Intermediate Backend PHP Software Engineer

SUMMARY:
Role: Intermediate Backend PHP Software Engineer
Location: Remote (must be based in South Africa – open to South African citizens / residents only)
Type: Full-time | Industry: SaaS | Level: Intermediate
A leading Digital Communications SaaS company that started 20+ years ago has grown into a trusted messaging and marketing powerhouse platform with teams across South Africa and growing its global footprint. They have received many prestigious accolades to their name over the years and offer a supportive, empowering, rewarding and innovation culture built on flexibility, openness and trust.

POSITION INFO:
Intermediate Backend PHP Developer with expertise in event-driven architectures to join a dynamic development team. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience building robust, scalable, and secure backend applications using PHP, Laravel, and MySQL, with a focus on modern software development principles.
What you will do: 
Develop Robust Backend Applications: Build modular, maintainable, and scalable backend solutions using PHP, Laravel, and MySQL.
Implement Secure Data Exchange: Create API endpoints, APIs, and microservices to facilitate seamless data exchange between frontend applications.
Ensure High Availability and Scalability: Develop, deploy, and monitor backend services to guarantee high availability, scalability, and performance.
Implement Workflow Automation: Design and maintain job management systems with workflow automation and worker allocation capabilities.
Monitor and Optimize Performance: Continuously monitor and optimize backend performance, identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes as needed.
Integrate Real-time Data Processing: Integrate Kafka and message queues for real-time data processing and efficient communication between microservices.

Requirements: 
Matric Essential
Bachelor degree or equivalent ideal

Experience: 4+  years of professional experience in building and maintaining multiple backend applications using PHP, Laravel, and MySQL.
Microservices Expertise: Implemented scalable microservices architecture to improve system performance and availability.
Secure coding practices: Follow secure coding practices, implemented secure data exchange mechanisms, such as API validation and encryption.
Performance management: Optimize database queries and indexing to improve performance under heavy loads. Use message queues (e.g., RabbitMQ) and event busses to handle asynchronous tasks and decouple services from each other.