Technical Lead PHP

*Open to candidates who are looking for a part time role*

We're supporting a fast-growing digital health and wellness platform that is taking the exciting step of bringing its technology development in-house for the first time. The product is live and well-established, with thousands of users across both mobile and web. However, the company is facing some growing pains with their current external IT partner. They need a technical leader who can help ensure that their development efforts stay on track, meet deadlines, and maintain a high standard of quality as they transition to internal capabilities.

This is a unique opportunity for someone with strong technical expertise who can work hands-on, holding development teams accountable while bridging the gap between technical execution and non-technical leadership. The role can be fulfilled on a short-term or contract basis, offering flexibility for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can hit the ground running.

What the role will entail -

• Take ownership of the full technical stack — from backend (Laravel/PHP) to mobile (Kotlin, Swift) and cloud (AWS) infrastructure. You'll be hands-on in guiding and supporting the development process to ensure the platform is reliable, scalable, and high-performance.
• Collaborate closely with the current IT partner to ensure the team meets deadlines and technical expectations. Work together to identify and address areas for improvement in performance, quality, and efficiency.
• Support non-technical leadership — The Director needs someone who can translate complex technical issues into actionable steps, offering clear and digestible insights on the state of development.
• Establish strong development processes — Help transition the company to an internal development model, implementing sprint cycles, refining roadmaps, and ensuring smooth release cycles.
• Improve product delivery — Drive continuous improvement in the overall product quality, helping to maintain high standards in both user experience and backend performance.
• Build technical alignment between teams — Ensure the development process aligns with broader business goals, supporting cross-functional collaboration and effective communication between technical and non-technical teams.

What we’re looking for -

• Hands-on experience in backend development (ideally Laravel/PHP) and a solid understanding of mobile development (Kotlin for Android, Swift for iOS).
• Familiarity with AWS and cloud infrastructure (EC2, S3, RDS) and best practices in modern DevOps and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience working with external vendors and leading internal teams — you have experience managing the intersection between external partners and in-house teams to ensure smooth delivery and high-quality output.
• Ability to collaborate across engineering and product functions — You understand both the technical and business sides and can effectively communicate across both groups.
• Strong communication skills — You’ll be working closely with non-technical leadership, so clarity and the ability to distill technical concepts are essential.
• Bonus: Experience in transitioning from outsourced to in-house development, and navigating the operational, cultural, and process-related challenges that come with it.

Tech Environment:

• Backend: Laravel (PHP), REST APIs
• Mobile: Fully native (Kotlin for Android, Swift for iOS)
• Web: Integrated with an LMS (planned for an upgrade to improve UX)
• Cloud: AWS (EC2, RDS serverless, S3, CloudFront)
• Tools: CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, automated testing

The company is looking for a leader who can provide structure, guidance, and accountability to their technical operations as they bring everything in-house. The tech stack is already secure and scalable, and the company now needs the right leadership to take it to the next level.