Backend Developer – PHP / Laravel Location: Leeds (Hybrid – 3 days per week onsite)
Salary: £45,000–£65,000 DOE + discretionary bonus
The opportunity We're looking for a talented PHP / Laravel Backend Developer to join an established, award-winning digital agency delivering high-quality websites and digital experiences for a diverse portfolio of clients.
The business is open to considering developers at both Mid-Level (£34k–£50k) and Senior (£50k–£65k), with responsibilities and technical ownership tailored to your experience.
This is an opportunity to work across a variety of technically interesting projects, from content-rich marketing websites and bespoke CMS implementations to more complex digital platforms and backend integrations.
You'll be working within a collaborative development team, alongside frontend developers, UX/UI designers and project managers, helping deliver reliable, maintainable and intuitive digital solutions.
You'll join an employee-owned, certified B Corp business that places a strong emphasis on quality, collaboration and continuous improvement, with excellent opportunities for personal and professional development.
What you'll be doing As a Backend Developer, you'll play an important role in building, maintaining and improving client websites and digital platforms, with a particular focus on PHP, Laravel and CMS-driven development.
The level of technical ownership will vary depending on your experience, with more senior developers taking greater responsibility for architecture, solution design and technical decision-making.
Key responsibilities include: - Developing and maintaining backend applications and website functionality using PHP and Laravel
- Building and supporting CMS-driven websites, including bespoke functionality, content structures and integrations
- Designing logical content models and intuitive CMS architectures that make websites easy for clients to manage
- Translating website designs, client briefs and business requirements into effective backend solutions
- Working closely with frontend developers, UX/UI designers and project managers throughout the development lifecycle
- Contributing to technical specifications, project scoping and development estimates
- Delivering clean, efficient and maintainable code to agreed timelines
- Supporting website improvements, ongoing maintenance and client retainers
- Troubleshooting technical challenges and improving website performance, security and reliability
- Collaborating with the wider team to explore new technologies and improve development practices
- For more senior developers, taking greater ownership of technical architecture, code quality and supporting less experienced team members
What we're looking for Essential experience: - Strong commercial experience developing backend applications and websites using PHP
- Good knowledge of Laravel, its ecosystem and modern PHP development practices
- Experience working with CMS platforms such as Craft CMS, WordPress or similar
- Understanding of CMS architecture, content modelling and bespoke website functionality
- Ability to translate designs and requirements into logical backend structures
- Experience integrating backend functionality with frontend websites and third-party services
- Comfortable collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and managing work across multiple projects
- A strong understanding of clean code, maintainability and development best practices
Desirable experience: - Hands-on experience with Craft CMS, particularly custom modules, plugins and CMS architecture
- Previous experience within a digital, creative or web development agency
- Experience with the Yii framework
- Familiarity with frontend technologies such as https://jobeax.com/link/tzGekrj9a8ToGEDv and Tailwind CSS
- Experience developing APIs and integrating third-party services
- Exposure to complex content migrations or multi-site CMS environments
- Experience contributing to technical specifications, project estimates and solution design
- For senior applicants, experience taking technical ownership of projects and mentoring other developers
About you You're a developer who enjoys solving technical problems and takes pride in building well-structured, reliable solutions.
You understand that great backend development isn't just about writing code. It's about building intuitive, flexible systems that support engaging digital experiences and make content management straightforward for clients.
You'll enjoy working across varied projects, collaborating with different disciplines and contributing to a team that values quality, creativity and continuous improvement.
Whether you're a Mid-Level Developer looking to broaden your experience or a Senior Developer seeking greater technical ownership, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution while continuing to develop your skills.
If you're a PHP / Laravel Developer looking for varied technical challenges, interesting client projects and the opportunity to develop within a collaborative, forward-thinking digital agency, we'd love to hear from you.