At a Glance
- Tasks: Design scalable backend architecture and lead technical initiatives in a dynamic fintech environment.
- Company: Join Creditstar Group, a rapidly growing international consumer finance company.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, health insurance, paid birthday off, and professional development sponsorship.
- Other info: Collaborate with a talented international team and enjoy regular company events.
- Why this job: Shape the future of digital banking and make a real impact with your skills.
- Qualifications: 5-7+ years PHP experience, strong backend engineering skills, and leadership abilities.
The predicted salary is between 49500 - 60500 £ per year.
Creditstar Group is a rapidly growing international consumer finance company, headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia and operating in multiple European markets.
At the core, we are a financial technology company that uses automated processes, algorithms and data analysis to make financial instruments easily available to a population of more than 175 million people in our target markets.
We are a team of ambitious professionals who value innovation, effective efficiency, high growth, and high performance.
For more information on the group, please visit
Our vision is to build and deliver digital banking products of the future. If you want to be part of this, here is your chance.
What's in it for you?
- Ownership from day one. You'll shape the technical direction of the platform, not just execute tickets. We trust our engineers to drive decisions.
- A team that values craft. We allocate dedicated capacity to technical debt, run regular architecture discussions, and take engineering quality seriously - not just velocity.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and evolve scalable backend architecture and core platform services
- Lead technical initiatives from solution design and estimation through production release
- Develop new functionality, improve existing systems, and reduce technical debt
- Ensure system scalability, reliability, performance, and maintainability
- Optimize databases, APIs, caching layers, and background processing
- Identify and resolve production incidents, bottlenecks, and technical risks
- Participate in architectural decision-making and long-term platform evolution
- Conduct code reviews and maintain engineering quality standards
- Mentor developers, support onboarding, and provide technical leadership within the team
- Collaborate with Product, Growth leads, QA, and other engineering teams
Technical
- 5-7+ years of commercial PHP development experience
- Strong knowledge of modern PHP (8.0+) and backend engineering best practices
- Solid hands-on experience with Yii2 or willing to learn
- Experience with frontend development(Typescript, React)
- Experience designing scalable backend systems with a strong grasp of software architecture and system design principles
- Strong Postgre SQL experience: schema design, indexing, query optimization, performance tuning
- Experience designing APIs and service integrations
- Solid Git workflows, code review practices, and CI/CD experience
- Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis skills
Leadership & Ownership
- Proven experience leading major technical initiatives
- Ability to independently drive projects from design to production
- Experience working with large legacy codebases and driving incremental modernisation without disrupting business operations
- Strong estimation, planning, prioritisation, and risk management skills
- Experience mentoring engineers
Soft skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset
- Effective communication and collaboration in cross-functional teams
- High autonomy, accountability, and product ownership
- Product-oriented thinking with a focus on business impact.
- Nice to have
- Experience in fintech
- Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.)
- Dynamic, challenging, and rewarding work within a rapidly growing international company;
- Chance to contribute to the business' decision-making processes and making a tangible impact;
- Working with a talented and fun international team.
- Sports or Health insurance compensation
- Paid birthday day- off
- Regular company parties and events;
- Powerful equipment and modern tools;
- On-demand sponsorship for your professional development;
- Competitive remuneration package.
Senior Software Engineer - PHP in London employer: Creditstar Group
Creditstar is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, allowing you to shape impactful financial products used by customers across Europe. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, flexible working options, and a supportive international team, you'll have the opportunity to make a tangible impact while enjoying competitive benefits such as health insurance compensation and professional development sponsorship. Join us in our mission to empower individuals with better financial control in a fast-paced fintech environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer - PHP in London
✨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 Creditstar Group 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 Creditstar Group.
✨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 Creditstar Group.
✨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 Creditstar Group 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 Senior Software Engineer - PHP in London
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 Creditstar Group.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Creditstar Group 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 Creditstar Group
✨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 Creditstar Group 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.
