Senior PHP Backend Developer

Step into the wild world of OneDayOnly – South Africa's OG daily deals hub. We're the pioneers of cool discounts, hitting you for just one day because, well, why overcomplicate things? We've got the big names, top suppliers, and a dash of our secret sauce to make you feel like a BIG DEAL. Not to brag, but we have over a million potential savvy shoppers getting our daily dose every 24 hours.

We're not fussy – if the price is right and the quality checks out, we're selling it. That's what makes us the go-to for both the smart buyer and the eager seller. Toss in the urgency of our deals, and boom, success happens quicker than you can blink. So, jump in, where FOMO meets killer deals, and let's turn every day into a retail party!

About You

You’re the kind of developer who gets unreasonably excited about shaving milliseconds off a query, finding the root cause of a bug before your coffee gets cold, and turning complex backend challenges into elegant solutions. APIs, databases, caching layers, and scalable architecture are your playground. You believe clean code is a love language, technical debt should be kept on a short leash, and “it works on my machine” is not a deployment strategy. Whether you're optimising performance, architecting new services, or diving into a production issue, you thrive on building systems that are fast, reliable, and ready for whatever a million bargain-hunting customers throw at them.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain high-performance, scalable backend systems using PHP, Laravel and related technologies.

• Design, build, and optimize GraphQL APIs and other backend services.

• Optimize application performance, database queries, and caching strategies for speed and scalability.

• Ensure the security and integrity of the backend infrastructure, implementing best practices for authentication, authorization, and data protection.

• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code.

• Implement automated testing, debugging, and deployment strategies to ensure software reliability.

• Stay up-to-date with industry best practices and emerging backend technologies.

• Work closely with product owners and stakeholders to gather requirements and define project scope.

• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues in a timely manner.

• Continuously improve the architecture, codebase, and development processes to enhance overall efficiency and maintainability.

Experience and Qualifications

• BSc Computer Science, BEng, or equivalent qualification. However, your ability to demonstrate deep backend development expertise will trump a formal qualification.

• At least 5 years of experience in backend development, with a strong focus on PHP and Laravel (or a similar framework).

• Solid understanding of API (RESTful, GraphQL) design and best practices.

• Strong proficiency in SQL databases (MySQL/PostgreSQL) and experience with database optimization techniques.

• Strong knowledge of Docker and CI/CD pipelines.

• Proficiency in version control systems (Git) and collaborative development workflows.

• Familiarity with Redis is a plus.

• Experience with cloud-based architectures (Azure, Google Cloud or AWS) and microservices is advantageous.

• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and performance optimization skills.

• Passion for writing clean, well-structured, and efficient code.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking abilities.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.

Values

• Challenge Accepted: We actively seek ownership, embrace complexity, and hold ourselves accountable for delivering high-quality, reliable code.

• Solve Smart: We find the simplest, most effective path to a solution. We use data to inform our decisions, challenge assumptions, and build for the long-term

• Character Counts: We act with integrity in all that we do. We communicate with transparency, give and receive feedback constructively, and take accountability for our mistakes and our successes.

• Customer Obsessed: We build with empathy for our users. We strive to understand their needs and challenges, making them the central focus of every feature we ship and every line of code we write.

• Seriously Unserious: We take our work seriously, but not ourselves. We bring energy and humor to our collaborations, celebrate our successes together, and support each other through challenges.