At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the transformation of legacy PHP systems while staying hands-on with development.
- Company: Dynamic tech firm in London embracing innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by modernising code and enhancing performance in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Strong PHP skills, experience with frameworks, and a passion for problem-solving.
- Other info: Join a team that values creativity and offers excellent career advancement opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 ÂŁ per year.
Location: London - Hybrid/Onsite
We’re looking for an architect who still loves to build. You’ll lead the evolution of a legacy PHP landscape—redesigning architecture, modernizing code and databases, and scaling performance—while staying hands‑on across development, migration, and operations. If you can balance near‑term delivery with a long‑term platform vision, we’d love to talk.
What you’ll do
- Own the target architecture for a legacy PHP‑based system and set the modernization roadmap.
- Refactor legacy PHP and introduce modern frameworks (Laravel/Symfony/Zend where appropriate).
- Rationalize database logic: analyze, refactor, and optimize stored procedures; decouple app ↔ DB.
- Design secure, high‑performance APIs and drive application & database performance tuning.
- Ship code: contribute hands‑on in PHP and at least one secondary stack.
- Lead migrations (platform/framework/infrastructure) with minimal business disruption.
- Level‑up DevOps: CI/CD, automated testing, deployments, monitoring & alerting.
- Translate business needs into clean, maintainable technical solutions with cross‑functional teams.
- Ensure stability, security, and operational excellence across environments.
- Explore and apply GenAI where it meaningfully accelerates modernization and developer productivity.
What you’ll bring
- Strong PHP engineering plus frameworks (Laravel / Symfony / Zend / legacy).
- Deep experience modernizing legacy code and reducing technical debt at scale.
- Database expertise: schema design, stored procedures, SQL tuning, and refactoring patterns.
- API experience: designing and building RESTful services.
- One or more secondary languages: Node.js / Java / .NET (production experience).
- Web server know‑how: Apache and IIS configuration & performance tuning.
- DevOps fluency: Git, CI/CD, automated builds/tests, deployment strategies, observability.
- Performance mindset across application and database layers.
DevOps & Operations
- Implement CI/CD pipelines with industry‑standard tooling.
- Manage environments, logging, monitoring, and on‑call alerting.
- Plan releases with rollback strategies and production support best practices.
Nice to have
- Breaking down monoliths into modular or service‑oriented architectures.
- Strong understanding of web app security practices.
- Experience in enterprise or regulated environments.
- Architectural thinking with a hands‑on bias.
- Pragmatic problem‑solving and clear analytical reasoning.
- Ability to balance short‑term delivery with long‑term vision.
- Comfortable in legacy code while driving transformation (including GenAI use‑cases).
- Clear communication with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Technical Architect -PHP-based architecture employer: HCLTech
Contact Detail:
HCLTech Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Technical Architect -PHP-based architecture
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the tech world, especially those who work with PHP or in architecture roles. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your past projects, especially any legacy PHP modernisation work. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and soft skills. Be ready to discuss how you've tackled challenges in legacy systems and how you envision modernising them. We want to see your problem-solving skills in action!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining our team and contributing to exciting projects.
We think you need these skills to ace Technical Architect -PHP-based architecture
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the job description. Highlight your experience with PHP and any frameworks like Laravel or Symfony. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for modernising legacy systems and how you balance short-term goals with long-term vision. Let us know why you're excited about this role at StudySmarter.
Showcase Your Projects: If you've worked on relevant projects, don’t hold back! Include links or descriptions of your work that demonstrate your ability to refactor code and design APIs. We love seeing practical examples of your skills.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from us!
How to prepare for a job interview at HCLTech
✨Know Your PHP Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your PHP skills, especially with frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, and Zend. Be ready to discuss your past experiences with modernising legacy code and how you've tackled technical debt.
✨Showcase Your Architectural Vision
Prepare to talk about your approach to designing target architectures. Think about how you would set a modernisation roadmap for a legacy PHP system and be ready to share examples of how you've balanced short-term delivery with long-term goals.
✨Demonstrate Your Database Expertise
Be prepared to dive deep into database logic. Discuss your experience with schema design, SQL tuning, and refactoring patterns. Bring examples of how you've optimised stored procedures and decoupled applications from databases.
✨Communicate Clearly with All Stakeholders
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. You'll need to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical team members, so think of ways to bridge that gap during your interview.