Senior PHP Developer
Europe (non-EU)
October 24, 2026 at 8:47 AM
✨ AI summary
Location
- United Kingdom
Languages
- PHP 8+
- JavaScript
Frameworks
- Symfony
Cloud Services
- AWS RDS
- AWS S3
- AWS CloudWatch
Databases
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
Experience Level
- 5+ years commercial experience
About The Company
Spectrum IT Recruitment is working with a client seeking an experienced Senior PHP Developer to join its team on a 12-month fixed-term contract. The client develops and supports business-critical web applications and supporting systems. This opportunity is suited to a developer who enjoys working with established software, understanding how systems operate in practice and making improvements that support both users and business needs.
About The Role
As Senior PHP Developer, you will take a hands-on role in the development, maintenance and production support of existing applications. You will work across the software development lifecycle, from understanding requirements and proposing technical solutions through to implementation, testing, release and ongoing support. The role involves delivering new functionality, investigating complex issues and helping modernise legacy systems while maintaining reliable day-to-day operations.
You will collaborate with technical colleagues and business stakeholders, communicate progress and technical considerations clearly, and contribute to an Agile team. A strong understanding of PHP and Symfony will help you quickly become effective in an existing codebase and take ownership of your work.
Qualifications
You will bring at least five years of commercial experience developing and supporting business-critical web applications, with extensive experience using PHP 8 or later and strong knowledge of Symfony. You should understand object-oriented programming, SOLID principles and common design patterns, and be confident working with an established codebase.
We are looking for experience designing, developing and integrating RESTful APIs, including authentication and authorisation. Familiarity with OAuth2, OpenID Connect and JWT is important. You will also have good knowledge of HTML5, CSS3 and modern JavaScript, along with strong SQL skills covering relational database design, query optimisation and performance tuning. Experience with PostgreSQL, MySQL or an equivalent database is relevant.
Further requirements include practical experience with Linux, Git, Docker or other containerised development tools, automated testing and secure coding practices. Knowledge of OWASP principles and a track record of maintaining or modernising legacy applications are valuable. You should be comfortable working independently, communicating with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and contributing constructively to code reviews.
Experience with AWS services such as RDS, S3 and CloudWatch, CI/CD tools including GitHub Actions or GitLab CI, and Nginx or Apache administration would be advantageous. Experience in eCommerce, financial or operational environments, or leading technical projects and workstreams, would also be beneficial.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include developing, enhancing and maintaining web applications and their supporting systems; delivering work throughout the software development lifecycle within an Agile team; and translating business requirements into secure, maintainable technical solutions. You will investigate and resolve production defects across application code, APIs, databases and infrastructure, and build and integrate RESTful APIs.
You will also modernise legacy applications, reduce technical debt, improve application and database performance, write automated unit and integration tests, and participate in code reviews. Maintaining useful technical documentation, following secure coding practices and supporting reliable production operations will be central to the role.
Benefits
This is a 12-month fixed-term contract offering the opportunity to contribute to important applications and make a practical impact on established systems. You will work on a varied mix of development, technical improvement and production support, with scope to apply your expertise to complex challenges. Specific compensation, working arrangements and other benefits will be discussed during the recruitment process.
Equal Opportunity
Spectrum IT Recruitment and its client are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. Applications are welcomed from qualified candidates of all backgrounds. Selection will be based on relevant skills, experience and suitability for the role. Spectrum IT Recruitment (South) Limited is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Spectrum IT Recruitment is working with a client seeking an experienced Senior PHP Developer to join its team on a 12-month fixed-term contract. The client develops and supports business-critical web applications and supporting systems. This opportunity is suited to a developer who enjoys working with established software, understanding how systems operate in practice and making improvements that support both users and business needs.
About The Role
As Senior PHP Developer, you will take a hands-on role in the development, maintenance and production support of existing applications. You will work across the software development lifecycle, from understanding requirements and proposing technical solutions through to implementation, testing, release and ongoing support. The role involves delivering new functionality, investigating complex issues and helping modernise legacy systems while maintaining reliable day-to-day operations.
You will collaborate with technical colleagues and business stakeholders, communicate progress and technical considerations clearly, and contribute to an Agile team. A strong understanding of PHP and Symfony will help you quickly become effective in an existing codebase and take ownership of your work.
Qualifications
You will bring at least five years of commercial experience developing and supporting business-critical web applications, with extensive experience using PHP 8 or later and strong knowledge of Symfony. You should understand object-oriented programming, SOLID principles and common design patterns, and be confident working with an established codebase.
We are looking for experience designing, developing and integrating RESTful APIs, including authentication and authorisation. Familiarity with OAuth2, OpenID Connect and JWT is important. You will also have good knowledge of HTML5, CSS3 and modern JavaScript, along with strong SQL skills covering relational database design, query optimisation and performance tuning. Experience with PostgreSQL, MySQL or an equivalent database is relevant.
Further requirements include practical experience with Linux, Git, Docker or other containerised development tools, automated testing and secure coding practices. Knowledge of OWASP principles and a track record of maintaining or modernising legacy applications are valuable. You should be comfortable working independently, communicating with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and contributing constructively to code reviews.
Experience with AWS services such as RDS, S3 and CloudWatch, CI/CD tools including GitHub Actions or GitLab CI, and Nginx or Apache administration would be advantageous. Experience in eCommerce, financial or operational environments, or leading technical projects and workstreams, would also be beneficial.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include developing, enhancing and maintaining web applications and their supporting systems; delivering work throughout the software development lifecycle within an Agile team; and translating business requirements into secure, maintainable technical solutions. You will investigate and resolve production defects across application code, APIs, databases and infrastructure, and build and integrate RESTful APIs.
You will also modernise legacy applications, reduce technical debt, improve application and database performance, write automated unit and integration tests, and participate in code reviews. Maintaining useful technical documentation, following secure coding practices and supporting reliable production operations will be central to the role.
Benefits
This is a 12-month fixed-term contract offering the opportunity to contribute to important applications and make a practical impact on established systems. You will work on a varied mix of development, technical improvement and production support, with scope to apply your expertise to complex challenges. Specific compensation, working arrangements and other benefits will be discussed during the recruitment process.
Equal Opportunity
Spectrum IT Recruitment and its client are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. Applications are welcomed from qualified candidates of all backgrounds. Selection will be based on relevant skills, experience and suitability for the role. Spectrum IT Recruitment (South) Limited is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.