Website Developer

exploreMedia is a growing advertising, media, and marketing agency based in Montgomery, Alabama. Through publications like CentrAL INC! Business Journal, PULSE, Faces of Montgomery, and the Know the Community Newcomers Guide, along with digital marketing services for clients, we help businesses connect with their audiences through compelling storytelling, creative marketing, and strategic communication. The Role This position is responsible for building and maintaining secure, responsive websites for exploreMedia's agency clients, exploreHVAC, and internal digital properties. From development through launch, you'll implement front-end and back-end functionality, troubleshoot issues, and keep sites fast, secure, and error-free. This is not simply a build-and-forget coding role. We're looking for someone who understands performance, security, and user experience as connected priorities — someone who can manage multiple client sites independently, communicate clearly, and consistently deliver clean, reliable work on deadline. AI fluency matters here too: we want someone who actively uses AI-powered coding and troubleshooting tools to build faster, cleaner, and smarter, and who keeps exploring new ways to apply them as the technology evolves. What You Will Do Website Development & Maintenance Develop responsive, mobile-friendly websites based on approved Statements of Work.Troubleshoot and resolve bugs, errors, and performance issues.Implement client website edits.Monitor website functionality, security, and UX consistency. Update front-end and back-end systems as needed.Complete website audit tasks.Work with SEO team to meet WAG and SEO launch requirements. Performance & Security Optimize site speed and performance through caching, minification, and compression.Perform hosting and security maintenance, reviewing configurations and addressing alerts.Perform code reviews and testing to maintain development best practices.Ensure plugins and software stay up to date.Conduct website and site-wide security audits and implement necessary patches.Perform back-end optimizations, such as database cleanup and server performance tuning.Audit and optimize database queries to improve site speed. AI-Enabled Development Use AI-powered coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude) to speed up development, debugging, and code review.Apply AI tools to troubleshoot issues, optimize performance, and streamline repetitive development tasks.Research and test emerging AI development tools and workflows to improve efficiency and code quality.Identify opportunities to bring AI into website QA, auditing, and optimization processes. Collaboration & Strategy Coordinate with the UX Specialist and content team on upcoming projects.Collaborate across departments to keep workflows moving.Follow exploreMedia's documented procedures, and help improve audit and website checklists over time.Research UX, SEO, and design trends to inform improvements and strategy.Review competitor websites for insights and improvement ideas.Evaluate long-term website strategy, including new feature implementations.Present findings on industry advancements to improve technical capabilities. Who You Are The right person for this role is someone who: Understands that great development balances technical excellence with performance, security, and business results — not just clean code.Thinks critically about how site speed, security, and UX work together to affect the end user.Stays up to date with web development, security, and design trends.Communicates proactively and keeps team members and clients informed throughout a project.Manages multiple client sites and deadlines without requiring constant oversight.Takes ownership of projects from development through launch.Is highly organized and maintains clean, documented code and production files.Accepts feedback professionally and implements revisions efficiently.Is naturally curious and committed to continuous improvement.Actively seeks out new frameworks, tools, and optimization techniques, and enjoys solving technical challenges.Embraces AI-powered coding and productivity tools as part of daily workflow, and is always looking for ways to work faster and smarter.Holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, with at least 2 years of hands-on experience with WordPress or a similar CMS. What We're Not Looking For This role is likely not a fit for someone who: Requires extensive supervision to stay on task or manage deadlines.Waits until deadlines are at risk before communicating challenges.Is uncomfortable learning new frameworks, platforms, or security protocols.Is resistant to using AI tools or views them as a threat rather than an advantage.Prefers front-end-only or back-end-only work and isn't interested in the complete development process.Struggles to manage multiple client sites simultaneously.Treats performance and security as someone else's responsibility. Tools & Platforms Required HTML / CSS / JavaScriptWordPressPHP / MySQLDNS records & domain registrar managementHosting management (Flywheel)ChatGPT and AI-powered coding/troubleshooting tools Preferred AI coding assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or similar)ClickUpGoogle Analytics & Search ConsoleSearch engine optimization (SEO) fundamentalsWeb security tools (SSL, firewalls)Reporting dashboards (Agency Analytics, Google Looker Studio)Go High LevelMicrosoft Office Suite What Success Looks Like After 90 Days Within the first 90 days, you have become a trusted technical partner who manages multiple client websites with confidence and minimal oversight. Sites under your care load quickly, stay secure, and function consistently across devices and browsers. Bugs are diagnosed and resolved efficiently, client edits are implemented accurately, and you've become proficient in exploreMedia's development standards, checklists, and QA process.