxonomies as new content needs emerge
Work closely with ACF Pro to give the team flexible, structured ways to manage page content
Performance and infrastructure
Maintain and improve our Webpack-based asset pipeline (CSS/JS minification and bundling per page template)
Keep caching layers healthy across LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare, and Cloudflare APO
Optimize page load performance, Core Web Vitals, and rendering of our custom Bootstrap-based frontend
Modernization and code health
Help us continue migrating legacy patterns from Respona 1.0 into the cleaner Respona 2.0 architecture
Refactor older code where it makes sense (for example, modernizing AJAX endpoints into REST API routes for consistency)
Keep dependencies, security, and best practices up to date
REST API and integrations
Maintain and extend our custom REST endpoints under the respona/v1/ namespace (Turnstile validation, MailChimp subscription, lead submission, Backlink Checker, Email Verifier, Email Finder)
Implement new endpoints with proper permission checks, parameter validation, and clean JSON responses
Who You Are
Senior WordPress developer.
You have 5+ years of professional WordPress development experience and you've built real custom themes and plugins, not just configured them
Strong PHP and OOP fundamentals.
You're comfortable working inside class-based architectures, you understand abstraction, and you write code that other developers can read and extend
Deep WordPress internals knowledge.
Hooks, filters, custom post types, taxonomies, REST API, transients, the template hierarchy, and Gutenberg are second nature to you
Modern frontend tooling.
You're comfortable with Webpack-based asset pipelines, Bootstrap, and writing maintainable CSS and JS
Performance-minded.
You think in terms of Core Web Vitals, caching strategy, asset loading, and render performance, and you've shipped sites that score well in production
Quality-obsessed.
You sweat the details, you write clean code, and you'd rather slow down to do it right than ship something fragile
Comfortable working independently.
You're hourly and part-time, which means you can scope your own work, manage your time, and ship without needing to be managed
Bonus Points
Experience with ACF Pro, Yoast SEO Premium, LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare APO, and Smush Pro
Custom Gutenberg block development
Experience migrating legacy WordPress codebases into cleaner modern architectures
Familiarity with custom Bootstrap builds and design system work
Experience integrating WordPress with third-party APIs (MailChimp, Cloudflare Turnstile, custom services)
Background working on high-traffic content sites where SEO and performance matter
Why Join Us
Work on a real, well-organized codebase, not a wild plugin zoo
Profitable, founder-led, and growing. No growth-at-all-costs theater
Flexible hours, fully remote, and a long-term ongoing engagement (not a one-off project)
Competitive hourly rate based on experience
Direct collaboration with a small, sharp team that respects developer craft