---
title: 'Senior PHP Engineer (Remote, Full-Time) [AR025] (PK) at Smart Working Solutions'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-php-engineer-remote-full-time-ar025-pk-smart-working-solutions-pakistan-5cenyy901bzc'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-15'
---

# Senior PHP Engineer (Remote, Full-Time) [AR025] (PK) at Smart Working Solutions

- **Company:** Smart Working Solutions
- **Location:** Pakistan
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/smart-working-solutions/078112bd-2d26-4313-b46f-a0f65822d6fd

## Job description

## About Smart Working

At Smart Working, we believe your job should not only look right on paper but also feel right every day. This isn’t just another remote opportunity - it’s about finding where you truly belong, no matter where you are. From day one, you’re welcomed into a genuine community that values your growth and well-being.

Our mission is simple: to break down geographic barriers and connect skilled professionals with outstanding global teams and products for full-time, long-term roles. We help you discover meaningful work with teams that invest in your success, where you’re empowered to grow personally and professionally.

Join one of the highest-rated workplaces on Glassdoor and experience what it means to thrive in a truly remote-first world.

## About the Role

As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will take ownership of large-scale production backend systems that handle high volumes of data, connected devices, video and location information. This is a full-time, long-term role, with a target start date of November 2026.

You will work in a small, experienced team of around 10 in-house developers, where independent thinking and technical decision-making are important. The role is fully backend-focused, covering systems for DVR cameras, event reconstruction, tracking, vehicle telematics, fuel and EV data. As most customers are in the public sector, security, GDPR compliance and video footage retention are key priorities.

You will work on existing systems with limited documentation, help modernise the platform and collaborate closely with the developer leading the computer vision work.

## Responsibilities

- Own and evolve the PHP backend that ingests GPS and telematics data, safety hardware events and DVR video, and sends real-time alerts.
- Build and maintain APIs used by the web platform, mobile application and integration partners.
- Deliver the ongoing Yii2-to-Laravel migration, with Yii2 at end of life and approximately a year remaining to complete the migration.
- Deliver the ongoing MariaDB-to-PostgreSQL migration.
- Support the decomposition of the existing monolith into microservices.
- Take over systems from a retiring contractor and become productive quickly despite limited documentation.
- Support the backend for the AI product line, working alongside the developer currently leading computer vision work; the exact scope is still to be confirmed.
- Take end-to-end ownership of production systems rather than requiring prior people-management or project-lead experience.
- Work independently within a small senior team while collaborating closely on AI-related work.
- Apply architectural judgement to microservices and database migrations, with particular attention to data integrity during migration.
- Work flexibly within established practices, including Bitbucket Pipelines and PHPUnit, in a small team with light process.
- Contribute as a problem-solver, applying senior technical judgement to production engineering decisions.
- Work thoroughly on production systems used by local authorities while ramping up quickly for the required start date.

## Requirements

- 8+ years of commercial PHP backend development at Expert level.
- 5+ years of experience with large-scale SaaS or complex production systems at Expert level; simple or low-traffic systems will not meet the required standard.
- 3+ years of PostgreSQL experience at Advanced level.
- 5+ years of API design and third-party integration experience at Advanced level.
- 3+ years of high-volume data processing experience at Advanced level, including event-driven systems and ingestion pipelines; IoT or device data ingestion, streaming or queue-based systems are acceptable substitutes.
- 3+ years of Laravel and/or Yii2 experience at Advanced level.
- 3+ years of PHPUnit experience at Advanced level; other PHP testing frameworks such as Pest or Codeception may substitute.
- 2+ years of microservices or monolith-decomposition experience at Intermediate level; service-oriented or modular architecture work may substitute.
- 2+ years of AWS experience at Intermediate level; Azure or GCP may substitute.
- Experience in the telematics, fleet or logistics domain at Intermediate level; IoT, GPS/location technology or connected-device experience may substitute.
- Experience with video, CCTV or large media file handling at Intermediate level; large-file storage, retrieval and retention at scale may substitute.
- Ability to take end-to-end ownership of mature production systems, work independently with limited hand-holding and apply strong technical judgement.
- Strong complex-system exposure is essential. Experience with complex systems matters more than years alone, and backgrounds limited to simple or basic applications are not suitable.

