Senior PHP Engineer

Location: Remote

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000

At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better. 

We believe in a future of work in schools where being challenged doesn’t mean being burnt out and overworked. Where data guides progress without overwhelming staff. And where everyone working in a school is reminded why they got into education every day. 

Our MIS and school management tools are already making a difference in over 7,000 schools and trusts. Giving time and power back to staff, turning data into clear, actionable insights, and supporting happier working days. 

At the heart of our brand is a recognition that the challenges schools face today aren’t just about efficiency, outputs and productivity - but about creating happier working lives for the people who drive education everyday: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn. 

We are looking for an experienced and driven Senior PHP Engineer to join our Engineering team and help lead and drive the successful completion of high-impact features, specifically contributing to the advancement of Arbor products. The remit and focus of the role is to contribute towards the development of the companies core systems and processes, as well as implement strategies to enhance and optimise product quality and lead time across the entire team. It’s a broad and exciting role, so we’re looking for someone up for a challenge - if you’re a collaborative and enthusiastic Engineer, this is the role for you.

• Work closely with the Engineering Manager, Tech Lead, QA Engineer, and Product Manager to help solutionise feature requests
• Lead the creation of detailed documentation for new feature developments, incorporating diagrams for comprehensive project understanding.
• Drive the development and implementation of advanced tests around new features, ensuring the highest standards of test coverage and reliability.
• Demonstrate expertise in producing well-architected, efficient, and scalable code using industry-leading design patterns and methodologies.
• Take a leadership role in code reviews and pair programming sessions, guiding and mentoring colleagues towards excellence.
• Lead and actively participate in tech-talks, workshops, and team-based learning initiatives, ensuring knowledge is disseminated effectively across the team.

• Extensive and demonstrated experience with Object-Oriented languages and software development.
• Considerable experience in software development, specifically with PHP
• Advanced understanding and application of best practices and software engineering principles, including SOLID, DRY, etc.
• Expertise in relational database technologies.
• Proactive problem-solving approach with a strategic mindset.
• Proven experience in designing and writing APIs and services within a service-oriented environment.
• Leadership qualities demonstrated through collaboration and mentorship.
• A team player, willing to muck in and help others when needed, driven personality who asks questions and actively participates in discussions
• Good written and spoken English so you can present your ideas - our HQ is based in London

Bonus skills

• Past experience with enterprise solutions and large-scale systems
• Familiarity with Scrum methodology or other agile development processes
• Experience with cloud computing
• Experience with Docker and containerisation
• Familiarity with software best practices such as Refactoring, Clean Code, Domain-Driven Design, Test-Driven Development, etc.

The chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work everyday. We also offer:

• A dedicated wellbeing team who champion initiatives such as mindfulness, lunch n learns, manager training, mental health first aid training and much more!
• 32 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra company wide days given over Easter, Summer & Christmas
• Life Assurance paid out at 3x annual salary
• Comprehensive wellness benefit provided by AIG Smart Health, which provides a 24/7 virtual GP service, Mental health support, Counselling, and personalised Health Checks 
• Private Dental Insurance with Bupa 
• Salary sacrifice Pension provided by Scottish Widows
• Enhanced maternity and adoption leave (20 weeks full pay) and paternity (6 weeks full pay) pay
• 5 free return to work maternity coaching sessions, helping you adapt to this new exciting time of life!
• Access to services such as Calm and Bippit (financial wellbeing coaching) 
• All of our roles champion flexible working and we are happy to discuss what this means to you
• Social committees that plan team, office and company wide events to bring people together and celebrate success
• Dedicated professional development training budget (CPD courses, upskilling resources, professional memberships etc)
• Volunteer with a charity of your choice for a day each year
• Dog friendly offices!

1. Phone screen
2. 1st stage
3. 2nd stage

We are committed to a fair and comfortable recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please reach out to a member of the team at [email protected].

Our commitment is also backed by our partnership with Neurodiversity Consultancy, Lexxic who provide us with training, support and advice. 

Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive - whatever their ambitions may be so we support and promote diversity and equality, and actively  encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. 

Know someone else who would be good for this role? You can refer a friend, family member or colleague, if they are offered a role with Arbor, we will say thank you with a voucher valued up to £200! Simply email: [email protected] 

Please note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.