Senior WordPress Engineer — Federally-Funded Public-Sector Website (14-Week Engagement)

Senior WordPress engineer with public-sector or federally-funded nonprofit experience needed for a 14-week build of a regional workforce board website. Multi-audience UX, WCAG 2.1 AA conformance, third-party API integrations, multilingual. Contracted by a senior-led prime; remote-friendly; engagement runs Nov 2026 – Feb 2027 with launch in March 2027.

⚠ Note on engagement timing: This engagement is contingent on Deux Digital being awarded the prime contract. The client proposal is currently under evaluation, with prime contract award anticipated August 2026. We are identifying the right engineer now so that we can name a confirmed Lead Developer in our proposal Key Personnel section and start delivery immediately upon Notice to Proceed. If the prime award does not materialize, this engagement will not proceed.

Project Overview

We're a Washington, DC-based minority-owned small business (Deux Digital, Inc.) that's been selected as a finalist on a federally-funded WIOA Title I website modernization project for a regional workforce development council in Virginia. We hold the prime contract; you would be embedded on our team as a 1099 contractor for the Phase 4 build and Phase 5 launch support.

The site serves three audiences: job seekers, employers, and community/government partners across a 15-jurisdiction region. The work matters — it's the digital front door for people connecting to jobs and training in an underserved economic region — and the team is senior all the way through (research, design, accessibility, engineering).

Scope of Work

You will lead Phase 4 (Development, Migration & Integration) and Phase 5 (Testing & Launch) with our project manager and accessibility specialist embedded throughout.

Phase 4 — Build (Weeks 12–22 of engagement, ~10 weeks):

• WordPress 6.x build to an approved design system (Figma-based, delivered by NN Studio)
• Hosting setup on WP Engine Government Plan (FedRAMP-authorized, VITA-compatible)
• Security hardening: Wordfence Premium, WAF rules, 2FA on admin, admin URL obfuscation, role-based permissions
• Third-party integrations:
• Jobs Board (existing platform — API or responsive iframe)
• Events Calendar (existing platform)
• Regional Demographics Dashboard (embed or API)
• Custom Impact Dashboard component (CMS-editable data fields for quarterly outcome updates)
• WPML multilingual setup (English + Spanish baseline; architecture for future languages)
• Gravity Forms employer intake form with reCAPTCHA v3, conditional logic, CRM/email routing
• SendGrid transactional email (CAN-SPAM compliant)
• GA4 + Google Tag Manager with custom dashboard for client staff
• Schema.org structured data (organization, events, job postings)
• 100% content migration with 301 redirect mapping
• Pre- and post-launch Screaming Frog crawls

Phase 5 — Test & Launch (Weeks 22–26, ~4 weeks):

• Cross-browser testing (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge — latest two versions)
• Cross-device (desktop, tablet, iOS, Android)
• Load testing to 500 concurrent users (k6 or BlazeMeter)
• Support the independent CPACC accessibility audit and remediation
• Two-week UAT support with client staff
• 4-hour live CMS training (recorded) for client team
• Production launch
• 90-day post-launch warranty support

Required Experience

• 5+ years senior WordPress engineering (PHP, custom themes, ACF Pro or equivalent)
• Demonstrated public-sector or federally-funded nonprofit website experience (please share 2+ relevant examples)
• WCAG 2.1 AA / Section 508 implementation — semantic HTML, ARIA, keyboard navigation, NVDA/JAWS-tested
• Third-party API integrations with WordPress (REST, OAuth, iframe fallbacks)
• Multilingual WordPress (WPML or Polylang) in production
• Security hardening for compliance-sensitive contexts
• WP Engine or comparable managed hosting experience (Pantheon, Kinsta also fine)
• Comfortable with federal compliance flow-down — Drug-Free Workplace cert, debarment cert, anti-trafficking cert, records retention obligations (we'll handle the paperwork; you just need to be willing to sign and operate accordingly)
• US-based, remote OK — no in-region travel required

Nice-to-Have

• Prior workforce development, employment services, or career-pathway website experience
• Spanish language content management workflow experience
• Experience with Gravity Forms multi-step forms and CRM routing
• Familiarity with VITA (Virginia Information Technologies Agency) standards
• Experience with Local by Flywheel for dev environments

Engagement Details

• Engagement type: 1099 contractor to Deux Digital, Inc.
• Estimated hours: ~360 hours across the 14-week period (avg 25–30 hrs/week with heavier weeks at launch)
• Engagement window: Approximately November 2026 – February 2027, with a few hours of pre-engagement kickoff in August/September if available
• Working style: Async-first with one weekly 30-minute working session with the PM; phase-gate reviews at end of each phase
• Location: Remote, US-based only
• Equipment: You provide
• Tools we'll provide: Figma access, GitHub repo, WP Engine staging access, project Slack

Rate

Open to hourly or fixed-fee structures.

• Hourly target: $110–$140/hr
• Fixed-fee target: $35,000–$40,000 for the full 14-week scope above

Open to discussion based on your experience and scope confirmation.

Why Take This

• Mission-aligned work (federally-funded workforce development serves real people)
• Senior team — no junior PMs, no junk timeline, no committee design
• Clean scope, well-defined milestones, milestone-based payment
• Resume bullet: federally-funded WIOA project under 2 CFR Part 200 compliance
• Possible 12-month maintenance retainer extension at end of base engagement (separate optional contract)

How to Apply

In your Braintrust pitch, please include:

1. Two relevant public-sector or federally-funded nonprofit projects you've delivered as the lead engineer (links if possible)
2. One WordPress accessibility / WCAG 2.1 AA project you've delivered (with the specific accessibility approach you took)
3. Your engagement preference — hourly vs. fixed-fee — with your proposed rate or range
4. Confirmation you can sign federal flow-down clauses (Drug-Free Workplace, debarment, anti-trafficking, records retention)
5. Confirmation of your start-date availability for November 2026

About Us

Deux Digital, Inc. is a minority-owned small business specializing in human-centered design for the public sector. Past work includes the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Amazon (Whole Foods Market), Etsy, Capital One, Hilton, and Expedia. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA; founder Deron Hogans is the engagement lead.

We're working with NN Studio (design lead — Google, Meta, Capital One, WhatsApp portfolio) and an independent IAAP-certified CPACC accessibility specialist on this engagement.

Contact: Deron Hogans, filltheblank@deuxdigitalcx.com