PHP Developer

Formula Recruitment; Remote; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency seeks a PHP Developer contractor for a fully remote role. The developer will design and build middleware services and APIs for integration-heavy backend systems. Candidates must have strong PHP skills along with experience in building REST APIs. Additional knowledge of Airtable and Node.js is desirable. This position offers up to £325 per day outside IR35 and is expected to last for 6 months.

Qualifications

• Strong PHP experience required.
• Experience in building integration-heavy backend systems is essential.
• Knowledge of REST API design, especially for backend-for-frontend, is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Designing and building PHP-based middleware services.
• Creating Backend-for-Frontend APIs for internal tools and AI consumers.
• Integrating third-party platforms using REST APIs and webhooks.

Skills

Strong PHP experience

Building integration-heavy backend systems

REST API experience

Airtable

Node.js

AI agents

MCP servers

DevOps exposure

Job description

Contract : PHP Developer : 6 months rolling : Up to £325 per day Outside IR35 : Fully remote

We’re partnered with a product‑led business building smart, integration‑heavy backend systems and AI‑enabled applications.

They’re looking for a PHP Developer contractor to design and deliver clean middleware services and APIs that stitch together multiple platforms.

What you’ll be doing:

• Designing and building PHP‑based middleware services
• Creating Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) APIs tailored to internal tools, portals, and AI consumers
• Integrating third‑party platforms via REST APIs, webhooks, queues, and scheduled jobs
• Using Airtable as a cache/coordination layer, not a primary datastore
• Contributing to AI and MCP server integrations with clean, well‑scoped APIs
• Producing clear API documentation, ADRs, and system diagrams

Required skills:

• Strong PHP experience
• Experience of building integration‑heavy backend systems and middleware applications
• REST API experience, specifically for backend‑for‑frontend
• Desirables: Airtable, Node.js, AI agents, MCP servers, DevOps exposure

Please note: Due to the high volume of applications, unfortunately, we may not be able to provide feedback to all applicants.