PHP Engineer
About the role
The PHP Engineer role at SME Careers involves working remotely on an hourly contract basis to review AI-generated PHP code, backend designs, and technical explanations. The position requires producing high-quality reference implementations, step-by-step reasoning for complex engineering problems, and evaluating AI solutions for correctness, clarity, security, and performance. Responsibilities include developing AI training content, optimizing AI performance by ranking and providing feedback on AI responses, and ensuring model integrity by testing outputs for inaccuracies and unsafe practices. SME Careers is a subsidiary of SuperAnnotate, providing AI training data to major AI companies and labs, and this role contributes directly to improving leading AI models.
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 position. There is no immediate project, but qualified candidates will be prioritized for future opportunities and gain access to an expert network for upcoming projects. Minimum C1 English proficiency is required.
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