Sr. PHP Symfony Engineer (Remote, Full-Time) [AR024]

Smart Working; Lisboa; Remote; EUR 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Smart Working is hiring a Senior PHP/Symfony Engineer to own backend development in a mature Symfony platform, with an Angular front end and Python AI microservices. The role emphasizes architecture, autonomy, and working within a remote cross-functional squad.

Candidates should have strong English, and be comfortable with UK hours and rigorous security standards. The team plans an upgrade from Symfony 6.1 to Symfony 7, and the stack includes Angular, TypeScript, and AI services.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of commercial software engineering experience, including 5+ years with PHP.
• 3+ years with Symfony 6.x/7 and advanced backend architecture experience.
• 2+ years with AI development tools and reviewing AI-generated code.
• 5+ years of MySQL experience (PostgreSQL acceptable).
• 1+ year of Angular/TypeScript work experience; front-end exposure essential.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of backend development within the core Symfony application and become independent within 2-3 months.
• Review and critically assess code written by the team and AI tools.
• Support migration from Symfony 6.1 to Symfony 7 and resolve versioning issues.
• Improve performance, scalability and maintainability of the application.
• Collaborate with Angular front-end, TypeScript and Python AI services; work with DevOps as needed.
• Understand wider impact of decisions across Symfony, Angular and AI services.

Skills

PHP development

Symfony

Backend architecture

MySQL

PostgreSQL

AI code review

Angular/TypeScript exposure

Automated testing PHPUnit

AWS

English fluency

Tools

PHPUnit

GitHub Actions

Terraform/AWS tooling

Job description

About Smart Working

At Smart Working, we believe your job should not only look right on paper but also feel right every day. This isn't just another remote opportunity - it's about finding where you truly belong, no matter where you are. From day one, you’re welcomed into a genuine community that values your growth and well-being.

Our mission is simple: to break down geographic barriers and connect skilled professionals with outstanding global teams and products for full-time, long-term roles. We help you discover meaningful work with teams that invest in your success, where you’re empowered to grow personally and professionally.

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

Applicants must have the right to work in the country they are applying from and be able to work without employer sponsorship.

About the Role

As a Senior PHP/Symfony Engineer, you will take hands-on ownership of backend development within a mature Symfony platform that manages marketing and revenue data for enterprise customers. The core application currently runs on Symfony 6.1, with an upgrade to Symfony 7 planned, alongside an Angular front end and TypeScript and Python AI agent microservices.

This is a strongly backend-weighted, senior hands-on engineering role requiring an architect mindset, strong independence and the ability to understand how technical decisions affect the wider system. You will work within a remote, cross-functional product squad alongside engineering, product, QA and DevOps colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of backend development within the core Symfony application, becoming fully independent in delivering work within 2-3 months of joining
• Review and critically assess code written by the team and AI tools, challenging proposed approaches and making sure key considerations have been properly addressed
• Support the migration from Symfony 6.1 to Symfony 7 by resolving versioning, compatibility and legacy issues currently preventing the upgrade
• Improve the application’s performance, scalability and maintainability, making it easier and safer to introduce new functionality
• Work across the Angular front end, TypeScript and Python-based AI agent services, collaborating with DevOps where backend changes impact other areas of the system
• Be comfortable reading and understanding the Angular/TypeScript codebase, even though the role is primarily backend focused. Strong front-end development experience is not required
• Understand the wider impact of technical decisions across Symfony, Angular and AI services, while spotting gaps or issues in both human-written and AI-generated code
• Question existing approaches, identify root causes and look for better ways of building things rather than simply completing assigned tickets
• Deliver thoughtful, maintainable solutions within a legacy codebase while maintaining a consistent pace of delivery
• Work with a high level of autonomy and ownership while collaborating effectively with a remote, cross-functional team
• Follow SOC 2, PII and security requirements consistently and without exception

Requirements

• 8+ years of commercial software engineering experience, including at least 5 years working with PHP
• 7+ years of Expert-level PHP development experience
• 3+ years of recent commercial experience with Symfony 6.x/7 at Advanced level. Strong senior-level Laravel experience may be considered where the experience is clearly transferable and the candidate has a good understanding of the differences between Laravel and Symfony
• 4+ years of Advanced experience in backend architecture, system design and scalability
• 2+ years of Advanced experience using AI development tools critically, including reviewing, validating and challenging AI-generated code rather than accepting it without question
• 5+ years of Advanced MySQL experience, including database schema design and query optimisation. Equivalent depth of experience with PostgreSQL or another relational database may also be considered
• At least 1 year of experience working with or understanding Angular/TypeScript. Experience with React or Vue using TypeScript may also be considered, but some front-end exposure is essential
• 3+ years of Advanced experience with automated testing using PHPUnit. Experience with Pest or another equivalent PHP testing framework may also be considered
• At least 1 year of Intermediate experience working on framework upgrades and modernising legacy codebases. Experience with major-version upgrades or significant refactoring in other large PHP applications may be considered
• 2+ years of Intermediate AWS experience. Equivalent experience with Azure or GCP may also be considered
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a remote environment
• Ability to work UK hours
• Ability to successfully complete strict background checks and adhere to PII and data protection requirements
• Strong self-sufficiency, with the ability to operate independently and without handholding after 2-3 months, while continuing to collaborate effectively with the wider team
• A hands-on engineering approach combined with an architectural mindset, with the ability to understand how and why the wider system works rather than focusing only on writing code

Nice to Have

• 2+ years of Intermediate CI/CD experience with GitHub Actions; GitLab CI, Jenkins or Azure DevOps are suitable alternatives
• Basic experience with Amazon Redshift or data warehousing; Snowflake or BigQuery may be considered.
• Azure exposure alongside AWS
• Previous project leadership experience
• Previous mentoring and technical leadership experience with other engineers

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.