Senior Backend Developer

Sidigital; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

4.5 day working week

Job summary

Sidigital is seeking a Senior Backend Developer to own the backend systems and the infrastructure they run on. You will work with a small, collaborative team, report to the Head of Delivery, and enjoy autonomy over technology choices in a fast-moving environment.

The role emphasizes modern PHP, deep AWS and Kubernetes familiarity, and proactive infra ownership rather than waiting for others to decide. You’ll work on both greenfield builds and improving client projects.

Qualifications

• Developing features using modern PHP and MVC frameworks.
• Building bespoke web APIs for frontend consumption.
• Mentoring other dev team members and sharing infrastructure knowledge.
• Owning infrastructure decisions and deployment practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop features and products using PHP and MVC frameworks.
• Build web APIs for frontend applications.
• Mentor teammates on infrastructure, security, and PHP practices.
• Work on greenfield projects and improve existing client projects.
• Own and evolve AWS infrastructure, including deployment and cost.
• Manage Kubernetes environments and Docker-based pipelines.
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines.
• Lead infrastructure security tasks: patches and backups.
• Be the escalation point for issues.

Skills

PHP

Kubernetes

AWS

MVC frameworks

API development

CI/CD

Security knowledge

On‑call readiness

Tools

Docker

Git

Job description

Are you a backend developer who's just as comfortable in a Kubernetes cluster as you are in a PHP codebase, and fancies Friday afternoons off?

We're looking for a Senior Backend Developer to join our growing digital team, taking on real ownership of our backend systems and the infrastructure they run on.

This is a role for someone who wants genuine autonomy over how systems are built, deployed and kept running, working alongside a small, collaborative team rather than reporting up through layers of process. You'll report to our Head of Delivery and work closely with the rest of the backend team, but this is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.

If you're comfortable in modern PHP, properly comfortable in AWS and Kubernetes, and like the idea of owning infrastructure decisions rather than waiting for someone else to make them, you'll feel at home here.

What you'll be doing

You'll be working closely with a tight-knit dev team to build and support digital products for a range of interesting customers, while owning the infrastructure underneath them.

Day to day, that includes:

• Developing new features and products using modern PHP and MVC frameworks
• Building bespoke web APIs to be consumed by frontend applications
• Mentoring other members of the dev team, sharing infrastructure and security knowledge as well as PHP practice
• Working on greenfield builds as well as supporting and improving existing client projects
• Owning and evolving our AWS infrastructure: deployment, scaling, configuration and cost
• Managing our Kubernetes environment and Docker‑based deployment pipelines
• Building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
• Taking the lead on infrastructure security: patching, vulnerability management, access control, backups and disaster recovery
• Being the point of escalation when something breaks (informal on‑call, no formal rota, but you're the person we call)
• Triaging helpdesk tickets and supporting clients with issues or requests for work
• Getting involved in in‑house hack projects that help shape the future direction of the business
• Working with delivery managers to scope and estimate new projects
• Collaborating with designers, developers and stakeholders to deliver clean, scalable solutions

What's in it for you

We're a small team that does big work. Our culture is built on support, open conversations, and not taking ourselves too seriously. Team days and our 4.5 day working week aren't just perks, they're how we make sure our team stays energized and inspired.