Remote PHP Backend Engineer for AI Systems

SME Careers; Metro Manila; Remote; PHP 2,646,000 - 5,292,000; Full time

Job summary

SME Careers is seeking a highly skilled PHP Engineer to work fully remotely on an hourly basis. You will review AI-generated PHP code, backend designs, and explanations, and produce reference implementations with step-by-step reasoning for complex problems.

Your role includes assessing solutions for correctness, security, performance, and prompt adherence, plus benchmarking and improving AI responses. The ideal candidate has 4+ years in production PHP backend development, strong PHP 7.4/8.x+

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in CS/SE or equivalent professional experience.
• 4+ years of professional experience developing production backend systems in PHP.
• Expert-level proficiency in modern PHP (7.4/8.x+), including OOP, strict typing, namespaces, Composer, and common design patterns.
• Strong backend fundamentals: HTTP, REST, authentication/authorization, sessions, caching, queues, and API design.
• Deep experience with databases (e.g., MySQL/PostgreSQL), including schema design, indexing, query optimization, and transactions.
• Experience with at least one major PHP framework (e.g., Laravel, Symfony) and knowledge of dependency injection, middleware, and ORM tradeoffs.
• Security mindset with hands-on knowledge of secure coding practices (OWASP Top 10, input validation, SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, secrets handling).
• Comfort with version control, CI/CD workflows, and automated testing (e.g., PHPUnit, integration tests, mocking strategies).
• Minimum C1 English proficiency (written and spoken), with the ability to write clear technical explanations and follow detailed English-language guidelines.
• Highly detail-oriented and systematic, with a methodical approach to evaluating reasoning quality and identifying subtle bugs in complex PHP/backend systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop AI Training Content: Create detailed prompts across PHP/backend topics and write high-quality reference answers to guide AI learning.
• Optimize AI Performance: Evaluate, rank, and provide feedback on AI responses to improve correctness, security, readability, and contextual fit.
• Ensure Model Integrity: Test AI outputs for inaccuracies, unsafe practices, and potential biases; validate reliability across real-world use cases.

Skills

PHP expertise

OOP

REST APIs

Database design

MySQL/PostgreSQL

Frameworks: Laravel/Symfony

Security best practices

CI/CD

PHPUnit

English (C1)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/SE or equivalent

Tools

Composer

Laravel

Symfony

Git

PHPUnit

Job description

SME Careers is seeking a highly skilled PHP Engineer to work fully remotely on an hourly basis. You will review AI-generated PHP code, backend designs, and explanations, and produce reference implementations with step-by-step reasoning for complex problems.

Your role includes assessing solutions for correctness, security, performance, and prompt adherence, plus benchmarking and improving AI responses. The ideal candidate has 4+ years in production PHP backend development, strong PHP 7.4/8.x+