happiness engineering

Want to Be a Happiness Engineer at Automattic? 

Looking to join Automattic as a Happiness Engineer? This guide covers everything you need to know about the role, what skills we’re looking for, and how to prepare yourself to be a strong candidate. Whether you’re considering applying for the first time or looking to strengthen your next application, you’ll find practical advice and resources to help you on your journey.

What is a Happiness Engineer?

Happiness Engineers are the frontline heroes who create amazing experiences for our users through direct customer interactions. On any given day, they help customers via email, chat, or in some cases calls—troubleshooting technical issues, guiding beginners, or consulting with businesses. But the role goes beyond just answering questions; Happiness Engineers proactively solve problems, recommend solutions, and build genuine connections that help people succeed with our products. They also contribute invaluable feedback to our product teams, helping all that we create at Automattic be the best solutions for our customers. 

What Makes a Great Happiness Engineer:

As WordPress has grown over the years, so has our approach to support. Today, we look for candidates who already have some hands-on WordPress experience and a background involving customer and/or technical support. This foundation helps new team members adapt more quickly to our unique environment and start making an impact sooner.

Here are the qualities that really shine in this role:

1. Customer Experience

We’ve found this to be non-negotiable these days. If you’ve spent time in technical support, customer success, manning a help desk, or handling customer service tickets, you’ve built the kind of experience we’re looking for. Those real-world interactions with customers and their problems… they’re worth their weight in gold.

2. The Human Touch

Nobody wants to feel like they’re talking to a robot, right? We’re looking for people who are experts at making genuine connections, especially in text-based formats—the kind who make customers think “Wow, they actually get what I’m trying to do here!” We want support with personality, empathy, and understanding. You know that feeling when someone really listens and gets your problem? That’s exactly what we’re after.

3. Problem-Solving Superpowers

Great Happiness Engineers don’t just fix the immediate issue—they understand why it matters in the first place. They excel at seeing beyond the technical problem to grasp the customer’s broader goals and context. When someone asks how to add a button to their site, these problem-solvers naturally wonder “What is this button meant to accomplish?” This deeper understanding helps them provide solutions that address not just the symptom but the underlying need. They’re comfortable navigating ambiguity, connecting dots across different areas, and making thoughtful decisions that consider both technical constraints and the customer’s ultimate objectives. This holistic approach often leads to recommendations that the customer hadn’t even thought to ask for but that better serve their true goals.

4. Eagle-Eye for Details

Missing small details in support can lead to big headaches down the road. Whether it’s spotting a tiny configuration issue or catching a crucial detail in a customer’s question, the best Happiness Engineers have a knack for noticing and addressing the little things that make a big difference.

5. Self-Discipline and Independent Work Ethic

Working remotely comes with amazing flexibility, but it also requires a special kind of self-motivation. Successful Happiness Engineers excel at managing their own schedules, staying productive amid home distractions, and consistently delivering quality work without direct supervision. They’re naturally good at setting boundaries, prioritizing tasks, and maintaining focus—skills that make remote work not just manageable, but truly enjoyable.

6. Roll-With-The-Punches Adaptability

Here’s the thing about WordPress and our products: they’re always evolving. If constant change makes you nervous, this role might not be your cup of tea. But if you’re the type who gets excited about learning new things and adapting to fresh challenges? You’ll feel right at home here.

7. Patience

One minute you might be helping a developer debug their custom code, and the next you’re explaining to someone that blogs are websites and websites can have blogs – you don’t have to choose one or the other!. Great Happiness Engineers can adapt their style to meet each customer where they are, keeping their cool and maintaining their helpful attitude no matter what comes their way.

The Tech Skills You’ll Want to Have:

While people skills really matter, you’ll also need some technical skills:

1. WordPress Know-How

You should already feel comfortable using WordPress—navigating the dashboard, publishing posts, customizing themes, and basic troubleshooting. If WordPress feels like a foreign language to you right now, spend some time getting familiar with it before applying. We want you to have at least built your own blog and have spent time using and customizing it. 

2. HTML & CSS Basics

You don’t need to be a developer, but understanding how websites work under the hood is super helpful. Knowing basic HTML and CSS will save you (and our users) tons of time.

3. Domain & DNS Fundamentals

DNS can be confusing for many people, but understanding how domains connect to websites is crucial. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll use this knowledge.

4. SEO Essentials

Many of our users want to grow their audience. Knowing the basics of how search engines work helps you give them useful advice that actually works.

5. eCommerce Concepts

With WooCommerce being such a big part of what we do, understanding the basics of online stores is increasingly important. If you’ve ever run a shop or helped someone sell stuff online, that experience is valuable.

How to Get Ready for This Role:

Want to prepare yourself for a Happiness Engineer career? Here’s what to do:

1. Get Customer Experience

If you don’t have it yet, find ways to help people solve technical problems. Freelance, volunteer, take a part-time gig—whatever works for you. You’ll really want to build those skills and experience.

2. Play With WordPress

The best way to learn is by doing. Set up your own WordPress site (or several!). Break things and fix them. Try different themes. Install plugins. A great aspect of WordPress is that you can create a site for free!

3. Help Out in the Community

Jump into the WordPress.com forums and start helping people. It’s great practice, shows initiative, and gives you a taste of what the job is like. If you do this, be sure to mention it and link to your profile when you apply for the HE role.

4. Check Out Our Blog

Take a peek at the Happiness Engineer blog to get the inside scoop on what we really do day-to-day. It’s full of stories and advice from the team.

5. Keep Learning

There are tons of free resources (see below) out there to level up your skills. Spend a little time each week learning something new about WordPress, customer service, or technical troubleshooting.

Tools to Build Your Skills:

Here are some up-to-date resources to help you build your skills:

WordPress Skills

HTML & CSS

Domains & DNS

Customer Service Skills

  • LinkedIn Learning Courses – Several top-notch courses for support fundamentals:
    • “Technical Support Fundamentals” – Great introduction to the technical side of support
    • “Customer Service Foundations” – Master the essentials of great customer interactions
    • “Technical Support: Tips & Tricks” – Real-world strategies you can use right away
  • Google IT Support Professional Certificate – A comprehensive program that covers both technical and customer service skills. While it goes beyond what you need for this role, the support modules are fantastic.
  • Support Driven – An amazing community of support professionals offering workshops and resources. Their content is especially valuable because it comes from people actively working in support.

Ready to Make People Happy?

The journey to becoming a Happiness Engineer is unique for everyone, but it always combines a passion for helping others with the right mix of technical skills and personal qualities. We’re looking for people who truly enjoy solving problems, connecting with customers, and continuously learning in a fast-paced environment. If you’ve read through this post and found yourself nodding along, excited about the challenges and opportunities described, that’s a great sign!

Whether you’re ready to apply today or still building your skills, I hope this guide has given you a clearer picture of what it takes to thrive in this role. The most successful candidates bring both previous customer service experience and WordPress knowledge to the table, along with that special ability to make technical support feel personal and human.

If you think you’d be a great fit for our team, we’d love to hear from you! Check out our Happiness Engineer openings and submit your application. 

Remember, every Happiness Engineer at Automattic started exactly where you are now: wondering if this could be their dream job. For many of us, it absolutely is.