PHP / Laravel Developer
IT – Software Development
Cape Town – Western Cape
ENVIRONMENT:
Our client is a full-service, integrated ad agency with offices in Cape Town and they’re one of the largest independently owned agencies in South Africa. They’re looking for a PHP Developer with experience in PHP, Laravel, and Node.js to join their team. As a Back End Developer, you’ll play a key role in building and refining their tech infrastructure, ensuring their back-end systems are scalable, reliable, efficient, and secure. The ideal candidate will bring a solid mix of technical skills, a curious mind, and strong analytical abilities. You’ll be responsible for maintaining systems while collaborating with IT, operations, and innovation teams to keep everything future-proof.
DUTIES:
General Responsibilities:
- Develop server-side logic and databases for websites, microsites and apps, ensuring high performance and responsiveness.
- Collaborate with frontend developers to integrate user-facing elements with server-side logic and API build and integration requirements.
- Design and develop scalable, efficient, and maintainable back-end systems, APIs, and database schemas.
- Database management particularly with MySQL or similar database experience.
- Optimize application performance, scalability, and reliability through code optimization, caching mechanisms, and other best practices.
- Troubleshoot and debug issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement timely solutions.
- Implement and maintain security measures and best practices to protect sensitive data and maintain data integrity in order to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches and other security threats.
- Conduct code reviews, identify areas for improvement, and provide constructive feedback to team members.
- Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code, following best practices and coding standards.
- Experience with version control systems (e.g.: Git) and collaboration tools.
- Stay up to date with the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Maintain and enhance existing internal systems to meet evolving business needs.
- Working with the company’s IT to set up, secure and maintain internal server instances / stacks such as Ubuntu
- Full stack deployment on Ubuntu
- Ensuring all assets are secure with latest patches and security upgrades applied
- Ensuring that data protection and POPI requirements are met
- Determine end of life strategy for data retention per project
- Database security, encryption and firewalls
- Running monthly penetration tests
- Maintaining AWS Infrastructure
- Live Frontend S3 bucket and Cloudfront
- Staging S3 bucket and Cloudfront
- Master database
- Master API
- Staging database
- Staging API
- CMS instance
- CMS database
- CMS assets in the S3 bucket
- Maintaining email servers and templates (PostMark)
- Managing Auth0 account
- Maintaining Algolia Search System and syncing entries through multiple databases
- Experience with open AI technology
- Maintaining and developing the backend components to the company’s Internal Systems
- API technical documentations and integrations
- Continuous integration and automated testing
- Maintenance and set up of Jenkins pipelines for internal projects
Internal Systems and Platforms used for integrations:
- Workbook
- Sage
- Microsoft
Client Offering Requirements:
- Setting up tech stacks, servers, and instances for client campaign websites
- Collaborate with IT department with DNS settings, SSL Certificate set up and renewals and Domain registration
- Set up of staging and master environments
- Managing any data call set ups or requirements based on the project scope
- Q&A testing
- Management of deployment process
- Monitoring and maintaining client security requirements
Qualifications & Requirements:
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
- Proven experience 3-5 years as a Backend Developer with a portfolio of strong projects.
- Solid understanding of PHP and Laravel frameworks, including dependency injection, routing, migrations, and ORM.
- Researching new and emerging backend technologies, with a focus on the increasing use of AI.
Technology Stack Experience:
- Frameworks: A proven track record working with the PHP, Laravel and Node.JS.
- Servers: Proficiency in network, server instance management and associated security is required. Experience with web servers like Apache.
- Cloud Platforms: An excellent working knowledge of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure and associated technologies.
- Knowledge of version control systems and CI/CD pipelines.
- Databases: Experience with relational and non-relational databases e.g. MySQL. Strong understanding of Big Data structures and schemas.
- Proficiency in RESTful API development and integration. Skilled at creating and securing API endpoints to be used by the frontend dev team.
- Experience in Power Apps (Proficiency in Microsoft Power Suite and Active Directory)
Bonus Experience, Qualities or Skills:
- Experience in the advertising or creative industry.
- Knowledge of other backend languages or frameworks (e.g. Python, C#, Django or Ruby on Rails etc.).
- Understanding of broader frameworks used by the team (e.g. JavaScript, VueJS, SAAS/Bootstrap, Quasar or Vuetify etc.)
- Experience with containerization technologies (e.g. Docker or Kubernetes etc.).
- Previous experience working in an Agile/Scrum development environment.
- Umbraco.net CMS and framework experience
- Adobe AEM experience
ATTRIBUTES:
- Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills.
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
- Attention to detail with a commitment to producing high-quality code.
- Deadline-driven with good time management skills.