We’re not currently looking to hire for this position, but we always like to keep an eye out for great talent! If you’re based in the United States, and would be interested in working with us, please fill out the application below and we’ll keep your info on file when it’s time to grow the team. Thanks!
In this key role, you’ll start by handling WordPress updates, making sure our clients’ websites run without a hitch. You’ll also lead the Updates Team, guiding them to be their best.
Your WordPress know-how, coupled with your leadership skills, will be vital in improving our update processes and helping your team grow. We’re looking for someone proactive, detail-focused, calm under pressure, and eager to tackle both technical tasks and team leadership.
There are two kinds of nerds…
1. There’s the nerd who fixes your computer, gives it back to you, and makes you feel awful because you don’t know what you’re doing.
2. Then there’s the other kind of nerd – the one that fixes your computer, and then goes out of their way to explain what they did, empowering you to help keep it from breaking again.
If you hadn’t already guessed, we’re that second kind of nerd. And if you are too, keep reading!
People rarely remember the details, but they always remember how you make them feel.
NerdPress has a reputation for phenomenal customer support, and we expect everyone on the team to help us expand upon that reputation. We want every interaction with our clients to leave them feeling good — even if that interaction happens “behind the scenes.”
Ok, so… what’s an “Updates Nerd?”
As part of our WordPress Support Plans, we perform updates on hundreds of high-traffic client sites each week.
As the Updates Team Leader, you will take ownership of keeping our clients’ sites updated in as safe and efficient a manner as possible. By reviewing changelogs and bug reports, you will determine which WordPress updates should be run and when to run them, and then communicate that with the rest of the team. Alongside our Updates Team Members, you will run updates on sites, perform post-update quality assurance testing, and address any issues that arise — and communicate with our clients when needed.
What you’ll actually do in this role:
- Determine when it’s safe to update specific plugins, making strategic decisions in order to minimize potential disruptions to high-traffic, production sites. (Giddyup! 🤠)
- Lead the Updates Team (currently three people, plus you), making sure update assignments are distributed appropriately and all work is being completed in a timely manner.
- Update WordPress core and plugins on hundreds of high-traffic sites weekly (everyone on the Updates Team runs updates, including you).
- Troubleshoot and address issues that may arise from the updates.
- Train updates team members on procedures and techniques for updates.
- Train and assist team members in troubleshooting issues.
- Provide feedback to team members to help improve team performance, including monthly check-ins and quarterly performance reviews.
- Supervise updates across all clients sites and ensure updates are being done in a timely manner, following standard operating procedures.
- Communicate directly with clients when issues arise, either one-on-one or via broadcast methods, as appropriate.
- Proactively seek opportunities to increase operational efficiency and Keep Improving.
- Submit bug reports to plugin developers and the WordPress core team, and follow up on resolution of issues.
- Keep a watchful eye on upcoming changes, particularly for WordPress Core and of our most commonly used plugins (WP Rocket and Yoast SEO, for example).
- Collaborate with the rest of our team.
- Embrace NerdPress’ Core Values and use them to guide your actions and decisions.
- We may also ask for your help with other site maintenance tasks.
We don’t rely on “auto-updates.” Instead, we employ a “human-managed” safe update process, making sure that our clients’ sites are still working properly after updates are performed. Therefore, you should have a strong understanding of WordPress and the update process, and the confidence to troubleshoot any issues that may arise related to updates on a production site.
Required Skills:
- Excellent WordPress Skills (at least “advanced,” if not “expert”).
- A strong understanding of the WordPress update process, web hosting, and SFTP.
- Highly confident, advanced troubleshooting skills.
- High attention to detail
- The ability to see the big picture and recognize system-wide patterns or themes.
- Excellent customer service skills.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in American English.
Required Personality Traits:
- Self-starter, motivated, and fast learner.
- Good at researching and comfortable with asking questions about things you don’t (yet) know.
- Enjoy helping others.
- Team player.
- Excited and energized by problem-solving.
- Calm under pressure.
- Proactive.
- Patient and understanding with people who don’t “get” tech.
- Reliable and trustworthy.
- Sense of responsibility for actions & inactions.
- Friendly and good sense of humor.
Our vision is to be the best support team on the planet.
