PHP Developer

We’re recruiting on behalf of an established organisation for an experienced Lead Laravel Developer to take a senior role within a substantial and long-standing technology environment.

This is not purely a development position . We’re looking for someone who combines strong Laravel/PHP experience with excellent people, project and stakeholder management skills.

You’ll take day-to-day ownership of a dedicated four-person development team and work closely with the organisation to manage priorities, projects and ongoing development across a significant digital estate, including four mobile apps, two websites and a number of internal web applications .

You’ll oversee projects from initial requirements and planning through to development, testing, release and ongoing improvement. The role offers a high level of ownership and autonomy across the client relationship, team and delivery.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Leading and managing a dedicated four-person development team
• Providing technical leadership across a Laravel/PHP development environment
• Remaining hands-on with Laravel development when required, including development, troubleshooting, code review and technical problem solving
• Managing multiple projects and development workstreams from initial requirement through to delivery
• Working directly with stakeholders to understand requirements, priorities and wider business objectives
• Building strong relationships across the organisation, from operational and marketing teams through to senior leadership
• Translating business requirements into clear technical requirements and achievable delivery plans
• Managing priorities, resources, estimates, timelines, dependencies and delivery expectations
• Running meetings, project reviews and planning sessions
• Communicating progress, risks and issues clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Proactively identifying opportunities where technology can improve operations, customer experience or commercial performance
• Supporting estimates and technical scoping for new projects and features
• Mentoring and supporting developers within the team
• Maintaining high standards across development quality, security, performance and maintainability
• Taking genuine ownership of the relationship rather than simply responding to development requests

What we’re looking for

You’ll have 5+ years of commercial PHP/Laravel development experience , ideally with experience at Senior, Lead or Technical Lead level.

Just as importantly, you’ll have experience of:

• Leading people
• Managing software projects
• Working directly with clients and stakeholders
• Translating business requirements into technical solutions
• Managing competing priorities and delivery expectations
• Communicating effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences

We’re particularly interested in someone who has developed strong commercial and people skills alongside their technical career.

Technical experience

Strong commercial experience with PHP and Laravel is essential.

We’d also expect good knowledge of:

• APIs and third-party integrations
• MySQL and relational databases
• Git-based development workflows
• Testing and debugging
• Application security
• Performance and scalability
• Code review and development standards

Experience with modern frontend technologies, cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, e-commerce platforms or high-volume transactional systems would be beneficial, but isn’t essential.

The type of person we’re looking for

This role would suit someone who started their career as a developer and still enjoys being technically involved, but whose capabilities and interests have grown beyond simply writing code.

You might currently be a Senior Laravel Developer, Lead Developer, Technical Lead or Development Team Lead , and already find yourself increasingly involved in clients, projects, mentoring and commercial conversations.

You’ll enjoy understanding why something is being built, not just how to build it.

You’ll be comfortable taking ownership of a significant relationship and becoming someone both stakeholders and the development team trust to get things done.

You’ll also have the commercial awareness to recognise opportunities, suggest improvements and help the organisation get more value from its technology investment.

Working arrangements

• 2 days per week working on-site
• Remaining days working remotely
• Occasional UK travel for meetings, workshops or other business requirements
• Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses covered

There will also be opportunities to collaborate with the wider technology and delivery teams and get involved with the broader organisation.

If you’re an experienced Laravel developer who is ready to take the next step into a role combining technical leadership, people management, project delivery and stakeholder management , apply today!