Senior Software Engineer

Job Description: Senior Software Engineer – PHP Experience: 5–8 Years Job Type: Full-time Role: Senior Software Engineer Technology: PHP, Laravel, CodeIgniter, MySQL About the Role We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer – PHP with 5–8 years of experience in developing, maintaining, and optimizing scalable web applications using Laravel and CodeIgniter .

The candidate should have strong hands-on experience in PHP development, database optimization, REST APIs, debugging, Git, and software development best practices. The role requires someone who can independently handle complex technical problems and work closely with product, QA, and other engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain scalable web applications using PHP, Laravel, and CodeIgniter . Develop and integrate RESTful APIs and third-party APIs. Write clean, reusable, maintainable, and secure code. Work with MySQL for database design, queries, optimization, indexing, and troubleshooting. Analyze and optimize application performance and database queries.

Identify and resolve production issues and performance bottlenecks. Participate in code reviews and ensure adherence to coding standards. Use Git for source-code management, branching, merging, and pull requests. Collaborate with frontend developers, QA engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders. Understand existing legacy code and implement enhancements without impacting existing functionality.

Write unit/integration tests where applicable and ensure application reliability. Perform debugging using logs, IDE/editor tools, browser developer tools, and server logs. Participate in technical discussions, estimation, planning, and task breakdown. Mentor junior and mid-level developers and provide technical guidance.

Follow secure coding practices and ensure applications are protected against common vulnerabilities. Required Technical Skills PHP Strong knowledge of Core PHP and OOP concepts . Good understanding of SOLID principles and design patterns . Strong experience with Laravel . Working experience with CodeIgniter . Understanding of MVC architecture.

Experience with Composer and PHP packages. Good understanding of exception handling, validation, authentication, sessions, and middleware. Laravel / CodeIgniter Laravel routing, controllers, middleware, migrations, Eloquent ORM, queues/jobs, events, caching, and authentication. Experience working with Laravel APIs and third-party integrations.

Understanding of CodeIgniter MVC architecture and existing/legacy CodeIgniter applications. Ability to troubleshoot and optimize framework-level issues. MySQL Strong knowledge of MySQL . Complex SQL queries, joins, subqueries, and transactions. Indexing and query optimization. Understanding of EXPLAIN , execution plans, locks, and database performance.

Experience working with large-volume databases. Knowledge of database design and normalization. Git / Development Tools Strong experience with Git . Branching, merging, rebasing, cherry-picking, conflict resolution, and pull requests. Experience with GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket or similar platforms. Good hands-on experience with VS Code or similar IDEs.

Comfortable working with Linux/Unix environments and command-line tools. APIs & Web Technologies Strong knowledge of REST APIs . JSON, HTTP methods, status codes, authentication, and API security. Experience integrating third-party APIs. Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frontend/backend integration. Understanding of AJAX and asynchronous API communication.

Good to Have Experience with AWS services. Knowledge of Redis/Memcached and caching strategies. Experience with queues and background jobs. Knowledge of Docker and CI/CD pipelines. Experience with Jenkins or similar CI/CD tools. Knowledge of Nginx/Apache and Linux server environments. Experience with Elasticsearch/OpenSearch or other search technologies.

Understanding of application security and OWASP practices. Experience working on high-traffic or e-commerce applications. Soft Skills Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Good communication and collaboration skills. Ability to independently analyze requirements and provide technical solutions. Ability to work under deadlines and handle production-critical issues.

Strong ownership and accountability. Ability to mentor junior developers and contribute to technical decisions.

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or a related field is preferred. Experience 5–8 years of relevant professional experience in PHP web application development , with strong hands-on experience in Laravel, CodeIgniter, MySQL, Git, and REST APIs .