PHP Engineer Jobs Worldwide

1 open role · remote, seasonal, work exchange & visa-sponsored

SearchCategoryJob type

About the PHP Engineer role

PHP Engineers build and maintain server-side applications in PHP, commonly on frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, powering everything from e-commerce backends to legacy enterprise systems still running significant production traffic. Much of the work on a mature codebase is extending and refactoring existing code rather than starting from a blank slate.

Skills you'll need

PHP fluency, including modern PHP (8.x) featuresFramework experience (Laravel, Symfony, or similar)MySQL/PostgreSQL query writing and schema designWorking within and refactoring a legacy codebase safelyREST API design and integrationTesting frameworks (PHPUnit, Pest)Basic frontend integration (Blade, Twig, or a JS framework)Performance tuning for high-traffic PHP applications

EnRoute Jobs AI tool

Skills Gap Analyzer

Open full tool

See how your skills match a target role and what to learn next.

Your analysis appears here. You can then save it as a learning plan or email it to yourself.

Typical credentials

•2+ years building production PHP applications
•Framework-specific experience (Laravel is currently the most in-demand) is a strong plus
•Comfortable working in and safely modifying an existing large codebase, not just greenfield work
•Database fundamentals (MySQL/PostgreSQL) expected alongside PHP itself

Resume tips for PHP Engineer applications

•Name your specific framework and version experience (Laravel 10, Symfony 6, etc.)
•Mention any legacy codebase work — refactoring, upgrading PHP versions, paying down technical debt
•Quantify traffic or scale where relevant (requests/day, database size)
•Include testing practices (PHPUnit coverage) if you have them
•Keep it to one page

Sample resume for PHP Engineer

A starting point to learn from, not a template to copy word for word — the Resume Enhancer below can tailor one to your own background.

LUCAS FERREIRA lucas.ferreira@email.com · Remote (any US timezone) · github.com/lferreira SUMMARY PHP Engineer with 4 years building and maintaining Laravel applications for an e-commerce platform processing 10K+ orders/day. EXPERIENCE PHP Engineer, Marketstall — Remote | 2022–Present • Maintain and extend a Laravel monolith processing 10K+ orders/day • Led a PHP 7.4 to 8.2 upgrade across the full codebase with zero production incidents • Reduced checkout page load time from 2.1s to 800ms through query optimization Web Developer, Brindlewood Agency | 2020–2022 • Built 6 client websites in PHP/WordPress and custom Laravel applications • Wrote PHPUnit test suites for 3 projects with previously no automated coverage SKILLS PHP 8, Laravel, MySQL, PHPUnit, REST APIs, Blade EDUCATION B.S. Computer Science, Florida International University | 2020

Build your own with the Resume Enhancer →

Cover letter tips

•Reference the company's specific framework or stack if named in the posting
•Include one story of safely modifying a legacy system without breaking production
•Keep the tone practical and grounded in specifics

Sample cover letter for PHP Engineer

Same idea — a structure to learn from, not to send as-is.

Dear Hiring Manager, I'm applying for the PHP Engineer role because I like the specific discipline that comes with working in a mature codebase — one wrong refactor and 10,000 daily orders notice. At Marketstall, I led a PHP 7.4 to 8.2 upgrade across our entire Laravel monolith with zero production incidents, and separately cut our checkout load time from 2.1 seconds to 800 milliseconds through query optimization most of the team had assumed wasn't worth chasing. I'd welcome the chance to bring that same care to your codebase. Sincerely, Lucas Ferreira

Generate your own with the Cover Letter Generator →

Common interview questions for PHP Engineer roles

•Walk me through how you'd approach upgrading a legacy PHP application to a newer version.
•Describe a time you had to refactor code you didn't originally write.
•How do you approach testing in a codebase with little existing test coverage?
•What's your experience with Laravel or Symfony specifically?
•How do you diagnose a performance bottleneck in a PHP application under load?

Practice these with the Interview Simulator →

Free tools for PHP Engineer applicants

Prep smarter with AI tools that already know the role you're targeting.