Senior Backend Engineer (PHP)

Lead Backend Engineer (PHP) Up to €6.5K/month | Hybrid | PHP (Symfony) Apply now At Dyflexis, we build the workforce management platform and our software helps managers plan and track 200,000+ workers every day. Now we’re scaling across Europe and into the US. That growth needs solid backend engineering behind it. You’ll own the backend. That means leading a team of seven engineers, setting technical direction, and making architecture decisions that let the product scale without things breaking under pressure. We work in focused six-week build cycles followed by two-week cooldowns, giving the team real space to build with focus, reflect on what matters, and prepare for what’s next. This isn’t a role where you manage from a distance. You’ll be close to the code, spotting architectural issues before they become debt and fixing problems before they become tickets. We’re profitable, bootstrapped, and reinvesting heavily in our infrastructure. What we need is someone who raises the bar and brings the team along. What you'll do As Lead Backend Developer, you work directly with our Engineering Manager, Technology Lead, and Product team to shape the systems powering Dyflexis at enterprise scale. Guide and develop a team of seven backend engineers across architecture decisions, technical reviews, and day-to-day problem solving. Define and own backend architecture for multi-region, enterprise-scale deployment. Translate product requirements into systems that handle scale without compromising reliability or compliance. Lead technical discussions and mentor engineers on distributed systems, query optimization, and production reliability. Set engineering standards for code quality, testing, and observability. Spot issues early, from slow queries to architectural drift, before they compound. Partner with product and platform teams to deliver solutions that work in production, not just in demos. Our current tech stack includes Core: PHP (Symfony), MySQL, Redis, Docker Infrastructure: Kubernetes, GitLab CI/CD What you'll need You have 7+ years of experience building backend systems that survive real production traffic. You know PHP and Symfony deeply, modern practices, not legacy band-aids. You’ve optimized databases that were falling over, debugged race conditions under pressure, and made architectural choices that still held up when traffic multiplied. Deep experience with PHP (Symfony) and relational databases including MySQL, with real query optimization and schema design behind you. Solid understanding of distributed systems trade-offs: consistency, availability, partition tolerance. Experience with containerized infrastructure: Docker, Kubernetes, GitLab CI/CD. You think in systems, not features. When someone proposes a capability, you’re already considering failure modes and migration paths. Comfortable with full ownership: if you ship it, you support it. You can mentor without creating dependency. You help engineers think through problems, not just hand them answers. What you'll get At Dyflexis, you'll be part of an ambitious, energetic, and customer-focused team. We offer: Fixed salary up to €6.5K gross per month based on a 40-hour week (skill based). Personal development budget to level up your skills. 25 vacation days + your birthday off in exchange for cake. An in-house chef surprising you daily with fresh lunch. The best parties, drinks & trips (Winter sports, Ibiza & more). Membership at ARJ Training boxing gym (home of champion Tarik & Levi Rigters). Solid pension plan & 8% holiday allowance. Buy or sell vacation days - you decide. Travel allowance and WFH compensation. Friday chair massages to kick off your weekend. Apply now Ready to raise the backend standard and help take Dyflexis across Europe and into the US? Hit apply. No cover letter needed, we’ll ask a few questions and get back to you quickly. Department Development Role Back-end Developer Locations Dyflexis Netherlands Remote status Hybrid About Dyflexis Dyflexis disrupts the workforce management (‘WFM’) industry through tech and AI. With over 5,000 clients in dozens of countries, we are on a mission to deliver a knockout blow to the traditional punch card. Our platform simplifies forecasting, modernizes scheduling, makes time tracking easy, and streamlines payrolling. In short, we enable organizations to turn WFM into a value-adding capability. Our success is a testament to the drive and knowledge of our 100+ colleagues. As for our culture, we are a straight-forward bunch, love to share, are big fans of pioneering, and tackle challenges with curiosity and a yes-we-can mentality.