Software Engineer

Biometric Talent; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Biometric Talent in Bristol is seeking an experienced Software Engineer to own and deliver technical solutions across PHP/JS applications. You will work in a hybrid setup (1 day in the office) on a varied software estate including APIs, back-office and analytics systems.

You will influence solution design, engineering standards and tooling while applying AI-assisted development with a strong focus on quality, security and reliability.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of commercial software development experience.
• Strong PHP development experience, preferably Symfony, Laravel, or similar.
• Strong modern JavaScript development skills.
• Good relational database design and SQL skills.
• Ability to translate loosely defined requirements into structured technical solutions.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools and critical review of outputs.
• Strong debugging, testing and code-review fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Turn business requirements into clear technical designs and specifications.
• Develop and maintain PHP and JavaScript applications with relational databases.
• Work on a mature monolithic app and newer services/technologies.
• Utilise AI-assisted development tools while upholding quality, security and technical decisions.
• Write, debug and review code hands-on.
• Collaborate to refine specifications, acceptance criteria and test coverage.
• Own solutions through full lifecycle from release to monitoring and improvement.
• Help modernise existing systems pragmatically.
• Contribute to AWS environment, deployments, monitoring and security.

Skills

5+ years experience

PHP development

JavaScript development

SQL skills

Solution design & ownership

AI-assisted development

Debugging & testing

Autonomous working

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

Symfony

AWS

CI/CD

APIs

Job description

Location: Bristol (Hybrid - typically 1 day per week in office)

Salary: £50,000-£60,000

Reporting To: Technology Team Lead

About the Client

Are you an experienced Software Engineer looking for genuine ownership, autonomy and the opportunity to make a visible impact?

We're working with an ambitious, growing Bristol-based business that is investing heavily in its people, technology, systems and AI capabilities. This is an opportunity to join a small, collaborative technology team where your work will have a direct impact on how the business operates and grows.

Technology sits at the heart of the organisation, and you'll work across a varied software estate including back-office applications, customer-facing platforms, APIs, integrations and analytics systems.

You'll have the opportunity to influence solution design, engineering standards, tooling and ways of working, while seeing your ideas move quickly from business requirements into software used every day.

How you'll spend your day

• Turning business requirements into clear solution specifications and technical designs, challenging ambiguity and identifying missing information early.
• Developing and maintaining PHP and JavaScript applications backed by relational databases.
• Working across a mature monolithic application alongside newer services and technologies.
• Using AI-assisted development and coding agents as part of day-to-day software delivery, while maintaining responsibility for quality, security and technical decisions.
• Writing, debugging and reviewing code directly where hands-on engineering is the most effective approach.
• Working closely with colleagues to refine specifications, acceptance criteria and appropriate test coverage.
• Taking ownership of solutions throughout the full lifecycle, from implementation and release through to monitoring, support and ongoing improvement.
• Helping to modernise existing systems pragmatically, without unnecessary rewrites.
• Contributing to the ongoing development and improvement of the AWS environment, including deployments, monitoring, security, backups and troubleshooting.
• Documenting systems and technical decisions to ensure knowledge is shared across the team.
• Occasionally supporting planned releases or infrastructure changes outside normal working hours.

What you'll bring to this role

• At least five years' commercial software development experience.
• Strong PHP development experience, ideally using Symfony, Laravel or another modern framework.
• Strong modern JavaScript development skills.
• Good relational database design knowledge and strong SQL skills.
• The ability to take loosely defined business requirements and turn them into structured technical solutions.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools, combined with a critical approach to reviewing and validating generated output.
• Strong debugging, testing and code review fundamentals.
• The ability to quickly understand unfamiliar systems and technologies.
• Confidence working autonomously while balancing engineering quality with commercial priorities.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

It would also be great if you have experience with:

• Symfony.
• AWS and Linux environments.
• CI/CD and deployment automation.
• APIs and third-party integrations.
• Monitoring and observability.
• Security, backup and recovery.
• Maintaining and incrementally modernising mature or bespoke software applications.

Why Join?

Make a genuinely visible impact in a growing business where technology is central to its future.

Join during a significant period of investment in software, infrastructure, AI capabilities and people.

Have genuine autonomy and influence over solution design, engineering standards and technology choices.

Broaden your technical experience through hands-on exposure to architecture, cloud infrastructure and a varied product estate.

Work in a small, collaborative and entrepreneurial environment where good ideas can move quickly.

Take on meaningful responsibility without being confined to a narrow area of a large engineering organisation.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Software Engineer who enjoys ownership, variety and solving meaningful technical challenges. You'll have room to experiment, influence how technology evolves and continue developing your skills alongside an ambitious and growing business.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all candidates and welcome applications from individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law. As an employment agency for permanent and contract hires, we are dedicated to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups to drive innovation and equality within the workplace.

Should you require any reasonable adjustments please let us know so we can accommodate for any interactions with us at Biometric Talent, but also inform the client to ensure reasonable adjustments are made to allow for a fair and equitable process