Senior PHP / Next.js Developer

We are looking for an experienced Senior PHP / Next.js Developer to join our fully remote engineering team and play a key role in the continued development of our large-scale SaaS platform.

This is a backend-first role, centred around designing and building robust APIs, developing new functionality, and modernising a substantial PHP codebase. Alongside this, you’ll also contribute to our modern Next.jsfrontend, allowing you to work across the full stack where appropriate.

Our platform has been developed over many years and continues to evolve. We are looking for a pragmatic engineer who enjoys improving and modernising existing systems through thoughtful design and clean code, rather than reaching for wholesale rewrites. You’ll work closely with developers, project managers and clients to design, build and deliver high-quality software that is used daily by organisations across the UK.

Responsibilities

Design, develop and deliver new features for a large-scale SaaS platform

• Build and maintain scalable RESTful APIs that power our Next.js frontend
• Develop and enhance backend services using modern PHP practices
• Contribute to frontend development using Next.js where required
• Modernise and refactor legacy code while maintaining stability and backwards compatibility
• Design clean, maintainable and reusable application components
• Optimise existing systems for performance, scalability and reliability
• Collaborate with frontend developers to define API contracts and deliver seamless user experiences
• Work directly with project managers and occasionally clients to refine technical solutions
• Participate in architecture discussions, code reviews and continuous improvement initiatives
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across the application stack

PHP Development

• Strong commercial experience developing applications in PHP
• Excellent understanding of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• Strong understanding of MVC architecture and separation of concerns
• Commercial experience with MVC frameworks such as CodeIgniter, Symfony or similar
• Experience building scalable, maintainable applications
• Comfortable working within an established codebase and continually improving it using modern development practices
• Strong understanding of software design principles and clean architecture

Frontend Development

• Commercial experience with Next.js
• Strong knowledge of React
• Good understanding of JavaScript and/or TypeScript
• Experience consuming and integrating RESTful APIs
• Comfortable working across both backend and frontend codebases

Databases

• Strong experience with relational databases such as MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL
• Ability to write, optimise and troubleshoot complex SQL queries
• Experience designing efficient database schemas
• Understanding of indexing, query optimisation and database performance tuning
• Strong understanding of transactional systems and data integrity

APIs & Integration

• Strong experience designing and developing RESTful APIs
• Experience working within API-first architectures
• Understanding of API versioning and backwards compatibility
• Experience integrating third-party services and external APIs
• Knowledge of authentication and authorisation (JWT, OAuth or similar)
• Ability to produce clean, consistent and well-documented API responses

Development Practices

• Strong Git experience
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines
• Comfortable participating in peer code reviews
• Understanding of automated testing principles
• Experience working within Agile development teams
• Exposure to AWS or other cloud platforms would be beneficial

Desirable Experience

Although not essential, experience with any of the following would be advantageous:

• Docker
• AWS
• Elasticsearch/OpenSearch
• Redis or background job processing
• Event-driven or message queue architectures
• Large multi-tenant SaaS applications
• Security-focused development
• High-traffic or business-critical applications

Personal Attributes

You’ll be someone who enjoys building software that lasts. You’re happy working on an established product, modernising it where it makes sense, and balancing technical excellence with practical delivery.

If you’re a strong PHP developer who also enjoys working with modern frontend technologies like Next.js, and you’re looking for a fully remote role where you can make a genuine impact on a large, evolving platform, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Enjoys solving complex technical problems
• Is pragmatic and focuses on delivering value rather than chasing technology trends
• Takes pride in writing clean, maintainable and well-documented code
• Is confident working independently in a fully remote environment
• Communicates clearly with both technical and non-technical colleagues
• Enjoys collaborating across backend and frontend development
• Is proactive, self-motivated and keen to continually improve
• Enjoys sharing knowledge and contributing positively to the wider engineering team, * Are you happy working on an established CodeIgniter codebase that is continually modernised rather than rewritten?

Experience:

• Next.js: 2 years (preferred)
• Commercial PHP Development: 5 years (required)

Pulled from the full job description

• Flexible schedule, * Fully remote working
• Flexible working hours
• Opportunity to work on a mature, large-scale SaaS platform with an active development roadmap
• Interesting technical challenges across both backend and frontend technologies
• Modern technology stack including PHP, Next.js, AWS and RESTful APIs
• Opportunity to influence technical direction and architecture
• Supportive, collaborative engineering culture
• Exposure to a wide variety of projects, integrations and technologies
• Ongoing opportunities for professional development and learning

Pay: £200.00-£250.00 per day