Software engineer · Automattic · Scotland
I’m Katja.
I help build a better web.
I’m Katja, a Scotland-based software engineer at Automattic. I work on Elasticsearch and back-end systems. My fifteen-plus years in WordPress span development, infrastructure, architecture, support and teaching. My experience shapes my customer-first approach to engineering.
15+ years in WordPress, from support and systems to back-end and data.
- Started building and supporting WordPress sites
- Joined Automattic
- Moved into engineering as a Developer Apprentice
- Software Engineer: back-end, Elasticsearch, data
01 / What I do
I make sense of problems and help people understand them.
Search engineering
My main focus is Elasticsearch, Jetpack Search and back-end systems.
Hosting & infrastructure
Caching, edge nodes, reverse proxies, DNS and performance.
Writing & teaching
Technical docs, training material, onsite workshops and efficient support processes.
02 / My work
Where I’ve contributed.
03 / Experience
From support to search engineering.
Software Engineer · Automattic
Search engineering focused on Elasticsearch and Jetpack Search, alongside back-end development.
Developer Apprentice · Automattic
Back-end work on plugins including WP Job Manager and Sensei.
Premier Support Engineer · Automattic
Provided white-glove technical support and architectural guidance to enterprise customers on WordPress VIP, working closely with a Technical Account Manager and engineers on my team.
Happiness Engineer · Automattic
Supported Jetpack, VaultPress and Akismet users; wrote docs and scripts to improve support.
Happiness Engineer · Flywheel
Tier 3 technical support covering server diagnostics, OS upgrades, reverse proxies, DNS and performance. Trained new hires.
Other experience
Ran Paavola Studio, providing WordPress development and support consulting for multiple theme studios, alongside documentation and hosting infrastructure.
04 / Skills
The skills I bring to my work.
- Development
- PHP
- JavaScript
- Shell scripting
- API development
- Exploring AI
- Platforms & systems
- WordPress
- Elasticsearch
- Linux
- Infrastructure
- Caching
- Reverse proxies
- DNS
- Performance
- Support & teaching
- Technical writing
- Training
- Support operations
05 / Education
Theology taught me how to think.
University of St Andrews
Master of Letters, Systematic and Historical Theology
Laurentian University
Bachelor of Arts, Religious Studies