Back End Developer

Celesta, part of La Royale Group, is a fast-growing iGaming development company dedicated to building next-generation online sports betting and casino experiences . Based in Lisbon, our multidisciplinary team is committed to quality, innovation, and regulatory excellence , creating solutions that engage players and stand out in the highly competitive i-gaming regulated market. We are now seeking a Backend Developer to join our engineering team. In this role, you will spearhead the development of our sportsbook web applications, delivering intuitive and seamless cross-platform experiences. From live betting interfaces to personalized dashboards, you will guide a team that ensures every feature is fast, reliable, and user-friendly. This position reports directly to the Team Leader/VPoE and works closely with designers, backend, QA, and product teams. The role should be based at the office in the Carnaxide area (up to 8 days per month remotely), and the first month is fully on-site. Main job responsibilities: Collaborate with other team members to establish objectives and design functional, scalable and maintainable backend solutions that enhance the user experience. Develop ideas for new programs, products and features by monitoring industry developments, emerging technologies and AI advancements. Build reusable code, libraries and services for future use. Develop and maintain RESTful APIs and backend services. Write high-performance, secure and scalable code. Implement security, data protection and best software engineering practices. Liaise with developers, designers and system administrators to identify and implement new features. Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g. GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude or similar) to improve productivity, accelerate development, assist with debugging, documentation and code generation, while ensuring the quality, security and maintainability of all deliverables. Evaluate, validate and critically review AI-generated code and technical solutions, ensuring compliance with coding standards, security requirements and business needs. Continuously evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, including AI-powered development practices, to improve engineering efficiency and software quality. Skills/knowledge required for the position: At least 3 years experience in software development Good level of programming skills in >=PHP8 Ability to debug complex PHP applications (Xdebug, Profiler, and others) Development following different coding principles (SOLID, KISS, ACID, etc) Strong knowledge in developing with latest Symfony versions Knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming and Design Patterns Experience using AI-assisted software development tools (such as GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or similar) to support coding, debugging, testing and documentation. Ability to critically assess, validate and refine AI-generated outputs rather than relying on them without technical review. Knowledge of RabbitMQ, Docker, ElasticSearch is a plus Knowledge of Websocket / Socket.IO is a plus Experience with Web Services, Microservices Experience with AWS, GCP, Kubernetes is a plus Experience with Go would be a plus Proficient level of English What We Offer Competitive salary & full benefits Career growth in a fast-growing iGaming company Opportunity to shape a high-impact sports betting product Hybrid work model as per our Policy Perks: lunch & transport allowance 25 days paid vacation per year Health & dental insurance + wellness reimbursement (after 6 months work) A collaborative culture where your input matters Team events & monthly office activities