Senior Software Engineer I (WordPress)

About us: TMB (Trusted Media Brands) is the world's leading community-driven entertainment company. Our portfolio of leading brands that includes FailArmy , Family Handyman , People Are Awesome , Reader’s Digest , Taste of Home , The Healthy , The Pet Collective , and Birds and Blooms , is powered by content that’s inspired and created by our fans. Engaging more than 200 million consumers worldwide, our content — available across streaming TV, social media, web, and print — sparks curiosity, fuels laughter, and inspires people to live big, full, fantastic lives. Learn more about our brands, our data-driven marketing solutions, our award-winning licensing services, and much more at www.tmbi.com . Location : Gurgaon, India- Remote Reports To : Manager, Engineering Job Overview: We are seeking an experienced Senior Software Engineer I to join our dynamic engineering team, responsible for the development and support of high-traffic WordPress content websites in the publishing industry. These websites are critical revenue generators, primarily through advertising, making SEO optimization and Core Web Vitals performance paramount. The ideal candidate is a highly skilled PHP developer with a deep understanding of WordPress, CI/CD pipelines, and best practices in software engineering. Key Responsibilities: Website Development & Maintenance : Design, develop, and maintain high-performance WordPress websites that handle significant traffic volumes. Optimize websites for SEO and Core Web Vitals to ensure optimal user experience and ad revenue generation. Hands-on experience using AI-assisted software development tools such as Claude, GitHub Copilot, or similar AI coding assistants for code generation, debugging, code reviews, documentation, and improving developer productivity. The candidate should be proficient in leveraging AI tools responsibly to accelerate software development while maintaining high standards of code quality, security, and maintainability. Collaboration & Communication: Work closely with product owners, project managers, designers, manual QA, and automated QA teams to deliver high-quality features on time. Participate in regular team meetings, providing technical insights and contributing to project planning. Best Practices & Standards : Uphold the highest standards of code quality through unit testing, code reviews, and adherence to industry best practices. Tools & Technologies : Utilize tools like Jira, Confluence, CodeCeption, Postman, and GitLab for project management, documentation, testing, and code deployment. Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, particularly those related to WordPress, PHP, and web performance optimization. Problem Solving & Innovation : Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues in a timely and effective manner. Drive continuous improvement in development processes, including automation of testing and deployment. Qualifications: Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 7 - 9 years of experience in PHP development, with a strong focus on WordPress. Proven experience working on high-traffic websites, with a deep understanding of web performance optimization, SEO, and Core Web Vitals. Technical Skills: Backend Proficiency in Core PHP (OOP + procedural) with modern practices. WordPress, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and MySQL. Must possess in-depth knowledge of WordPress core concepts, including themes, plugins, hooks (actions and filters), and custom development best practices. Understanding of REST API and WP REST API customization. Experience in database architecture: MySQL, complex queries, optimizations. Must have experience with the Test-Driven Development (TDD) approach, including writing test cases using PHPUnit, Codeception, and Jest. Secure coding practices to avoid XSS, CSRF, SQL injection. Frontend 1. Strong UI and UX concepts 2. Strong HTML5, CSS3, and SASS/SCSS knowledge. 3. JavaScript (ES6+) and React.js (especially for Gutenberg blocks). 4. Familiarity with AJAX, jQuery, TailwindCSS, or other frameworks. 5. Page speed optimization, Core Web Vitals, and SEO best practices. 6. Experience with Git, GitLab and CI/CD pipelines. Good to have (Server & Infra) 1. Familiarity with CI/CD tools and automated testing pipelines. 2. Experience with WP-CLI, composer, and Git-based workflows. 3. Familiarity with Docker, Nginx, Google cloud 4. Experience integrating with CDNs, object caching (Redis, Memcached), and caching plugins. 5. Understanding of the ad-tech ecosystem and experience optimizing websites for ad revenue. Soft Skills: Work at least 4 hours overlap with US, i.e. until ~9pm IST Excellent problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to challenges. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. A commitment to teamwork, with a focus on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mentoring junior engineers. Our Benefits: We value our people and offer a collaborative and engaging culture. As a Trusted Media Brands employee, you will enjoy work/life balance, generous time off and comprehensive benefits and programs. India specific benefits Comprehensive Time Off policies Maternity and Paternity Time off Health Insurance & Wellness Benefits including access to OPD consultations*, Gym/Yoga studios, Teleconsultation/Telemedicine* Access to Mental Health Reimbursement Annual Sport reimbursement and Home office reimbursement Trusted Media Brands embraces inclusivity and values our diverse community. We are committed to building a team based on qualifications, merit and business need. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. This role is offered by TMB through Jukin Media India Private Limited.