WordPress Maintenance, Migrations, & Systems Engineer

***About the Role

We’re looking for a detail-oriented, highly reliable WordPress Maintenance, Migrations, & Systems Engineer to join the Empathysites team. This role will start with 3 hours per week, split into two 90-minute sessions per week:

Monday and Wednesday evenings from 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM PHT
(which corresponds to Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 6:00 AM – 8:00 AM Pacific Time).

You’ll support ongoing WordPress maintenance, help launch and migrate websites, manage DNS records, and maintain our internal systems and procedures.

We value predictability for time-sensitive tasks like site launches. These launches involve disconnecting a client’s previous website and replacing it with a newly built one. Because issues can occasionally arise during this process (especially around DNS and email records), we prefer to schedule launches early in the U.S. business day, giving time to catch and address anything quickly.

***About Us

Empathysites is a United States based done-for-you website service for psychotherapists. Since our official launch in January 2017, we've helped hundreds of therapists build and maintain sites that reflect their values. We prioritize clarity, compassion, and nonjudgmental support in both our client work and our team culture.

***Here is What We Offer

- Remote work - work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection
- Ongoing work - this is not a one-time job, we are seeking someone who can work ongoing

***Responsibilities

As part of our team, you will be working behind the scenes to help with website setups, DNS/email records, migrating websites, and maintaining our websites to ensure our websites are running great.

Here is a list of some of the specific responsibilities

- Overseeing automatic backups and updates of our websites (weekly)
- Help with speed and security optimization and monitoring
- Setting up websites (migrations)
- Migrating websites including setting up accounts in our hosting’s control panel
- Moving DNS records (especially for email)
- Helping with web development related bugs or client requests
- You will also be responsible for maintaining and improving our website tech internal procedure documents

***Required Skills

- At least 2 years of experience developing and launching WordPress websites
- Experience working with PhpMyAdmin, Cloudflare
- Experience with HTML, JS, CSS, PHP (for debugging, not full-stack development)
- Expert-level knowledge of DNS, domain records, and email-related DNS configuration
- Experience with domain name registration and transferring domains
- Experience with SSL certificates
- Experience making WordPress Backups - taking backups and restoring backups
- Awareness of digital security best practices for WordPress

***Other Skills

Other skills it would be nice if you had (but we will train you on if you don’t)

- Experience maintaining multiple sites from a single dashboard (we use MainWP but experience using similar solutions helpful)
- Familiarity with object storage (Amazon S3, DreamObjects)
- Experience setting up and troubleshooting premium email accounts like G Suite
- Familiarity with Beaver Builder Page Builder and Theme
- Experience using Trello, Google Drive, Slack

*** The Right Person for This Role...

- Is extremely detail-oriented - you follow checklists, catch small errors, and double-check everything
- Is a great communicator - you update your team proactively, share progress, and ask for clarification when needed
- Can follow procedures but also suggest improvements when you see a better way
- Is reliable and consistent - your schedule and communication are predictable and professional

***Getting Started - How To Apply

If this sounds like what you’re looking for, we have an immediate opening, though we’re flexible on the start date. The hiring process includes a short written application with technical questions (below), followed by a brief video interview so we can get to know each other. From there, we’ll move to a paid test task to see how we work together, and if it’s a good fit, we’ll continue toward ongoing work.

To apply, please send honest details of what you can and cannot do from the “required skills” and “other skills” lists above. Please also let me know what your favorite movie is.

In addition to the details above, your email should also include the following

1. A few details about who you are as a person
2. Where are you located
3. Confirm you’re available at the listed times
4. What date are you available to start
5. What your hourly rate is
6. Using what you know about web systems, and your ability to find answers to questions, please include your answers to the following questions
>>> Tech Question 1: A client’s email stops working after we migrate their site. They were using Google Workspace, but now they’re missing emails. What would you check and how would you fix it?
>>> Tech Question 2: You’re migrating a site from a development URL to a client’s live domain that currently has a Squarespace site. Briefly outline your launch plan, including how you’d avoid downtime or data loss.
>>> Tech Question 3: After a site migration, a client reports an SSL error. They’re using Cloudflare.
What are 2–3 common causes of this issue, and how would you troubleshoot it?
>>> Tech Question 4: What tools, platforms, or services do you prefer to use for: Managing DNS, Hosting or deploying WordPress sites, Monitoring uptime or performance
>>> Tech Question 5: True or False: A CNAME record can be used at the root (apex) of a domain.

***Apply Now

Send an email to Upgrade to see actual info with [WordPress Job] in the subject. If you think you are a good fit, let us know why. Follow the directions listed above under “How To Apply” exactly.

Thank you.