Senior Developer
Senior Developer | CAT360 | Remote (Wigan-based preferred) Barbourne Brook Limited | Permanent, full-time | £50,000-£70,000 DOE
We are looking for a Senior Developer to join Barbourne Brook in-house and take ownership of CAT360's continued development.
This is not a 'write tickets, ship code' role. You will contribute to architectural decisions, challenge existing approaches where you see room for improvement, and help shape the technical direction of the product. You will work across the full stack, with the heaviest emphasis on the backend (Laravel/PHP) and the data processing pipeline at the heart of the platform.
We are an AI-forward team. CAT360 already integrates LLMs in-product, and we use AI development tools (Claude) extensively in our day-to-day workflow. We want someone who sees AI as a force multiplier - using it to move faster and handle the mundane - while still bringing the judgment, architecture thinking, and code ownership that no tool can replace.
The details Location: Predominantly remote | Wigan-based preferred Reports to: Sam Blakeman, Head of Customs Analytics. Salary: £50,000-£70,000 depending on experience Contract: Permanent, full-time
What you will be doing
- Designing and building new features end-to-end across the Laravel backend and Vue.js frontend
- Contributing to architectural decisions and technical strategy for the platform
- Working on the import pipeline: ingesting, validating, enriching, and calculating duties on customs declaration data
- Building and maintaining integrations with external APIs
- Improving performance and scalability of data processing across millions of tariff measures and large-scale batch operations
- Writing and maintaining tests, and participating in code review
- Working with queue and job infrastructure for reliable background processing
- Supporting real-time features via WebSockets
Tech stack
PHP 8.4 / Laravel 12, SingleStore, Laravel Horizon, Laravel Reverb, Prism PHP with Google Gemini, Vue 3 / Inertia.js v2, Tailwind CSS v3, TypeScript, Vite, AWS (EC2, S3, ElastiCache), Laravel Forge, GitHub Actions, Pest v3, Vitest, Larastan v3.
You do not need to have worked with every technology listed. Strong fundamentals and the right mindset matter more than version numbers.
What we are looking for
Must-haves:
- Strong, proven PHP and Laravel experience
- Comfortable with Vue.js or a comparable modern JavaScript framework
- Solid understanding of relational databases: query optimisation, migrations, indexing, large datasets
- Experience with background job processing and queue systems
- Proficiency with AWS services
- Strong testing habits - you write tests because you want confidence in your code
- Git proficiency and collaborative development experience
- Ability to articulate and defend technical decisions, and equally, to change your mind when presented with a better argument
- Active use of AI-assisted development tools, with the judgment to know when AI output needs scrutiny
Nice-to-haves:
- Experience with SingleStore or other analytical databases
- Familiarity with Inertia.js and the monolith-with-modern-frontend pattern
- WebSocket or real-time feature experience
- LLM integration in production applications
- Multi-tenant SaaS experience
What you should know about us
The codebase is a well-structured Laravel monolith - not a legacy rescue project. It follows current Laravel conventions with proper test coverage, static analysis, and CI/CD in place.
You will have genuine influence over technical direction. We want someone who pushes back, suggests alternatives, and brings their own perspective.
The domain is niche but genuinely interesting. You will learn things about how international trade works that most developers never encounter.
AI tools are part of how we work, not a novelty. If you have been waiting for a team that takes this seriously rather than just talking about it, this is that team.
Working arrangement
Predominantly remote. Ideally based in or around Wigan, as you will be working closely day-to-day with colleagues in the Wigan and Sheffield areas. Monthly visit to our Worcester office, with occasional team meetings in Manchester.
To apply
Send your CV and a brief note on why this role appeals to you to careers@barbournebrook.co.uk. Applications close 15 May 2026. We aim to respond to all applications within three working days.
Barbourne Brook Limited | Customs complexity made clear. | barbournebrook.co.uk