PHP Developer

PHP Developerr - OUTSIDE IR35 - Up Too £350 P/D - REMOTE

Inspirec has partnered with a dynamic and innovative leader in the technology industry, who are seeking a highly motivated Software Developer (PHP) to join their team on a contract basis.

We are seeking a skilled PHP Developer to maintain, troubleshoot, and gradually modernise our legacy PHP application. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in complex, existing codebases, has a keen eye for identifying root causes, and is passionate about building long-term, stable solutions. You’ll work closely with the product and delivery teams to ensure system reliability while supporting a broader migration to modern technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyse, troubleshoot, and resolve bugs in a legacy PHP (5.x/7.x) system.
• Perform root cause analysis and implement durable fixes for recurring issues.
• Write, test, and deploy patches with minimal disruption to production systems.
• Collaborate with product and delivery teams to prioritise bug fixes and maintain feature stability.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code when applying enhancements or patches.
• Support the long-term modernisation strategy by identifying technical debt and recommending incremental improvements.

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong hands-on experience with PHP (5.x/7.x), especially in debugging and optimisation.
• Proficient in maintaining and updating legacy systems, including patch management and handling outdated dependencies.
• Solid understanding of relational databases (e.g., MySQL).
• Comfortable working with minimal documentation and understanding legacy codebases.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently on issue resolution.
• Familiarity with Git and version control best practices.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with modern PHP frameworks such as Laravel or Symfony.
• Knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) for full-stack troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing practices.
• Prior experience in system modernisation or migration projects.