Hands-on Development Manager - PHP / Laravel

Avanti Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software house in Greater London seeks a Hands-On Development Manager to lead and mentor a team of developers while remaining hands-on with PHP coding. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in PHP and Laravel, along with a background in scaling tech companies. This role offers a competitive salary of £70,000 - £85,000 plus equity, and a remote-first culture with one day a week in the London office.

Benefits

Base salary £70,000 - £85,000

Equity

Remote-first culture

Career progression potential

Qualifications

• Experience leading and mentoring senior developers in a collaborative environment.
• Ability to provide technical direction and architectural oversight for projects.
• Hands-on PHP coding and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of senior developers.
• Provide technical direction for complex projects.
• Shape the technology roadmap for AI projects.

Skills

Strong PHP experience

Laravel framework

Database expertise

MySQL

Elasticsearch

Front-end knowledge

Vue.js or similar frameworks

Understanding of DevOps practices

GitHub

Terraform

AI systems experience

Experience in scaling tech companies

Experience in start-ups

Job description

Overview

Hands-on Development Manager - PHP / Laravel

We are looking for a Hands-On Development Manager to join a leading software house building AI products to revolutionise their market. We are seeking a player/manager who can lead, manage and motivate a small but experienced team whilst also remaining hands-on in PHP coding. They recently launched their AI-driven platform which is scaling quickly towards profitability and market leadership with backing from top-tier investors.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of senior developers in a collaborative, non-political environment
• Provide technical direction and architectural oversight for complex projects
• Stay hands-on with coding, problem-solving, and technical delivery
• Shape the technology roadmap, working across legacy systems and cutting-edge AI projects
• Drive technical standards and ensure delivery against ambitious targets
• Work closely with leadership to translate business needs into technical solutions

Technical Stack & Experience

• Strong PHP experience (Laravel framework)
• Database expertise: MySQL, Elasticsearch
• Front-end knowledge: Vue.js or similar modern frameworks
• Understanding of DevOps practices (GitHub, Terraform advantageous)
• AI systems experience is a plus
• Previous experience in scaling tech companies or start-ups highly valuable

What\'s On Offer

• Base salary £70,000 - £85,000 + equity
• Remote-first culture + 1 day a week in the London office
• Opportunity to join at a pivotal scaling moment with rapid career progression potential
• Work on diverse projects from legacy optimisation to cutting-edge AI deployment
• This is your chance to step into a leadership role where you can directly influence both technology direction and team culture.

As the successful candidate, you will thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy mentoring senior developers, and want to be part of building something transformational. APPLY TODAY for immediate consideration