Senior PHP / WordPress Developer

Location: Cape Town

Working Practices: Hybrid | Mondays and Thursdays in office and remaining days remote.

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: 07H00AM - 15H30PM (SAST)

Job summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled hands-on Senior WordPress Developer to lead the development, deployment, and optimisation of our public-facing websites and supporting technology infrastructure. You’ll work directly with internal stakeholders and cloud platforms to ensure seamless, secure, and high-performance digital experiences.

In this role, you won’t just guide — you’ll build. You’ll be deep in the codebase, configuring infrastructure, managing deployments, and solving technical challenges every day.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and maintenance of scalable, secure, and high-performance WordPress themes and plugins.
• Architect and implement responsive, accessible front-end interfaces using HTML5, CSS3/Sass, and JavaScript, aligned with design and UX best practices.
• Design and manage the integration of REST APIs and external data sources into WordPress-based systems.
• Drive performance optimisation, SEO strategy, and ensure full WCAG accessibility compliance across all public-facing digital properties.
• Oversee configuration and optimisation of CDN integrations (e.g., Cloudflare or CloudFront) to maximise load speed and reliability.
• Manage and enhance WordPress hosting environments, ensuring robust security, uptime, and scalability in cloud-based infrastructure.
• Champion version control practices using Git, and mentor team members through code reviews, documentation standards, and collaborative workflows.

Technical Expertise (Hands-On Experience):

• Extensive practical experience with PHP, HTML5, CSS3/Sass, and JavaScript in production environments.
• Advanced WordPress development including custom theme and plugin creation.
• Deep understanding of WordPress core at the code level.
• Real-world experience integrating RESTful APIs and GraphQL.
• Day-to-day use of build tools (Webpack, Gulp, Grunt) and Git version control.

Server and Infrastructure (Hands-On Experience):

• Proven experience setting up, configuring, and maintaining WordPress servers.
• Strong command of WP-CLI, performance tuning, and security hardening.
• Daily use and management of CDNs like Cloudflare or CloudFront (DNS, caching, SSL, DDoS protection).
• Working experience in Linux environments: scripting, package management, system and network admin.
• Hands-on use of cloud services (preferably AWS EC2, S3, Lambda).
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, deployments, and code quality best practices.

Development mindset:

• A focus on performance, security, SEO, and accessibility (WCAG) compliance from the ground up.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot, debug, and resolve issues in production.
• Comfortable working end-to-end across the tech stack with designers, testers, and product owners.

Skills:

• Strong attention to detail and quality.
• Proactive, adaptable, and willing to learn.
• Self-starter with a builder’s mindset — you take ownership, dive into code, and get things done.
• Comfortable translating tech speak for non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving, prioritisation, and organisational skills.
• Clear communicator, both written and verbal, with a collaborative, proactive attitude.
• Experience with vendor or contract developers is a plus.

About Construct
Construct Education is a fee-for-service digital learning solutions company specializing in the design of innovative, impactful, and bespoke digital learning experiences.  As a wholly-owned subsidiary of OES, a global leader in education solutions, we continue to push the boundaries of online education. Construct Education is committed to redefining online education in a way that prepares learners for real-world challenges and helps them succeed in their careers. Our vision is for everyone to have access to meaningful education through superior online programs. 

Company Culture & Values 

 We are a people-focused organisation with a culture built around collaboration, connection, and working together toward one common goal. Our vibrant, values-led culture is grounded in four core principles that guide everything we do: 

Passion and Perseverance: We love what we do (even though it’s not always easy) and take pride in creating transformative learning experiences. We bring a ‘can-do’ attitude to our work, tackling challenges and inspiring others. 

Teamwork: We operate as cross-functional teams globally with trust and respect, celebrating success. We have fun while we work and enjoy collaborating with each other and OES partners. 

Agility and Innovation: We are innovative, lateral thinkers who use our skills to do things better for our students. We thrive in ambiguity, embrace change and challenge conventional thinking.  

Integrity: We do what’s right, and what we say we will do, every time. We value a culture of respectful feedback and believe that respect trumps harmony. 

What We Offer*

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Flexible work for genuine career-life fit
• A healthy and supportive company culture
• Generous annual leave
• Paid maternity and paternity benefits
• Study leave
• Professional development and mentoring
• Construct Culture Club events
• Company funded lunch and drinks every 6 weeks

*Policy T&Cs apply for certain benefits