Senior Backend Engineer (PHP)

Senior Backend Engineer (PHP – Core / Custom Frameworks)

Alternative Titles:

• Senior PHP Engineer (Backend / Systems)
• Backend Engineer – PHP (High Performance Systems)

Location: Remote (UK / Europe) | Occasional travel to Germany/US

Salary: Highly competitive (top-tier talent focus)

About the Role

We are looking for a top-tier Senior PHP Backend Engineer to help build and scale a custom, high-performance backend infrastructure.

⚠️ This is NOT a typical PHP / Laravel / Symfony role.

We are looking for engineers who have experience building or working with:

• Custom frameworks
• Core PHP systems
• Internal libraries
• High-performance / low-latency systems
• Scalable backend infrastructure
• Distributed systems
• High concurrency environments
• Async processing (ReactPHP, Swoole, FrameworkX)
• System design

This role is focused on engineers who understand how systems work under the hood and can build robust backend solutions from scratch.

If your experience is primarily CMS or standard web development (WordPress, Drupal, basic Laravel applications), this role will not be the right fit.

Backed by top investors, the company is scaling rapidly and building highly complex, high-performance backend systems.

You will work directly with a highly technical CTO who is deeply experienced in PHP and backend system design.

The Role

You will be responsible for:

• Architecting and building backend systems using core PHP
• Developing and maintaining custom frameworks, libraries, and core classes
• Designing scalable, high-performance APIs and services
• Optimising systems for high concurrency, low latency, and reliability
• Working closely with the CTO on system design and architecture
• Driving best practices around security, testing, and performance

Tech Stack

• PHP (custom architecture – not relying on Laravel/Symfony)
• FrameworkX (async processing)
• React (frontend)
• MySQL
• Redis
• Queues

Must-Have Experience

✅ 7+ years of strong PHP engineering experience

✅ Proven experience building or working with custom frameworks (essential)

✅ Experience building platforms/applications (not just websites)

✅ Ability to work without heavy framework reliance

Strong Technical Experience In

• Designing scalable systems with high concurrency
• Building custom libraries and reusable components
• API architecture and third-party integrations
• Performance optimisation and database tuning (MySQL)
• Async processing, queues, and caching (Redis)
• Secure systems (payments / financial data preferred)

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have experience with one or more of the following:

• Contributed to meaningful open-source projects
• Built or maintained custom frameworks/internal platforms
• Worked on high-load, low-latency, or financial systems

Culture Fit

Looking for someone who is:

• Comfortable working in startups or small teams
• Able to handle ambiguity and fast-paced environments
• Has a strong ownership mindset
• Genuinely excited about the product and company

Interview Process

1. Intro / Behavioural discussion
2. Technical deep dive
3. Final interview (CEO, if required)

⚠️ Process may move slightly slower due to the selective hiring approach.

Logistics

• Fully remote (UK / Europe preferred)
• CTO based in Germany
• Travel: 1–2 times per year maximum

Screening Questions

1. What experience do you have building custom frameworks or libraries from scratch without relying on Laravel/Symfony?
2. Can you share any open-source contributions or code samples?
3. Have you worked in a startup or small team environment?
4. Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment?