Lead PHP/Symfony Engineer (Remote, Full-Time) - [HR191]

Smart Working; Jaipur; On-site; INR 8,662,175 - 14,436,958; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fixed shifts

No weekend work

Laptop provided

Medical insurance

Mentorship

Community

Long-term career

Job summary

Smart Working is hiring a Lead PHP & Symfony Software Engineer to build mission-critical backend systems with a strong emphasis on code quality, reliability, and ownership. You will lead an Agile team, collaborate with product, QA, and other engineers, and shape architecture from design through production deployment.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in PHP and 3+ years in Symfony, with a passion for TDD, design patterns, and mentoring peers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional PHP experience (7.4/8+).
• 3+ years with Symfony framework.
• Strong understanding of design patterns and their practical use.
• Extensive unit and integration testing experience (PHPUnit/Behat).
• Hands-on Test-Driven Development (TDD) experience.
• Familiarity with static analysis tools (PHPStan/Psil Salzburg).
• Solid CI/CD knowledge including code coverage and deployments.
• Excellent technical communication and the ability to justify decisions.
• High ownership mindset and accountability in delivery.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain backend systems with PHP and Symfony.
• Own features end-to-end from ticket to production release.
• Write clean, strongly typed, testable code meeting quality standards.
• Apply design patterns thoughtfully and consistently.
• Build and maintain comprehensive automated tests (PHPUnit).
• Follow and promote Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Use static analysis tools to ensure reliability and quality.
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback.
• Collaborate with product, design, and QA to deliver robust solutions.
• Break down initiatives into actionable tasks and guide implementation.
• Monitor systems and participate in rotating on-call schedule.

Skills

PHP

Symfony

Design patterns

Unit testing

TDD

Static analysis

CI/CD

Technical communication

Ownership

Tools

PHPUnit

Behat

PHPStan

Psalm

Job description

At Smart Working, we believe the right job should do more than strengthen your CV — it should challenge you, inspire you, and feel right every day. We connect experienced professionals with long‑term, full‑time remote roles where engineering excellence truly matters.

Our mission is to remove geographic barriers and match top talent with global teams building high-impact, mission-critical products. We partner with companies that value precision, ownership, and long-term growth, empowering our people to thrive both professionally and personally.

Join one of the highest-rated workplaces on Glassdoor and experience what it means to work in a truly remote-first environment.

About the Role

Important: Laravel-only experience is not qualifying — proven Symfony experience is mandatory!!!

We’re hiring a Lead PHP & Symfony Software Engineer to work on mission-critical backend systems where code quality, reliability, and accountability are non-negotiable. This role goes far beyond feature delivery — it’s about engineering craftsmanship, technical ownership, and building systems you can truly stand behind.

You’ll be part of a highly collaborative Agile team, working closely with product, QA, and other engineers across the full lifecycle — from ticket definition and design through testing, review, and production deployment. This role is ideal for someone who values clean architecture, Test-Driven Development, thoughtful technical decisions, and mentoring others while building robust, scalable solutions.

About Smart Working

At Smart Working, we believe the right job should do more than strengthen your CV — it should challenge you, inspire you, and feel right every day. We connect experienced professionals with long‑term, full‑time remote roles where engineering excellence truly matters.

Our mission is to remove geographic barriers and match top talent with global teams building high-impact, mission-critical products. We partner with companies that value precision, ownership, and long-term growth, empowering our people to thrive both professionally and personally.

Join one of the highest-rated workplaces on Glassdoor and experience what it means to work in a truly remote-first environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-quality backend systems using PHP and Symfony
• Own features end-to-end, from ticket creation and technical design to production release
• Write clean, strongly‑typed, maintainable, and testable code that meets strict quality standards
• Apply design patterns thoughtfully and consistently
• Build and maintain comprehensive automated test coverage using PHPUnit and similar tools
• Follow and promote Test-Driven Development (TDD) practices
• Use static analysis, linters, and code quality tools to ensure reliability and consistency
• Participate actively in code reviews, providing and receiving constructive feedback
• Collaborate closely with product, design, and QA teams to deliver robust solutions
• Break down complex initiatives into well‑defined, actionable tasks and guide implementation
• Monitor systems and participate in a rotating on‑call schedule when required
• Promote secure coding practices and ensure code is free from known vulnerabilities
• Document architecture, decisions, and processes to support team‑wide knowledge sharing
• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers and contribute to a strong engineering culture

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience with PHP (7.4 / 8+)
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience with the Symfony framework
• Strong understanding and practical use of design patterns
• Solid experience with unit and integration testing (PHPUnit, Behat, or similar)
• Hands‑on experience with Test-Driven Development (TDD)
• Familiarity with static analysis tools (PHPStan, Psalm, or similar)
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, code coverage, and deployment workflows
• Excellent technical communication skills and ability to explain and defend technical decisions
• High ownership mindset and strong sense of accountability

Nice‑to-Have

• Experience working with MongoDB
• Familiarity with JavaScript, React, Node.js, and/or TypeScript
• Experience with Docker and/or Kubernetes
• Experience working on high‑availability or mission‑critical systems

Benefits

• Fixed Shifts: 12:00 PM - 9:30 PM IST (Summer) | 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM IST (Winter)
• No Weekend Work: Real work‑life balance, not just words
• Day 1 Benefits: Laptop and full medical insurance provided
• Support That Matters: Mentorship, community, and forums where ideas are shared
• True Belonging: A long‑term career where your contributions are valued

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.