Software engineer (php)

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.

About the Role

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

We’re hiring a Senior 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.

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