PHP Engineer
About the role
As a PHP Engineer, you will work remotely on an hourly paid contract basis to review AI-generated PHP code, backend designs, and technical explanations. The role involves producing high-quality reference implementations, step-by-step reasoning for complex engineering problems, and assessing solutions for correctness, clarity, security, and performance. You will also identify issues in application architecture, data modeling, API design, security, caching, and database usage, as well as fact-check technical information and rate multiple AI responses. This position is with SME Careers, a subsidiary of SuperAnnotate, focused on providing AI training data to leading AI companies and labs. There is no immediate project, but qualified candidates will be prioritized for future opportunities through the expert network.
Must have
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field (or equivalent professional experience).
- 4+ years of professional experience developing production backend systems in PHP.
- Expert-level proficiency in modern PHP (7.4/8.x+), including OOP, strict typing, namespaces, Composer, and common design patterns.
- Strong backend fundamentals: HTTP, REST, authentication/authorization, sessions, caching, queues, and API design.
- Deep experience with databases (e.g., MySQL/PostgreSQL), including schema design, indexing, query optimization, and transactions.
- Experience with at least one major PHP framework (e.g., Laravel, Symfony) and knowledge of dependency injection, middleware, and ORM tradeoffs.
- Security mindset with hands-on knowledge of secure coding practices (e.g., OWASP Top 10, input validation, SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, secrets handling).
- Comfort with version control, CI/CD workflows, and automated testing (e.g., PHPUnit, integration tests, mocking strategies).
- Minimum C1 English proficiency (written and spoken), with the ability to write clear technical explanations and follow detailed English-language guidelines.
- Highly detail-oriented and systematic, with a methodical approach to evaluating reasoning quality and identifying subtle bugs in complex PHP/backend systems.
Nice to have
- Prior experience with AI data training, annotation, or evaluating AI-generated technical content is a strong plus.
Technologies
- Authentication
- CI/CD
- Data Modeling
- Laravel
- MySQL
- OWASP
- PHP
- PostgreSQL
- SQL
- Symfony
- Test Automation
Highlights
This is a fully remote, hourly paid contractor role. There is currently no immediate project, but qualified candidates will be contacted first for future opportunities. Access to future projects through the expert network is provided.
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