PHP Developer

You'll be working on interconnected systems handling millions of pounds in financial transactions, complex warehouse logistics, and fleet optimisation. This is production code where precision matters - financial calculations must be accurate to the penny, database operations must maintain referential integrity, and system integrations must be robust.

We're looking for a developer who can navigate legacy codebases, design clean API architectures, and make surgical improvements without introducing risk.

Core Responsibilities

API Development & Integration:

• Design and build RESTful APIs using FlightPHP or Laravel.
• Implement API orchestration patterns to coordinate between multiple systems.
• Handle authentication, rate limiting, error handling, and request validation.
• Design API contracts and documentation for internal and third-party consumers.
• Build integration layers for SFTP feeds, webhooks, and REST endpoints.
• Implement event driven architecture for system-to-system communication.
• Integrate UK carrier APIs for shipping and logistics operations.

Systems Engineering:

• Maintain and enhance Symfony / Doctrine ORM applications (PHP 8 compatibility).
• Implement cron job automation for nightly processing, accrual calculations, and reconciliation.
• Debug production issues in unfamiliar codebases using systematic analysis.
• Handle data migrations and schema changes in live systems with zero downtime.
• Integrate third-party systems (route optimisation, warehouse scanners, payment processors, carrier APIs).
• Implement proper error handling, logging, and monitoring for production systems., * Write complex MySQL queries involving multiple table joins, subqueries, and aggregations.
• Optimise query performance using indexes, execution plan analysis, and query refactoring.
• Implement transaction management for financial operations requiring ACID compliance.
• Build background processing tasks handling batch operations and scheduled jobs.
• Create real-time business intelligence queries for management dashboards.

Technical Environment

• Languages: PHP 8
• Frameworks: Symfony, FlightPHP, Laravel (for new API development), Doctrine ORM
• Database: MySQL
• Version Control: Git
• Systems: Linux (Ubuntu), cron, SFTP
• Integration Points: Route optimisation APIs, warehouse scanner systems, UK carrier APIs, third-party logistics platforms

What We're Looking For:

Technical Mindset

• You can read database execution plans and identify query bottlenecks
• You understand the difference between N+1 queries and efficient eager loading.
• You know when to use transactions and how to handle deadlocks.
• You can debug issues by reading stack traces, logs, and database states.
• You understand foreign key constraints and referential integrity.

Production First Approach

• You make minimal, surgical changes rather than large refactors in production code.
• You understand that financial systems require extreme care and testing.
• You can assess risk before making changes to live systems.
• You write defensive code that handles edge cases and validates inputs.
• You understand the importance of audit trails and data lineage., * Build APIs to orchestrate warehouse operations between WMS and route optimization systems.
• Integrate UK carrier APIs for automated label generation and shipment tracking.
• Design database schemas for container tracking with barcode scanning integration.
• Optimise queries processing 80-vehicle fleet operations with capacity calculations.
• Build event driven systems to trigger recalculations when business rules change.
• Develop end-to-end carrier integration removing manual label processing workflows.

Do you have experience in Vue.js?, * 5+ years PHP development.

• Experience with MVC frameworks (Laravel, Symfony or similar).
• Experience with any of Vue, React, Angular, Tailwind.
• Understanding of ORM patterns (Doctrine, Eloquent, or similar).
• Ability to read and refactor legacy codebases safely

Database Proficiency:

• Advanced MySQL query writing and optimisation.
• Understanding of indexes, query execution plans, and performance tuning.
• Experience with complex joins, CTEs, window functions, and subqueries.
• Knowledge of transaction isolation levels and locking mechanisms.
• Ability to design normalised schemas and handle denormalisation trade-offs.

API Design & Development:

• Building RESTful APIs from scratch with proper HTTP semantics (FlightPHP or Laravel experience preferred).
• Understanding of API orchestration and service coordination.
• Experience designing API contracts for multiple consumers.
• Knowledge of authentication mechanisms (API keys, OAuth, JWT).
• API versioning strategies and backward compatibility management.
• Request / response validation and error handling patterns.

Systems Integration:

• Experience integrating disparate systems via APIs, file feeds, or message queues.
• Understanding of data transformation and mapping between systems.
• Handling asynchronous processing and eventual consistency.
• Implementing retry logic, circuit breakers, and error recovery patterns.

Production Engineering:

• Version control with Git (branching strategies, merge conflict resolution).
• Deployment processes and rollback procedures.
• Debugging production issues under pressure.
• Understanding of risk assessment for code changes in live financial systems.

Highly Desirable

• UK carrier API integration experience.
• Experience with financial systems requiring precise decimal arithmetic.
• Warehouse management or logistics system background.
• Fleet management or route optimisation experience.
• Event driven architecture implementation.
• Experience with data warehousing or BI reporting.
• Linux command line proficiency.
• Understanding of database replication and backup strategies., * You can design APIs that are intuitive, consistent, and versioned properly.
• You understand how to coordinate multiple services and handle failures.
• You know when to use synchronous vs asynchronous processing.
• You can identify integration patterns and choose appropriate solutions.

Problem Solving Ability

• You can work through complex codebases you didn't write.
• You ask clarifying questions before implementing solutions.
• You can trace data flow through multiple systems.
• You understand business logic and translate requirements into technical solutions.

• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Store discount

We operate 150+ retail stores across the UK with our own 80 - vehicle delivery fleet, turning over £150m annually. Our technical infrastructure supports warehouse operations, ERP systems, various reward schemes, fleet management, and business intelligence systems that require high reliability and data precision.