Head of Engineering (Hands-on / WordPress & PHP)

About the Role

We are looking for a product-driven, hands-on Head of Engineering to own the technical direction and scalability of our fast-growing network of 50+ unique web properties. In this role, you will lead a small, agile engineering team while remaining actively involved in the codebase, setting the structural foundations and defining the long-term technical strategy. Your primary focus will be balancing engineering standards with rapid feature deployment, ensuring our platform is built to handle fast operational growth, high volume traffic, and new feature rollouts seamlessly.

What you'll do

• Own the technical vision and engineering standards, focusing on operational expansion and long-term codebase maintainability.
• Lead and mentor a small, agile team of developers, acting as a player-coach who is actively involved in the day-to-day code.
• Define the long-term technical strategy and platform direction to support unique sites efficiently and seamlessly.
• Oversee the core architecture for our backend PHP services, APIs, integrations, and core WordPress platforms.
• Ensure strong performance across all websites using smart caching strategies, database optimization, and efficient system layers.
• Guide the development of fast, custom WordPress themes, plugins, and frameworks tailored for rapid feature deployment.
• Integrate tracking, analytics, attribution, and SEO systems directly into our website ecosystem to support business growth.
• Translate business and marketing demands into agile, scalable technical solutions that prioritize speed-to-market.
• Proactively identify system bottlenecks and redesign the platform architecture to allow for frictionless operations.
• Set and enforce pragmatic code quality, modern PHP 8+ engineering standards, and web development best practices.
• Mentor engineers on the team, helping to elevate their technical capability and problem-solving skills.
• Turn loosely defined marketing features into implementable, structured work for the development team.
• Answer day-to-day technical and implementation questions directly without needing to escalate issues.

What we're looking for

• Hands-on Technical Leadership: Proven experience leading small development teams while remaining highly technical and close to the code.
• Deep WordPress & PHP Expertise: Expert-level knowledge of PHP 8+, WordPress core internals, custom plugin/theme development, and performance optimization.
• A Pragmatic, Product-First Mindset: You focus on shipping business value and maintainable systems rather than over-engineering hyper-complex infrastructure.
• High-Growth Agility: Experience thriving in fast-paced, feature-driven environments where speed-to-market is a competitive advantage.
• Exceptional Communication: The ability to interface directly with non-technical stakeholders, translate business needs, and guide developers without needing escalation.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in lead generation, affiliate marketing, SEO-driven website networks, or digital publishing environments.
• Experience managing large, multi-site WordPress ecosystems or portfolios of 20+ distinct websites.
• Experience with analytics, tracking scripts, and attribution systems.
• Experience refactoring or rebuilding complex legacy WordPress codebases.

What we offer

• Ownership & Impact: Take full ownership of the technical foundation behind a multi-vertical lead generation business, with direct influence on scalability, performance, and growth across the platform
• Growth Opportunity: Join a fast-growing digital business where your work will directly support expansion across products, traffic, and systems
• Flexibility: Remote working environment, or come join us at our office in Malta
• Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive compensation packages, with opportunities for performance-based incentives