## Nice to Have

- Experience with MariaDB/MySQL at scale, particularly relevant to an environment currently migrating from MariaDB to PostgreSQL.
- Front-end experience, although this is not required for this 100% backend role.
- Familiarity with CI/CD using Bitbucket Pipelines; GitHub Actions, GitLab CI or Jenkins are suitable alternatives.
- Familiarity with AI or computer vision, including YOLO-type object detection; ML or image-processing pipeline exposure may substitute.
- Experience combining event-driven or IoT-style data ingestion with large media files at scale, ideally alongside an ML pipeline.
- AI experience is a tiebreaker only and candidates should not be excluded for lacking it.

## About Smart Working Solutions

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Smart Working provides a "Tech Talent as a Service" model, delivering rigorously vetted remote software engineers and AI specialists who are fully embedded into clients’ teams.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held)
- **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Oli Rowse (Co-Founder), Max Rowse (Co-Founder), Julian Rowse (Director & Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: IT Services and IT Consulting
- **Target customers**: B2B – mid‑market to enterprise clients in the UK and USA seeking to scale engineering teams without traditional hiring overhead
- **Mission / purpose**: "Building high‑performance global engineering teams without the friction, risk, or overhead of legacy hiring models."

## Products & Services
- **Tech Talent as a Service (TTaaS)**: A fully managed service that includes vetting, onboarding, payroll, HR administration, performance management, compliance, and continuous AI training. Engineers work the client’s hours, join their standups, and integrate into existing Slack/communication channels. Pricing starts at ~£20–£25/hour all‑inclusive.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: 123 employees (78% year‑over‑year growth); serves 60+ clients in the UK and USA
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Not publicly listed
- **Growth Signals**:
  - 78% headcount growth YoY
  - Average engineer tenure of 26 months (low churn for the industry)
  - Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 75
  - ISO 27001 certified
  - 4‑stage vetting process that admits only ~1% of ~100,000 monthly applicants
  - Continuous AI Academy training for all engineers

## Competitive Advantages
- **Rigorous vetting**: 4‑stage process (AI‑assisted screening, advanced technical assessments, communication tests, live technical interview) ensures top‑1% talent.
- **Full embedding**: Engineers work the client’s exact hours, attend meetings, and use the client’s tools – eliminating the disconnect typical of offshore outsourcing.
- **Low churn guarantee**: Average 26‑month tenure; if an engineer leaves, they are replaced at no extra cost.
- **All‑inclusive pricing**: Single monthly invoice covers vetting, onboarding, payroll, HR, compliance, performance management, and AI training.
- **Security & compliance**: ISO 27001 certified with comprehensive background screening.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling the “Tech Talent as a Service” model to more clients while maintaining high quality and low churn.
- Continuous investment in AI training (AI Academy) to keep engineers ahead of emerging technologies.
- Expanding the client base beyond the UK and USA into other English‑speaking markets.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & ratings**: Employer rating of 4.7/5 on LinkedIn (196 reviews) with strong scores for work‑life balance (4.7), compensation (4.5), culture (4.6), and career growth (4.5).
- **Remote‑first**: All roles are fully remote, with engineers distributed across 18 countries. The model supports full‑time, contractual, and part‑time engagements.
- **Stability & impact**: Engineers work directly with 60+ clients on meaningful products and receive continuous training in AI and modern tech stacks.
- **Support**: Dedicated Account Managers and Customer Success teams handle performance, compliance, and career development.
- **Perks**: All‑inclusive payroll handling, no lock‑in contracts (1‑month calibration + 6‑month minimum), and a replacement guarantee.

## Sources
1. [smartworking.io](https://smartworking.io/)
2. [linkedin.com](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/smartworkingsolutions)
3. [lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/smart-working-solutions)
4. [simplify.jobs](https://simplify.jobs/c/Smart-Working-Solutions)

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