Meet the Experts: Raphaela Kelly

From our award-winning customer support team to the engineers who keep our platform and services fast and performant, each one of WP Engine’s more than 1,000 employees is vital to fulfilling our mission to power confidence online.

We take pride in our team’s expertise, whether in technical troubleshooting for WordPress sites, driving relentless innovation across our fully managed hosting platform, or providing exceptional support for our agency partners.  

In this ongoing series, we speak with WP Engine’s experts to learn more about their roles, areas of expertise, and contributions to the company’s success.

In this interview, we speak with Raphaela Kelly, aka Rapha. She’s a senior technical support agent based in Galway, Ireland.

Say hello to Rapha!

Rapha is a gamer who enjoys life and immersive simulation games like Stardew Valley, The Sims, and Animal Crossing. She’s also a vital member of WP Engine Ireland.

Originally from Espírito Santo, Brazil, Rapha joined a student exchange program to Europe in 2019, where she met an Irishman who would later become her husband. After some international changes in residence—including a couple of years back home in Brazil and a quick stint in Portugal—she officially moved to Ireland in 2021, and applied at WP Engine shortly after.

“I had been very active in the open-source community back in Espírito Santo, so WordPress was already familiar to me,” Rapha says. 

“While researching potential jobs, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that WP Engine is highly rated by Great Places to Work as well.”

When she’s not working or gaming, Rapha also enjoys spending time outdoors or taking in the city.

“I like taking a good walk. Living in Ireland, it’s hard not to—the place is absolutely stunning,” she says.

“I live in Galway. I like that it is not a very big city, but it’s very active. No matter the weather, there is always something happening in Galway, and walking down Shop Street always provides a bit of entertainment.”

Even though she lives just over an hour from the WP Engine Ireland office in Limerick, she still visits the bustling hub to say hello.

“Everyone is very warm and supportive. We have fun together, and going to the office is always great craic,”  says Rapha. 

“Although I work mostly remotely, I make a point of going to the office when I can to connect with people.”

Rapha’s career journey

Before joining WP Engine, Rapha had plenty of technical experience, including a background working with several technologies WP Engine integrates into our current platform configuration.

“I had worked for Cloudflare previously, which made WP Engine even more appealing to me,” says Rapha. 

“Working with Linux, WordPress, and Cloudflare services makes me feel right at home.”

Now, she provides expert advice to our customers as a member of our support team. As a senior technical support agent, her role often involves handling more complex issues.

“I think my experience working with open-source services, networks, and Cloudflare helps me understand things more easily, making me one of the go-to people for unusual cases,” she says. 

“It also helps that I love a bit of sleuthing. If there’s something I don’t know yet, I’ll go learn it to help our customers.”

When asked what advice she would give to someone starting out on a career journey similar to hers, Rapha’s advice mirrored that of her colleague, Julio.

“Ask questions. Entering any IT field can be challenging, especially if you didn’t start in IT,” she says. 

“Some people are afraid to ask questions, but no one can know everything. Working in IT is a constant learning process, and asking for help is one of the best ways to get the hang of things.”

Words of wisdom: Focus on finding solutions

One of the most challenging aspects of Rapha’s role is not just the complexity of the issues she is tasked with solving but also the level of frustration that often accompanies this complexity.

“The cases I work on are technically challenging, but they’re also often challenging on a social level. It’s not easy to refocus a customer on resolving the problem rather than letting them dwell on their frustration,” she says.

“I believe I am an empathetic person, and I do my best to put myself in the customer’s shoes every day.”

Complex issues are often the ones most rife with opportunities to learn, and Rapha uses these moments to hone her own skills—both from a technical and interpersonal perspective.

“We have such a variety of customers, and I learn a lot from working with them to understand their specific needs and situations,” she says. 

“There is usually a mix of technologies involved, which really keeps me on my toes. And because WP Engine is also constantly changing and adapting to more modern technologies, I learn a lot from our engineering teams as well.”

Even during the most challenging cases, when tensions are high and it’s easy to feel defeated, Rapha remains focused on finding solutions and remaining positive.

“Don’t take it personally. If a customer is upset with an issue, our focus should be on resolving it,” she said. 

“It’s understandable to feel frustrated by a problem—I feel it myself. But it’s not personal, so we need to empathize and not let that frustration affect our problem-solving.”

Powered by people

WP Engine is powered by people just like Rapha who work around the clock to optimize our platform and solutions to provide the best possible digital experiences on WordPress.

When asked to identify her favorite aspect of her job at WP Engine, her answer wasn’t all too surprising.

“The people—both our employees and our customers. We have a very diverse workforce and customer base, and I love that. Everyone has something unique about them, and I enjoy finding opportunities to connect with people.”

Want to find out more about what it’s like to work at WP Engine? Visit our careers site to see the roles we currently have open and check out our blog for more information about all the great people who work here!