Web Developer, PHP/Laravel, Linux (Ubuntu) Sysadmin

This is an on-site role, based in Southend. Please only apply if you are comfortable working from the office Monday to Friday.

We are looking for a practical, capable Web Developer to join a small and growing development business working across a mixture of client websites, bespoke web applications and ongoing technical support.

Our work is varied. Some days you may be developing a new feature for a bespoke PHP application; others may involve improving an existing website, investigating a database issue, fixing a deployment problem or helping to maintain the Linux hosting environment behind a project.

Web development will be the main focus of the role, but we are looking for someone who is comfortable working beyond the front end and understands how websites, databases, servers and DNS fit together.

This is a permanent position with room to take ownership of projects, expand your skills and become an important part of a small technical team.

• Developing and maintaining websites and bespoke web applications
• Building new features using PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS and JavaScript
• Working on existing systems built with frameworks such as Laravel and CodeIgniter
• Investigating and fixing bugs in both new and legacy code
• Designing, writing and optimising MySQL or MariaDB queries
• Integrating websites and applications with third-party APIs
• Maintaining and improving existing client websites
• Supporting WordPress websites where required
• Deploying code and database changes to development and production environments
• Diagnosing website, email, DNS, SSL and hosting-related issues
• Carrying out basic Linux and web-server administration
• Communicating clearly about progress, technical problems and proposed solutions
• Working directly with clients and non-technical colleagues when required
• Usage of Claude/Codex where appropriate to facilitate speed, however strong core understanding of what you are producing is essential

You do not need to have worked with every technology we use, but you should have a solid foundation in web development and be willing to learn.

• PHP
• MySQL or MariaDB
• HTML and CSS
• JavaScript
• Git
• Building, maintaining or supporting database-driven websites
• Debugging existing code and identifying the cause of technical problems
• Writing clear, maintainable code
• Working independently and managing your own workload

A good understanding of relational database design is important. Whilst it will be largely unnecessary due to the frameworks we use, you should be comfortable writing joins, filtering and grouping data, working with indexes and investigating slow or incorrect queries.

This is primarily a development role, but some basic server-management experience is required.

• Linux command-line environments
• Apache or Nginx
• cPanel or WHM
• File permissions and ownership
• DNS records
• SSL certificates
• Email-delivery troubleshooting
• Reading server and application logs
• Using SSH, rsync and command-line tools
• Basic deployment and backup procedures

You will not be expected to be a dedicated systems administrator, but you should be confident investigating why a website or application is not working rather than treating the server as a black box.

Experience with any of the following would be beneficial:

• Laravel
• CodeIgniter
• WordPress development
• REST APIs
• Docker or containerised development environments
• Node.js
• jQuery or existing JavaScript codebases
• Linux server administration
• cPanel hosting environments
• Performance optimisation
• Website migrations
• Email authentication, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC
• Cloud services or virtual servers
• Automated testing
• CI/CD or deployment pipelines

We are a business starting out, and flexible regarding formal experience and qualifications. You may be an established developer, someone earlier in their career with strong practical skills, or a self-taught developer who can demonstrate good-quality work.

More important to us is that you:

• Approach problems logically
• Take responsibility for seeing work through
• Are comfortable working with existing and sometimes imperfect code
• Know when to investigate independently and when to ask for help
• Communicate clearly and honestly
• Pay attention to detail
• Understand the importance of backups, testing and safe changes
• Are interested in how the whole system works, not just the section of code immediately in front of you

We are not looking for someone who only builds pages using visual website builders. You should be comfortable working directly with code and databases.

• A permanent, full-time position
• Varied work across websites, bespoke systems and infrastructure
• The opportunity to take ownership of meaningful projects
• Exposure to both modern and established codebases
• Support from an experienced developer with more than 25 years in the industry
• The opportunity to broaden your development and server-management skills
• A relaxed, practical working environment without unnecessary corporate processes
• Scope for the role to grow around your strengths

Please send us:

• Your CV
• A brief introduction explaining your current experience
• Links to any relevant websites, applications, GitHub repositories or portfolio work
• Details of the parts of web development you are most confident with
• Your current notice period and salary expectations

We welcome applications from candidates with different levels of commercial experience. Evidence of practical ability, sound judgement and a willingness to learn will be considered alongside years spent in previous roles.