Director of Engineering at Fueled
From web development to engineering leadership.
I’m Felipe Elia, Director of Engineering, Cloud and Managed Services at Fueled. I’ve worked in web development since 2005 and focused on WordPress since 2014. Today I lead systems, front-end, and back-end engineers and the development of ElasticPress and SiteWatch, while staying close to code and technical decisions.
How I approach the work
I care about technical understanding, clear context, and teams that keep learning.
Stay close to the work
I lead engineering teams, but I still write code and participate in technical decisions. Understanding the work helps me better support the people doing it.
Make decisions clearer
Teams do their best work when goals, responsibilities, and tradeoffs are clear. I try to create the context people need to make good decisions without relying on heroics.
Share what you learn
I learned much of what I know from people who shared openly. Writing, speaking, and community work are some of the ways I try to continue that cycle.
A career on the web
The milestones that shaped my work as an engineer and leader.
2020–Present
Fueled, formerly 10up
I joined the company in 2020 as a Web Engineer. Since then, I have progressed through Senior Web Engineer, Lead Web Engineer, and Associate Director roles to my current position as Director. Today I lead engineering teams and the development of ElasticPress and SiteWatch.
2018–Present
International work
My professional work has been exclusively international since 2018, collaborating with distributed teams across countries and time zones.
2014–Present
WordPress
WordPress has been my main technical focus since 2014, spanning plugins, client work, products, and contributions to the project and its communities.
2012–Present
Working from home
I have worked entirely from home since 2012 and remain an advocate for remote work.
Since 2005
Web development
I began working in web development in 2005. That technical foundation continues to shape how I approach products, teams, and engineering leadership.
WordPress and knowledge sharing
When WordPress became my main focus in 2014, I became involved in both Brazilian and international communities. Over the years, I contributed to WordPress core and Meta, translation, the Brazilian support forum and news site, and local community organization, including WordPress Curitiba.
I have spoken at local meetups, WordCamps, and international events, including WP Engine DE{CODE} and a webinar with Pantheon. Speaking was more frequent in the past, but I still value opportunities to share practical experience.
In 2020, I was a recipient of the Yoast Community Care Fund in recognition of my contributions to the WordPress community.
Knowledge should be shared.
Education and continued learning
After high school, I studied computing at UERJ but did not complete the degree. Years later, after I was already working as a developer, I earned a degree in Marketing from Unicesumar and received a full scholarship for postgraduate study in Digital Marketing.
My final academic project explored the importance of free and open-source software for digital marketing.
In February 2024, I earned the Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) and Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®) certifications from Scrum Alliance.
Beyond work
I’m Brazilian, married, and a father. I was born in Rio de Janeiro and have lived in Curitiba since 2012.
Outside work, I’m always learning something new. I love books, cinema, comics, and especially video games—as well as videos about carpentry and construction.
Many years ago, I played violin in a few orchestras and studied acoustic guitar. Drawing is also one of my hobbies.
I’m quite skeptical, but perhaps because of my work, I believe there may be some kind of organization behind everything. In trying to understand that organization and explore different aspects of life, I even studied tarot. I support minority rights and abortion rights.
Let’s keep in touch
If you’d like to keep reading, join the newsletter. If you want to discuss something I’ve written or simply say hello, send me a message.