Back End Developer

Crowd2Fund is a dynamic UK-based investment platform that connects investors directly with innovative small businesses and entrepreneurs. Founded in 2014, Crowd2Fund has facilitated around £50 million in investments, paying out more than £8 million in interest to date. This year, we have big growth plans that bring with them great opportunities for team members to grow, progress, and have ownership of what they do.

We are a small, dynamic, and diverse team with our office based in the vibrant neighborhood of Notting Hill. We embrace a Hybrid Work Policy, providing the flexibility to balance remote and in-office work to help our team thrive both professionally and personally.

Join us and be part of an exciting journey, to help drive economic growth and to help small businesses make their dreams come true.

About the Role

We are looking for a talented Backend Developer with strong PHP and Symfony (Sonata Admin) experience to enhance and maintain the web application that sits at the heart of our business. You will play a key role in improving our Symfony platform, optimizing performance, ensuring security, and integrating third-party services.

Key Technology Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Symfony-based backend services.
• Identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities and keep systems up-to-date.
• Manage and optimize MySQL databases with complex relationships.
• Collaborate with front-end developers and members of other departments to design and implement new features.
• Write unit and integration tests.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to best practices.
• Technical Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for APIs, system architecture, and deployment procedures.
• Disaster Recovery: Develop and implement disaster recovery plans and procedures to ensure business continuity in case of system failures.
• Performance Monitoring and Optimization: Implement and maintain monitoring tools to track application performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize code for speed and efficiency.
• Data Security and Compliance: Implement and enforce data security measures, ensure compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR), and conduct regular security audits.

Key Business Responsibilities

• We are a small team so you will need to be able to work closely with your colleagues in other parts of the business to understand user needs to build new functions and features. 
• You will need a good understanding of how to run and manage a backlog – helping with the prioritization of new features, enhancements, and bugs.
• You will be committed to excellence in everything you do – ensuring your work is supported with excellent communication, documentation, and strong interaction with the rest of the Crowd2Fund team.

Required Skills

• 3+ years of experience in backend development with PHP and Symfony.
• Proficiency in Doctrine ORM and database query optimization.
• Experience with RESTful APIs, JWT/OAuth authentication, and API security best practices.
• Familiarity with Sonata Admin Bundle and Symfony’s admin panel capabilities.
• Strong knowledge of SQL (MySQL), including database schema design and query tuning.
• Experience with Docker and containerized environments.
• Familiarity with Git, CI/CD pipelines, and automated deployment workflows.
• Experience with JIRA or other similar ticketing tools. 

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Automated deployments and CI/CD processes.
• Experience with React, Vue, or other front-end frameworks.
• Experience with logging and monitoring tools.
• Experience with Redis, Memcached, or other caching mechanisms.

What We Offer

• Hybrid working.
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Regular team nights out.
• Upskilling opportunities and discounts at hundreds of outlets through our HR platform.
• Generous holiday allowance with the ability to carry over up to 5 days every year.
• Ability to work remotely from anywhere in the world with the approval of your manager.