Backend Engineer, PHP

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Backend Engineer, PHP based in Germany. Join a high-scale engineering environment where you’ll build and evolve backend systems powering a global digital gaming marketplace and a growing portfolio of new products. You’ll work within a cross-functional team alongside backend, frontend, mobile, design, and data specialists. The role offers the opportunity to solve complex challenges across distributed systems, performance, reliability, trust, and safety. You’ll contribute to a modern microservices ecosystem spanning more than 100 services. Beyond delivering features, you’ll influence technical decisions, architectural direction, and engineering practices. With strong infrastructure and significant ownership, your work will have a direct impact on products used by millions of customers. Accountabilities:

• Design, build, scale, and maintain reliable backend services using PHP and Symfony within a large microservices architecture.
• Develop and deliver product features while considering scalability, performance, reliability, and the overall user experience.
• Contribute to architectural discussions and help shape technical solutions for complex distributed-system challenges.
• Work with technologies including GraphQL, Golang, Temporal, Saga orchestration, and established service design patterns.
• Collaborate closely with frontend, mobile, design, data, and platform engineering teams to deliver high-quality products.
• Help improve engineering practices, code quality, observability, and system resilience across the technology ecosystem.
• Take ownership of technical problems from investigation through implementation and continuously look for opportunities to improve how the team works. Requirements: - 8+ years of professional backend engineering experience, including hands-on work building and scaling distributed systems.
• Strong expertise in PHP and Symfony, with experience working with modern versions of the framework.
• Solid understanding of microservices architecture and common distributed-system patterns such as CQRS, circuit breaking, and service orchestration.
• Experience working with databases and data stores such as MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, Prometheus, InfluxDB, or Elasticsearch.
• Familiarity with cloud and infrastructure technologies such as Kubernetes, Helm, AWS, and Terraform.
• Ability to contribute effectively to architectural discussions and make thoughtful technical decisions.
• Strong problem-solving skills, a high level of ownership, and a product-minded approach focused on end-user impact.
• Openness to feedback and a collaborative mindset, with genuine interest in learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, cross-functional engineering environment. Benefits: - €55,000–€72,000 annual compensation, plus bonus opportunities.
• Opportunity to participate in an employee stock options program.
• Performance-based, referral, additional paid-leave, and other bonus programs.
• Personal learning budget to support continued professional development.
• Paid volunteering opportunities.
• Flexible choice of work location, including remote work, office work, and the opportunity to work while traveling.
• Strong opportunities for personal and professional growth supported by structured feedback and promotion processes.
• Opportunity to contribute to scaling a distinctive technology product used by a large global gaming community.