Lead PHP/Symfony Engineer (Remote, Full-Time) - [HR191]

Job description

**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 **Lead 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