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
