At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead exciting projects, modernise systems, and automate processes in a dynamic tech environment.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking digital advertising company with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, autonomy in your role, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Work closely with the CTO and enjoy a hands-on, high-ownership role.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by owning key projects and driving innovation in tech.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software development, strong PHP skills, and experience with automation.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Executive Channel Network
Executive Channel Network (ECN) is a Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising company operating across the UK, France and Germany. Our premium screen network reaches business audiences in the workplace environments they spend most of their day in. We are a lean, commercially focused organisation, and our technology stack directly underpins the commercial, operational and creative engine of the business.
The Role
We are hiring a Senior Full-Stack Developer to be the technical backbone of our London operation. You will work directly with the CTO on a defined set of priority projects, but day-to-day you will run your own schedule, make your own technical decisions, and drive projects to completion largely autonomously. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. It will suit a commercially minded engineer who is equally comfortable refactoring legacy PHP, upgrading Linux servers, cutting responsive HTML5 and CSS from a designer's mockup, and scripting automations that remove friction for Finance, Marketing and Operations. You will also be encouraged and expected to use AI coding tools such as Claude Code to meaningfully accelerate your output - we treat AI-assisted development as a core productivity lever, not a novelty.
Key Projects You Will Own
- SuiteCRM Platform Ownership and Major Version Upgrade
- Ongoing development, customisation and bug fixing of the current SuiteCRM deployment.
- Planning and executing an upgrade to the latest SuiteCRM version, including the underlying server infrastructure.
- Rewriting and modernising ECN's custom SuiteCRM plugins and bespoke code so they are compatible with the target version.
- Establishing a sensible approach to environments, deployment, backups and future upgrade paths so we are never this far behind again.
- Dynamic HTML5 / CSS Creative Template Stack
- Upgrading our existing dynamic HTML5 and CSS templates to a modern, maintainable baseline, against priorities set by the Content Director.
- Building new templates from designer specifications where commercial or creative needs demand it.
- Ensuring templates render reliably across the playback environments used on our network.
- Comfortable collaborating across time zones — the Content Director is based in Australia, so expect asynchronous working with occasional scheduled calls.
- Business Automation across Finance, Marketing and Operations
- Identifying, designing and building automations that remove manual overhead — from integrations between existing SaaS tools through to bespoke internal utilities.
- Expected to scope, prioritise and ship these in conversation with the CTO and the relevant business owner.
How You Will Work
- Autonomy first. You will receive direction and feedback from the CTO, but you will be trusted to plan, estimate and deliver under your own steam. If you need a hand-holding environment, this is not the role.
- Small, focused team. You will work alongside our Global IT and UK Tech lead in London and a programmatic/content specialist in ANZ. The CTO is actively involved but not a bottleneck.
- Pragmatic engineering. We value shipping, maintainability and commercial awareness over architectural purity. We want you to leave the codebase and the infrastructure in better shape than you found them.
- AI-assisted development. You will use Claude Code or equivalent tooling as a core part of your workflow. We expect you to have opinions on where it helps, where it doesn't, and how to use it safely on production code.
What You Bring
- Essential
- 5+ years of professional software development experience, with meaningful time spent as the senior or lead engineer on a product or platform.
- Strong PHP skills and demonstrable experience working inside, customising or upgrading a substantial PHP application (SuiteCRM, SugarCRM, Magento, WordPress at scale, or similar legacy-but-live platforms).
- Comfortable administering Linux servers: MySQL/MariaDB, Apache or Nginx, PHP-FPM, deployment, backups and basic security hygiene.
- Fluent in modern HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, with the ability to translate designer output into production-quality, responsive markup.
- Track record of building integrations and automations against third-party APIs (finance systems, marketing platforms, internal tooling).
- Active, deliberate use of AI coding assistants such as Claude Code, and the judgement to know when to lean on them and when not to.
- Excellent written and spoken English, and the communication skills to work directly with non-technical stakeholders in Finance, Marketing and Operations.
- Right to work in the UK.
- Nice to Have
- Direct SuiteCRM or SugarCRM experience, including custom module or logic hook development.
- Experience running a major version upgrade of a business-critical legacy system.
- Exposure to the Digital Out-of-Home, AdTech or MarTech space.
- Familiarity with modern front-end frameworks (React, Next.js) for internal tooling work.
- Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS or equivalent), including CI/CD.
What Success Looks Like
- By month 3: You own the SuiteCRM environment, have cleared the critical bug backlog, and have produced a credible upgrade plan with infrastructure and plugin migration scoped.
- By month 6: SuiteCRM is upgraded or well into execution, the dynamic template stack has been modernised, and at least one material business automation is live and in use.
- By month 12: You are the trusted go-to engineer for the London business, operating independently against a rolling priority list agreed with the CTO, and measurably improving velocity across the technology function.
Why Join ECN
- Real ownership: a defined remit with genuine scope, not a ticket queue.
- Direct line to the CTO and exposure to commercial decision-making.
- A tech function that is being rebuilt — you will have unusual influence over how we work, what we use and what we build.
- Competitive London salary with room to grow as the function scales.
How to Apply
Send a CV and a short note telling us about the most complex legacy system you have modernised, and how you currently use AI tooling in your day-to-day work. We read every application.
Executive Channel Network is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background.
Senior Full-Stack Developer in London employer: Executive Channel Network (ECN)
Contact Detail:
Executive Channel Network (ECN) Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Full-Stack Developer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Attend tech meetups, conferences, or even local coding events. Chatting with fellow developers can lead to job opportunities that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a personal project or contribute to open-source. This not only sharpens your abilities but also gives you something tangible to discuss during interviews.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview like it’s a code review. Research the company, understand their tech stack, and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs. We want to see your passion!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Full-Stack Developer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the Senior Full-Stack Developer role. Highlight your PHP expertise, experience with SuiteCRM, and any relevant projects that showcase your ability to work autonomously.
Showcase Your Projects: In your application, include specific examples of complex legacy systems you've modernised. This is your chance to shine, so don’t hold back on the details—let us know how you tackled challenges and what tools you used!
Be Clear About AI Tools: Since we value AI-assisted development, mention how you currently use AI coding tools like Claude Code in your workflow. Share your thoughts on their effectiveness and how they’ve helped you improve your productivity.
Keep It Conversational: When writing your application note, keep it informal and conversational. We want to get a sense of who you are, so let your personality shine through while still being professional. And remember, apply through our website!
How to prepare for a job interview at Executive Channel Network (ECN)
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially PHP and SuiteCRM. Brush up on your Linux server management skills too, as you'll need to demonstrate your ability to handle legacy systems and modern upgrades.
✨Showcase Your Autonomy
This role requires a high level of independence. Prepare examples from your past work where you successfully managed projects on your own. Highlight how you made technical decisions and drove projects to completion without needing constant supervision.
✨Communicate Effectively
Since you’ll be collaborating with non-technical stakeholders, practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. Be ready to discuss how you've worked with teams like Finance and Marketing in the past to implement solutions that streamline processes.
✨Embrace AI Tools
Familiarise yourself with AI coding tools like Claude Code. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve used such tools in your previous roles to enhance productivity and the specific scenarios where they were beneficial or not.