At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of a complex Laravel microservices platform in a dynamic SaaS environment.
- Company: Join an ambitious SaaS business transforming the UK Energy sector.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and strong career progression opportunities.
- Other info: Enjoy hybrid working with flexibility and significant growth potential.
- Why this job: Shape the future of a live product while making a real impact in the industry.
- Qualifications: 5+ years of Laravel experience and expertise in multi-tenant architecture.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Are you a senior backend engineer who wants full ownership of a complex Laravel platform, working within a small team where you can directly shape the architecture, standards, and future direction of the product, with a genuine path into senior technical leadership?
You will be joining an ambitious SaaS business building a platform used within the UK Energy sector to manage property data, thermodynamic calculations, compliance, and project delivery. The system is already live and growing, with market-leading businesses already onboarded relying on it for regulated work.
The platform itself is a multi-tenant Laravel microservices architecture, with a domain-heavy calculation engine and multiple external data integrations. The work is technically demanding, particularly around data isolation, shared logic across services, and maintaining accuracy within interconnected calculation models.
This role is hands-on and focused on ownership. You will be responsible for how the backend evolves, how services communicate, and how changes are rolled out across the system. The team is currently small, so there is significant room for the role to grow in scope and seniority as the business scales, alongside meaningful equity aligned to impact.
The Role:- Lead and develop a Laravel microservices platform used in a live SaaS product
- Build and maintain multi-tenant architecture with strong data isolation
- Extend a scientific calculation engine with high accuracy requirements
- Work across queues, Redis pub/sub, and event-driven workflows
- Develop and maintain integrations with external APIs and data sources
- Hybrid working, with one day per week in the London office ideally, though every other week is also workable for the right candidate
- 5+ years Laravel experience in complex backend or SaaS systems
- Strong experience with multi-tenant architecture, shared packages, and distributed systems
- Solid understanding of OAuth 2.1, identity systems, and backend security
- Experience with AWS (EC2, RDS, S3), Docker, CI/CD, and Laravel Forge or Vapor
- Comfortable working with Elasticsearch, async pipelines, and event-driven design
We are an equal opportunities company and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.
Lead Backend Engineer employer: ChiroCat
Join a thriving digital design and development agency in Wimbourne, Dorset, where your contributions truly matter. With a strong focus on employee growth, we offer regular training, flexible working hours, and a collaborative work culture that encourages innovation and creativity. Here, you can expect a supportive environment that not only values your ideas but also provides the opportunity for meaningful career progression.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Backend Engineer
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at ChiroCat or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to ChiroCat.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like ChiroCat.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like ChiroCat that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Backend Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at ChiroCat.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at ChiroCat and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at ChiroCat
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If ChiroCat uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
