Senior-Level Backend PHP Developer

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design development and maintenance of scalable backend services and RESTful APIs using modern PHP frameworks (Laravel or similar)
• Architect robust secure and high-performance backend systems aligned to best practices
• Collaborate with frontend developers to ensure seamless system integrations across the full stack
• Build clean maintainable and well-tested code aligned to coding standards
• Design manage and optimise MySQL databases including schema design migrations and query performance tuning
• Troubleshoot debug and resolve complex application and system issues across environments
• Integrate third-party APIs and external data services
• Conduct code reviews and mentor mid-level and junior developers
• Support CI/CD processes and work closely with DevOps to ensure smooth deployments
• Identify performance bottlenecks and implement scalable efficient solutions
• Contribute to architectural planning technical strategy and engineering best practices

Requirements:

• 6 years professional experience in PHP development
• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming (OOP) and MVC architecture
• Extensive experience with Laravel or similar modern PHP frameworks
• Advanced MySQL skills including query optimisation and database design
• Experience working with Git and collaborative version control workflows
• Extensive experience building and consuming RESTful APIs (JSON/XML)
• Strong understanding of unit and feature testing in PHP
• Proven experience mentoring developers and conducting code reviews
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work independently and within a team
• Experience working with caching and messaging tools such as Redis or RabbitMQ
• Exposure to Docker or containerised environments
• Basic understanding of frontend technologies such as or React
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments
• Experience working with secure data or financial integrations (advantageous)
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud (advantageous)

Technical & Professional Skills:

• Advanced PHP development (Laravel or equivalent frameworks)
• Strong SQL and database optimisation skills
• Experience with RESTful API development and integration
• Knowledge of software design principles and clean architecture
• Understanding of caching strategies and asynchronous processing
• Exposure to cloud and container environments
• Familiarity with modern DevOps practices and deployment pipelines
• Strong debugging and performance optimisation capabilities
• Experience with software architecture and design patterns

Preferred Qualifications:

• Tertiary qualification in Computer Science Information Technology or a related field
• Relevant PHP or software development certifications (advantageous)
• Experience working in a fast-paced agile development environment

Key Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• High attention to detail and commitment to code quality
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a dynamic environment
• Proactive solution-driven mindset
• Strong leadership mentoring and knowledge-sharing approach
• Passion for continuous learning and technical improvement