Senior WordPress Engineer – Headless

JR United Kingdom; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital media group seeks a Senior WordPress Engineer focused on headless development. You will build scalable, high-traffic sites with modern architectures, ensuring optimal performance and security. This hybrid role offers flexibility with occasional office visits, supporting a dynamic team across the UK.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in headless WordPress development, enterprise experience preferred.
• Deep PHP knowledge (7/8) and understanding of WordPress core.
• Experience with REST APIs, WPGraphQL, ACF, CPTs, and secure API handling.

Responsibilities

• Build high-traffic, content-heavy sites using modern, scalable architecture.
• Develop robust, reusable services across multiple sites collaborating with European engineers.
• Implement performance optimization techniques including caching and CDN strategies.

Skills

headless WordPress

PHP

REST APIs

GraphQL

custom theme/plugin development

performance optimisation

API security

Docker

CI/CD

JAMstack

Job description

Senior WordPress Engineer – Headless

Location: Peterborough (Hybrid, occasional office visits, once a month)

Full-time, Permanent

I'm working with a leading digital media group investing heavily in their web platform. They seek a Senior WordPress Engineer with strong backend skills, especially in headless WordPress at scale.

This role involves building high-traffic, content-heavy sites using modern, scalable architecture and practices. Think API-first, JAMstack, CI/CD pipelines, and containerised environments.

You will join a forward-thinking team with high engineering standards, DevOps practices, and a focus on performance and security. Your experience with custom plugins, GraphQL, REST APIs, and advanced PHP will be crucial for developing robust, reusable services across multiple sites.

Collaboration is key, working with engineers across the UK and Europe to develop their platform.

Requirements:

• Strong experience in headless WordPress development (enterprise experience preferred)
• Deep PHP knowledge (7/8) and understanding of WordPress core
• Experience with REST APIs and WPGraphQL
• Custom theme/plugin development for headless use
• Experience with ACF, CPTs, taxonomies
• Secure API handling (OAuth, JWT)
• Performance optimisation skills – query tuning, caching, CDN strategies
• Familiarity with Docker, Git, and CI/CD pipelines
• Ability to deliver frontend APIs compatible with React, Next.js, or similar
• Knowledge of JAMstack and API-first design

Work setup:

The team is based in London and Peterborough. The role supports hybrid/remote working, with office visits every 4–6 weeks.

If you're passionate about headless WordPress, modern architecture, and writing clean, reliable code, this role may be a great fit.