Mid-Level Backend Symfony Developer

Velstar Ltd.; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in the UK is seeking a Mid-Level Backend Symfony Developer. You will play a crucial role in designing and optimizing web applications while mentoring junior developers. Ideal candidates have 3-5 years of experience, strong expertise in PHP 8+ and Symfony, and a collaborative mindset. This role offers an opportunity to advance your career in a dynamic e-commerce development environment, ensuring high-quality code and architectural input.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in PHP and Symfony development.
• Strong understanding of Symfony components and best practices.
• Experience with database optimization and caching strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize web application features independently.
• Mentor junior developers and perform code reviews.
• Implement security best practices and optimize database queries.

Skills

PHP 8+

Symfony framework (6/7)

Advanced SQL knowledge (MySQL/PostgreSQL)

Git workflows

Docker

RESTful APIs

Job description

The Role

As a Mid-Level Backend Symfony Developer, you’ll play a key role in designing, developing, and optimising our web applications. You will work independently on features, mentor junior developers, and contribute to architectural decisions. This is an excellent opportunity to further your career in e-commerce development within a collaborative and innovative environment.

Experience: Mid-level developers typically have 3–5 years of experience, with a solid foundation in Symfony and PHP development.

Key Responsibilities

Development

• Independently develop and optimize features for web applications.
• Refactor and improve existing code for maintainability and performance.
• Write comprehensive unit and functional tests to ensure high-quality code.
• Mentor junior developers, providing guidance and reviewing their code.

Quality Assurance & Best Practices

• Maintain high code quality by following Symfony best practices (PSR-12, SOLID principles, dependency injection).
• Optimise database queries and caching strategies for performance.
• Implement security best practices (prevent SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and other vulnerabilities).
• Perform code reviews and ensure adherence to best practices.

Collaboration

• Work closely with the seniors, team leads, designers, and frontend developers to deliver robust solutions.
• Participate in technical discussions and contribute to architectural decisions.
• Assist in estimating project timelines and ensure timely delivery.

What We’re Looking For

Technical Skills

PHP & Symfony Expertise

• Strong understanding of PHP 8+ and Symfony framework (6/7).
• Proficient in Symfony components (Routing, Forms, Twig, Doctrine, Console, Security, etc.).
• Experience with Symfony Event Listeners, Subscribers, and Middleware.

Database & Performance Optimisation

• Advanced SQL knowledge (MySQL/PostgreSQL).
• Deep understanding of Doctrine ORM (custom queries, migrations, entity relationships).
• Experience optimising database queries and implementing caching (Redis)

API Development

• Experience building and maintaining RESTful APIs and working with GraphQL (nice to have).
• Proficient in API authentication (JWT, OAuth).
• Familiarity with API Platform (a plus).

Frontend Knowledge (Bonus)

• Understanding of Twig, JavaScript, and CSS.
• Familiarity with modern frontend frameworks (NextJs/React is a plus).

Version Control & Deployment:

• Strong Git workflow (branching strategies, pull requests, rebasing).
• Familiarity with Docker or cloud platforms (AWS etc.).

Soft Skills

• Problem-Solving Mindset – Ability to debug complex issues efficiently.
• Autonomy & Proactiveness – Work independently while collaborating with the team.
• Attention to Detail – Writing clean, maintainable, and scalable code.
• Mentorship – Support and guide junior developers to enhance team productivity.