We celebrate others, working together every day to maintain a supportive culture where everyone finds gratitude, belonging, joy, and fulfillment. We build trust through transparency, integrity, empathy, care, and respect. We give each other the space to grow, innovate, and be ourselves – and we share a sense of purpose, appreciating how each of us contributes to our common goals.
Bonus Points If…
- You have previous leadership experience.
- Optimization and efficiency is second nature for you, always trying to see if there’s a better or faster way to accomplish a task.
- You have experience with caching plugins and proxies such as Cloudflare.
- You’ve got mad PHP, CSS, and/or JavaScript skillz.
- You’re an active contributor to the WordPress community.
- You’ve coded a plugin or theme.
- You have a blog (better yet, a food or lifestyle blog!), and understand blogging “best practices.”
- You love animals and/or beekeeping and/or kombucha-making. When you submit your application, include a photo of your favorite animal. Or your favorite kombucha.
Benefits:
One of our core values is “Take Good Care.” This means we take good care of not only our clients, but also ourselves and each other. Providing good benefits to our team are an important way in which we do that.
- Two weeks paid vacation each year.
- Fourteen paid holidays.
- 401(k) retirement account with 4% matching contributions.
- Health reimbursement agreement.
- Year-end bonuses.
- Paid sick leave and short-term disability insurance.
- Family leave and bereavement leave.
- Technology/equipment budget — we want you to be able to do your job efficiently and effectively (and ergonomically), so the right tools are a must!
- Internet & Cell Phone reimbursement — we’ll cover the cost of your primary internet service and (most of) your cell phone bill.
- Flexibility in hours – while we do need you to work during our regular business hours, this position enjoys a certain level of flexibility in self-managing work times.
- Bonus for speaking or volunteering at your local WordCamp (or we’ll cover your cost to attend).
- Educational expenses, such as books, courses, or training programs.
- Being part of a small company means you have room to grow and make your mark.
- We get to know our clients well, and it’s quite satisfying to help them grow and succeed.
- We’re nice people to work with (and are really good at posting the perfect Slackmojis).
Who is NerdPress?
We help people do what they love so they can lead richer, more fulfilling lives.
We believe websites should empower people to build a better life. That might mean more money, more flexibility, or more freedom – or simply sharing your passion with others. Yet all too often for site owners, technology gets in the way and ruins all the fun.
But we nerd out on the tech stuff! We love solving problems because we’re born fixers, driven by curiosity and learning. We then share our experiences and expertise to support our clients, each other, and the community. It’s a perfect pairing – we help our clients do more of what they love by doing what we love, so we all thrive.
There are currently eighteen of us on the NerdPress team. We work as a close-knit team on customer support, customer onboarding, tweaking, fixing, updating and anything else that needs doing. We support hundreds of sites; the majority of our clients are food bloggers, however we also have clients in other niches, including crafting, e-commerce, philanthropy, non-profits, and more.
Logistics & Timing:
- This is a full-time employee position (approx. 40 hours/week).
- Salary Range: $70,000 to $75,000/year, based on experience.
- Location: 100% Remote, but you must be based in the United States.
- Strong preference is given if you live in one of these states (since we already have team members in these states): California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, or Washington.
- Application Deadline: November 8, 2023.
- Ideal Start Date: Mid-November.
We Embrace Diversity
We strive to create a sustainable culture of inclusion and respect at NerdPress, where everyone is valued, has a sense of belonging, finds fulfillment, and thrives. We never discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. Please check out our full Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy here.
Ready to join the team? Here’s how to apply:
Before applying, please be sure to read this job description carefully — but even if you don’t match 100% of the job description, if you think you might be a good fit, we encourage you to apply!
Email jobs@nerdpress.net with the subject: WordPress Updates Team Leader
Provide the following details in your email by copy/pasting these prompts and filling them out:
Your Name:
Your personal pronouns (he, she, they, etc.):
Your Location & Time Zone:
Links to your resume and/or LinkedIn page:
Link to your website:
Link to your wordpress.org profile:
Links to relevant previous work:
Describe your experience and level of expertise with the following:
- WordPress
- Troubleshooting
- PHP
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Chrome Developer Tools
- Anything else you’re experienced and/or expert at?
Have you provided website maintenance or technical product support before? If so, please describe and send any relevant links.
What is your availability/when would you be able to start?
How did you hear about this job?
Please include anything else you’d like us to know.
Thanks for applying!
