Software Engineering Tech Lead (PHP)

Software Engineering Tech Lead (PHP)

About the Company

My client is a leading European player in the consumer experience industry, offering a wide portfolio of curated leisure, travel, and lifestyle experiences through both online and retail channels. My client blends strong e-commerce capabilities with real-time product integrations. They operate a tech-forward, collaborative culture and are currently scaling their backend systems to support increased demand and growth into new verticals.

About the Position

My client is currently looking Software Engineering Tech Lead (PHP Backend) to join their Engineering team. You will lead the domain that powers a real-time availability engine and support integrations with hotels, parks, and new verticals such as spas and restaurants.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role, responsible for the design, scalability, and long-term health of systems within your domain. You will collaborate closely with software engineers, product managers, QA engineers, and other technical leads - both on-site and in remote/offshore teams.

Please note that this is a technical leadership role without direct people management responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technical direction and system architecture for your domain.
• Design and maintain scalable, testable backend services using PHP and Symfony.
• Collaborate with managers to ensure solutions align with business needs.
• Guide engineers by reviewing code, sharing best practices, and supporting solution design.
• Run regular technical syncs with offshore and cross-functional teams.
• Represent your domain in cross-team discussions and technical initiatives.
• Contribute to process improvements across our SDLC and Agile delivery practices.
• Promote code quality, test coverage, and CI/CD best practices within the team.
• Drive innovation by bringing forward thoughtful & cost-effective infrastructure solutions.

Experience/Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in software development, including technical ownership and mentorship responsibilities.
• Deep expertise in PHP (7 or 8) and a modern PHP framework (preferably Symfony).
• Proven experience designing and supporting robust REST/SOAP APIs.
• Strong skills in relational data modelling and performance optimisation.
• Familiarity with asynchronous processing and messaging systems.
• Comfortable working with containers and cloud-native environments.
• Hands-on experience with automated testing and maintaining high test coverage.
• Practical understanding of CI/CD pipelines in team environments.
• Strong knowledge of clean architecture, design patterns, and SOLID principles.
• Excellent communication skills; comfortable working across teams and time zones.
• Ability to balance technical priorities with business goals.

Strongly Desirable

• Experience with availability engines, inventory synchronisation, or real-time data flows.
• Familiarity with OTA specifications (e.g., OTA XML/JSON) or travel booking flows.
• Integration experience with channel managers, booking platforms, or hospitality systems.
• Understanding of Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and how to apply it in scalable systems.
• Experience in production observability (monitoring, logging, alerting).
• Symfony or PHP certifications are a plus.

Remuneration Package

A comprehensive package including a generous salary, benefits, bonus and potential support with relocation (for candidates who are eligible to live and work in Ireland).

Contact

Please contact Charlie Bigger on 01 5927867 or email or simply click the apply button. To view all live jobs with Brightwater and market insights, please visit our website: www.brightwater.ie