Lead PHP Developer

Tenth Revolution Group; Southampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology recruitment firm in Southampton is seeking a hands-on Lead PHP Developer to drive the technical direction of a vital digital platform. This role involves managing a large-scale PHP application, guiding developers, and coordinating with stakeholders. Candidates should have extensive PHP development experience, particularly with Laravel, and a proactive problem-solving approach. Competitive salary and opportunities for personal growth are offered.

Qualifications

• Strong development experience using PHP with frameworks like Laravel or CakePHP.
• Experience managing or contributing to full-stack web projects in a structured methodology.
• Working knowledge of secure coding practices and performance optimisation.
• Secure coding practices and performance optimization
• Experience leading technical teams or coordinating outsourced partners
• Able to translate product goals into technical plans and delivery schedules
• Strong problem-solving and delivery-focused mindset

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the technical delivery for a large-scale PHP-based application.
• Manage and coordinate development resources between internal priorities and external agency teams.
• Guide and mentor developers with code reviews and process improvements.
• Contribute to hands-on coding when needed and manage backlog/technical debt.
• Oversee AWS-hosted infrastructure, uptime, cost optimization, and on-call escalation.
• Mentor developers through code reviews, testing strategy, and process improvements.
• Support project managers with delivery insights and system integration planning.
• Maintain architecture and release documentation.

Skills

PHP

Laravel

Agile methodologies

Problem-solving skills

Agile

JSON/XML

APIs

Security practices

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Tools

AWS

CI/CD

Testing frameworks

Job description

Overview

Senior Manager at Tenth Revolution Group - Helping organisations across the UK hire the best Cloud Talent.

We’re looking for a hands-on and strategic Lead PHP Developer to guide the technical direction of a growing digital platform that plays a vital role in customer engagement and operational efficiency.

In this role, you’ll act as a key decision-maker for technical development priorities, leading the evolution of a robust web application used throughout the customer lifecycle. You’ll work closely with external development partners, product owners, and stakeholders to shape development roadmaps, optimise system performance, and align technical initiatives with long-term goals. This is a great opportunity for a senior engineer ready to step into a leadership role, or an experienced tech lead eager to drive both architectural direction and day-to-day development practices.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Take ownership of the technical delivery for a large-scale PHP-based application, developed using Laravel.
• Manage and coordinate development resources between internal priorities and external agency teams.
• Translate business needs into scoped, prioritised technical workstreams and forecast timelines for delivery.
• Participate in hands-on coding when needed, helping to manage backlog and technical debt.
• Oversee infrastructure hosted on AWS, including uptime, cost optimisation, and out-of-hours escalation processes.
• Guide and mentor developers with code reviews, testing strategy, and process improvements.
• Support project managers with delivery insights, third-party cost assessments, and system integration planning.
• Maintain clear, current documentation for architecture, dependencies, and release notes.

Key Skills & Experience

• Strong development experience using PHP with frameworks like Laravel or CakePHP.
• Experience managing or contributing to full-stack web projects in a structured methodology (e.g. Waterfall or Agile).
• Familiarity with JSON/XML data processing and integrating third-party APIs.
• Working knowledge of secure coding practices and performance optimisation.
• Previous involvement in leading technical teams or coordinating outsourced development partners.
• Skilled in translating product goals into technical plans and delivery schedules.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive, delivery-focused mindset.

Bonus Skills

• Experience managing web applications hosted in cloud environments, particularly AWS.
• Familiarity with code testing frameworks and continuous integration pipelines.
• Knowledge of security standards and web design best practices.

What We’re Looking For

• A confident technical lead who’s equally comfortable making strategic decisions and rolling up their sleeves.
• Someone who communicates clearly and works well with product managers, analysts, and development partners.
• A natural problem-solver who thrives in dynamic environments and takes pride in delivering scalable, secure systems.

For more information, send your CV to [e-mail]