Senior PHP Engineer

About us Founded in 2008, CitNOW is an innovative, enterprise-level software product suite that allows automotive dealerships globally to sell more vehicles and parts more profitably. CitNOW’s app-based platform provides a secure, brand-compliant solution – for dealers to build trust, transparency and long-lasting relationships. CitNOW Group was formed in 2021 to unite a portfolio of 12 global software companies leveraging innovation to aid retailers and manufacturers in delivering an outstanding customer experience. We have over 300 employees worldwide who all contribute to our vision to provide market-leading automotive solutions to drive efficiencies, seamlessly transforming every customer moment. The CitNOW Group is no ordinary technology company, we live a series of One Team values and this guiding principle forms the foundation of CitNOW Group’s award winning, collaborative and inclusive culture. About the role We are seeking an experienced and diligent Senior PHP Engineer to join our team, working on our primary platform. You will be working in an agile environment on a high-scale product used in 82 countries, processing 1-2 million videos per month. We are undertaking a major programme of transformation to re-platform our monolithic application into multiple modern codebases leveraging a combination of technologies and frameworks. As a senior member of the team, you will be directly involved with shaping the technical direction of the platform and contributing to the thought-space around architecture. We’re looking for an agentic engineer who takes ownership and uses modern AI tools (e.g. Claude, Codex) as a force multiplier, with key experience working with agents, setting clear guardrails, and guiding AI outputs toward production-quality results. Key responsibilities include: Create elegant and maintainable code to drive consistency and predictabilityCoordinate with cross-functional teams to align development efforts with overall project goalsHelp implement and enforce responsible use of AI in the SDLC, driving efficiency and quality, whilst retaining control/oversightContribute to platform documentation, creating a growing knowledgebase for the business to lean onCollaborate with product owners to ensure technical solutions align with business objectivesCollaborate and support product owners in running agile ceremonies and conducting refinement sessionsImplement and maintain automated testing processes appropriate tools to guarantee the reliability and stability of applicationsHelp the team adhere to coding standards and departmental delivery standardsTroubleshoot and debug complex issues, providing technical support where possible and ensuring that solutions are implemented or the situation is documented for future referenceKeep up to date with emerging technologies and trends to make informed technical decisionsAdopt a “you build it, you run it” mentality with regards to the performance and security of your workLine management responsibilities may be required as the team continues to grow We're looking for: 5+ years of experience designing and implementing large, complex software systems in a senior roleExperience working with modern AI tools (e.g., Claude, Codex) and an understanding of how to validate, test, and refine its work to meet high engineering standardsExcellent understanding of agentic engineering principles, including how to instrument a codebase, effective methods for optimising token use, and how to achieve high throughput leveraging agents.Excellent understanding of distributed systems, event-driven architecture and service-oriented architectureStrong knowledge of software design patterns and their practical applicationProven experience with PHP MVC frameworks (Zend, Symfony, Laravel, CodeIgniter, Yii, Cake etc)Familiarity with safe practices for upgrading legacy PHP projects and using assistive toolsExperience across a broad range of PHP versions (5.6 to 8.2) to support modernisation initiativesStrong experience in test automation within an engineering environment (PHPUnit or equivalent)Experience working with IPaaS platforms (MuleSoft, Anypoint, SnapLogic, Boomi, etc.)Excellent knowledge of relational databases (preferably MySQL) with a strong focus on performance and optimisationWorking knowledge of core AWS services and how they relateStrong experience of instrumenting products for observability platforms (e.g., New Relic), including logging strategiesFamiliarity with Git and branching strategies In addition to a competitive salary, our benefits package is second to none. Employee wellbeing is at the heart of our people strategy, with a number of innovative wellness initiatives such as flexi-time, where employees can vary their start and finish times within our core business hours and/or extend their lunch break by up to 2 hours per day. Employees also benefit from an additional two half days paid leave per year to focus on their personal wellbeing. We recognise the development of our people is vital to the ongoing success of the business and proudly promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement, along with opportunities to develop and progress a successful career with us. The CitNOW Group is an equal opportunities employer that celebrates diversity across our international teams. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace where everyone’s individuality is valued.