Senior Web Developer

Job Title : Senior Web Developer

Reporting Structure :

Part-time contract, 30-40 hours / month, reporting to VP Communications and Societal Engagement

Salary Range :

$80-$110 / hour Commensurate with experience

Job Scope :

The person will be responsible for the ongoing development, optimization, and technical support of Genome BC websites. This role requires an experienced developer who can work independently and deliver high-quality solutions with minimal oversight.

The successful candidate will collaborate with internal stakeholders and third-party vendors to support digital marketing, events, analytics, and content initiatives while ensuring site performance, security, and scalability.

Engagement Model

Genome BC is seeking either a senior solo contractor or a small boutique agency with a clearly identified technical lead. This role is intended to be a long term, collaborative, retainer-based relationship rather than a short-term project engagement.

Nature of the Role and Service Levels

This role is primarily focused on the ongoing technical stewardship of Genome BC’s websites, including maintenance, optimization and incremental improvements. Periodic feature development and structural enhancements are expected; however, a full site rebuild is not anticipated in the near term.

The engagement will be structured as an ongoing monthly retainer, with an agreed allocation of hours and defined service level expectations. These include a timely response to critical site issues, prioritized handling of high-impact problems and a predictable turnaround time for routine support and enhancements.

Detailed service levels, escalation paths and response times will be defined collaboratively during onboarding.

Core Responsibilities

Serve as the primary technical leader of Genome BC’s websites, ensuring stability, performance, and reliability

Collaborate with internal stakeholders to translate functional requirements into practical technical solutions

Proactively identify risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement across the site ecosystem.

Manage and prioritize work within an agreed retainer structure, balancing responsiveness with planned improvements

Coordinate as needed with third-party vendors and service providers to support digital marketing, events, analytics and content initiatives

Ensure changes are implemented in a controlled manner, with appropriate documentation for custom or non-standard functionality to support continuity and long-term maintainability

Critical issues (site down, security incident, major functionality broken)

Response : within four business hours

Resolution : best effort, same or next business day

High priority

(Web summary script is broken, Navigation redirects Broken, major layout issues such as missing pages, broken links)

Response : within one business day

Standard requests

(content support, small enhancements, bug fixes)

Response : within 2–3 business days, scheduled into retainer hours

Technical Leadership and Governance

The successful candidate will serve as the primary technical lead for Genome BC’s websites, leading the execution of day-to-day development, maintenance and support activities

Genome BC will set strategic direction, content priorities and business requirements. The contractor will recommend technical approaches, identify risks and trade-offs and lead implementation in alignment with approved plans

The role includes responsibility for maintaining the existing WordPress environment, including core updates, theme and plugin maintenance and environment configuration, using appropriate staging, testing and deployment practices

Significant architectural changes, major integrations, or substantial refactoring efforts will be discussed and approved in advance, including scope, timing and resourcing

This role is expected to exercise professional judgment, communicate proactively and work collaboratively with Genome BC staff and partners.

WordPress Implementation Context

Genome BC’s websites use a mixed WordPress implementation, combining custom themes, reusable templates, Custom Post Types and Advanced Custom Fields to support structured content and a consistent editing experience.

The backend is intentionally designed to be clear and predictable for content editors, while remaining maintainable and extensible from a development perspective. The successful candidate will be expected to work within this existing approach, maintaining established patterns and improving them where it adds clear value.

Some page builder functionality may exist in limited contexts; however, the overall emphasis is on standards-based WordPress development rather than reliance on heavy visual builders.

WordPress Development and Architecture

Develop, extend and maintain custom WordPress themes, page templates and reusable components

Build and manage Custom Post Types (CPTs), taxonomies and Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)

Implement advanced search and filtering solutions across CPTs

Work confidently with WordPress core functionality, including :

Custom hooks and filters

REST API endpoints

Scheduled tasks (cron events)

Configure, customize and troubleshoot complex plugins such as :

The Events Calendar Pro

Slider Revolution

Search & Filter Pro

Frontend and Backend Development

Write clean, maintainable PHP for custom functions and integrations

Develop responsive, accessible interfaces using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript / jQuery

Ensure performance, compatibility and accessibility best practices across modern browsers

Server, Hosting and Infrastructure

Manage hosting environments using cPanel, including :

File systems and database administration

PHP configurations and environment settings

Manage DNS and domain configurations

Install and maintain SSL certificates and WordPress security hardening

Performance, SEO and Optimization

Optimize websites for speed and reliability, including caching and asset optimization.

Address technical SEO requirements such as redirects and indexing issues, content structure and internal linking

Open Graph (OG) and metadata optimization

Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks and site errors proactively.

Analytics, Reporting and Marketing Technology

Configure and support :

Google Analytics (GA4)

Google Tag Manager (GTM), including custom events and key conversions

Google Search Console and Google Cloud tools

Generate, interpret and present performance reports using platforms such as Agency Analytics and custom dashboards

Support social media initiatives, including paid and boosted posts.

Analysis of ROI and ad spend performance

Digital Platforms and Reporting Support

In addition to website related responsibilities, the successful candidate will support a small number of adjacent digital platforms that integrate with or rely on the website. This may include :

Supporting email marketing infrastructure, such as Mailchimp list management, forms and website integrations

Assisting with the maintenance and configuration of analytics and reporting tools, including Agency Analytics dashboards

Supporting data gathering and technical inputs for periodic performance and impact reporting

Providing technical support related to social media platforms, including tracking and measurement considerations, troubleshooting platform or account-level issues and assisting with escalation or support requests with vendors such as Meta and X when needed

Lead and maintain integrations between WordPress and MS SQL and MySQL database to enable the controlled publication of non-confidential internal data on Genome BC websites

This role is not expected to lead marketing strategy or campaign execution as a default responsibility. However, as the relationship develops, the contractor may, by agreement, support or lead the technical execution of specific campaigns or initiatives as an extension of the internal team based on capacity, priorities and mutual agreement.

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Intermediate to senior-level experience (typically 4+ years) in professional WordPress development

Strong working knowledge of PHP, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and jQuery

Proven experience with custom database queries (SQL) and performance-conscious data handling

Solid understanding of web hosting environments, security best practices, performance optimization and scalability

Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve plugin conflicts, broken links, server-side and frontend errors

Working knowledge of MS SQL and MySQL databases and the interface of these with WordPress and PHP web pages

How to apply :

Applicants should include a current CV with a cover letter indicating the anticipated start date and the names and contact information for at least two references. Please send the application in MS Word or PDF via email to careers@genomebc.ca

Application deadline

4 pm, March 6, 2025

We thank you for your interest in Genome BC. Only those candidates short listed for interviews will be contacted. No phone calls please.

About Genome British Columbia :

Genome BC is a not-for-profit organizationthat hasadvancedgenomics research and innovationfor 25 years,growinga worldclasslife sciences sectorin BCand deliveringsustainable benefits for British Columbia, Canada and beyond.Genome BC has attractedover $1.1billion in direct co-investment to the province, which has contributed to funding more than600 genomics research and innovation projects. Theseinitiativesenhancehealthcare and address environmental and natural resource challenges, improving the lives of British Columbians. Genome BCalsointegrates genomics into society by supporting responsible research and innovation and fostering an understanding and appreciation of the life sciences among educators,studentsand the public.

www.genomebc.ca

Our Values : Integrity

and accountability are at the core of our decisions and interactions.

Curiosity

and creativity inspire us to imagine what is possible.

Boldness

and agility motivate our actions.

Excellence

through teamwork and collaboration.

Empathy

calls us to meet people where they are.

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