Platform Technical Lead / PHP Software Engineer

Elite Search; Johannesburg; Remote; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech recruitment firm is seeking a Senior Backend Developer to own and evolve the backend platform architecture. The ideal candidate has over 7 years of backend development experience with PHP, Go, or Python, along with strong leadership skills and a passion for innovative solutions. This fully remote opportunity offers competitive compensation, flexibility, and a collaborative people-first culture.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Flexible work setup

Collaborative, fun, and supportive culture

Qualifications

• 7+ years in backend development with PHP, Go, or Python.
• Deep experience with microservices and cloud infrastructure.
• Strong leadership in software architecture and design.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the backend platform architecture.
• Lead engineering design principles and reviews.
• Integrate cutting-edge AI tooling into development.

Skills

backend development

leadership

microservices

cloud infrastructure

automation

Tools

PHP

Go

Python

AWS

GCP

Azure

Kafka

RabbitMQ

Job description

Responsible for :

• Own and evolve the backend platform architecture (microservices, APIs, event-driven systems)
• Lead engineering design principles, architecture reviews, and platform scalability initiatives
• Integrate cutting-edge AI tooling into development processes for code, testing & CI / CD
• Mentor and grow a talented engineering team
• Drive backend performance, reliability, and security best practices

Requirements :

7+ years in backend development (PHP, Go, Python preferred)

Deep experience with microservices, cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure), and message queues (Kafka / RabbitMQ)

Strong leadership in software architecture and system design

Passion for innovation, automation, and building resilient systems

Experience with AI dev tools a big plus!

South African citizen.

Offering :

Fully remote (with a strong team presence in Joburg and Cape Town)

People-first culture : collaborative, fun, and supportive

Solve real problems at scale with autonomy and purpose

Competitive compensation, flexible work setup, and meaningful impact