Senior WordPress Developer

About NEXT.io

NEXT.io is the leading events and media business in iGaming. Headquartered in Malta, with team members across Europe and North America, we operate two flagship conferences (NEXT Valletta and NEXT NYC), a daily news portal, a podcast, an investigative content team, and an SEO affiliation business.

In 2026 we are launching NEXTPredict, our new media brand for the prediction markets industry. We are 50 people today, scaling toward 100, and we have grown rapidly and consistently for the past several years.

About the role

We run a portfolio of media/event sites (NEXTPredict, NEXT.io and more) built on WordPress, with custom theming, third-party integrations (event platforms, CRM), and Cloudflare-based infrastructure. 

 

We’re hiring a senior, hands-on developer to own the technical execution of these sites: modernizing legacy PHP themes into block-editor/FSE architecture with Tailwind, building native API-driven content sections, and maintaining hosting/performance. 

 

You’ll report to and work closely with our Webmaster. You will own the deep technical implementation: the parts requiring hands-on PHP, server, and API expertise, and will be expected to work efficiently using AI coding assistants (e.g., Claude) as part of your normal workflow, not as a replacement for real expertise. 

What you'll do

• Migrate legacy PHP-templated WordPress sites (like next.io) to modern block editor / Full Site Editing (FSE)
  architecture;
  
• Build and maintain custom child themes using Tailwind CSS (via WindPress or a custom build pipeline) alongside native WordPress blocks;
  
• Implement Secure Custom Fields (SCF) / Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) field groups and block bindings for dynamic, editor-friendly content;
• Build native API integrations to pull external data into WordPress front-ends (e.g., event platforms, CRM forms, market/financial data feeds) without relying on embedded iframes/widgets;
  
• Maintain and troubleshoot Cloudflare configuration (APO, Rocket Loader, Zaraz tag manager) and its interaction with caching and script execution;
  
• Manage and harden hosting (DigitalOcean droplets, Apache/Nginx, SSL/TLS via Cloudflare Origin Certificates, backups, security);
  
• Improve Core Web Vitals and site performance (asset loading, caching strategy, image optimization, render-blocking script management);
• Maintain a safe deployment workflow: staging-first, version-controlled theme code, manual review before production changes;
• Document technical decisions clearly enough, even for a non-developer to follow and understand. 

Requirements

• 5+ years professional WordPress development, including custom theme building (not just page-builder configuration);
  
• Strong PHP: comfortable reading/writing functions.php, custom hooks/filters, template hierarchy, and WP REST API;
  
• Hands-on experience with block editor /FSE development (block themes, theme.json, block patterns, block bindings);
  
• Experience with ACF/SCF (field groups, Local JSON, block field bindings);
  
• Practical experience integrating Tailwind CSS into WordPress (via a compiler plugin like WindPress, or a custom build process);
  
• Experience consuming third-party REST/GraphQL APIs server-side or client-side and rendering data natively in WordPress (not just embedding iframes/widgets);
  
• Working knowledge of Cloudflare (caching, APO, a tag manager like Zaraz or GTM, and how aggressive caching/script optimization can break tracking or JS);
  
• Linux server administration: Apache or Nginx, SSL/TLS setup, basic server security and backups;
• Understanding of Core Web Vitals and how theme/plugin choices affect them;
  
• Git-based version control workflow with staging → production discipline;
• Comfortable using AI coding tools (Claude, etc.) to accelerate work, while still being able to independently review, debug, and be accountable for that code.

Nice to have

• Experience with event/registration platforms (e.g., Bizzabo) or marketing CRMs (e.g., HubSpot) and their APIs/webhooks;
  
• Experience with Google Tag Manager alongside a Cloudflare-based tag manager (dual dispatch patterns);
• SEO fundamentals (pagination/indexing, canonical tags, structured data);
  
• WP-Cron / custom DB table experience for building sync jobs against external APIs;
• Experience mentoring or working with non-technical/semi-technical team members, i.e., can explain trade-offs in plain language.

What we're not looking for

• Someone who works within page builders (Elementor/Divi) with no custom theme/PHP experience;
  
• Someone who needs another developer to review PHP or server work;
  
• Someone who treats AI tools as unnecessary or relies on them fully. We want efficient use of AI-assisted coding, with human judgment on top.
  
• All production changes require staging verification and Webmaster sign-off before going live;
  
• You’ll be expected to produce clear before/after documentation and testing checklists for anything you ship;
  
  

Why Join Us

At NEXT.io, you'll be part of a fast-moving, collaborative team that values ownership, clarity, and impact. In this role, you'll sit at the heart of our operations, shaping how the company runs day to day and helping us stay structured, capable, and ready for growth.

If you thrive on systems thinking, ambiguity, and making things work better across teams, you'll find NEXT.io a place where your work truly makes a difference.