This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience.

Velstar and our selected partners use cookies and similar technologies (together “cookies”) that are necessary to present this website, and to ensure you get the best experience of it. If you consent to it, we will also use cookies for analytics purposes.

See our Cookie Policy to read more about the cookies we set.

You can withdraw and manage your consent at any time, by clicking “Manage cookies” at the bottom of each website page.

Select which cookies you accept

On this site, we always set cookies that are strictly necessary, meaning they are necessary for the site to function properly.

If you consent to it, we will also set other types of cookies. You can provide or withdraw your consent to the different types of cookies using the toggles below. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time, by clicking the link “Manage Cookies”, which is always available at the bottom of the site.

To learn more about what the different types of cookies do, how your data is used when they are set etc, see our Cookie Policy.

These cookies are necessary to make the site work properly, and are always set when you visit the site.

Vendors Teamtailor

These cookies collect information to help us understand how the site is being used.

Vendors Teamtailor
Skip to main content
Development · Leeds, Liverpool · Hybrid

Senior Backend Developer - Symfony

Senior Backend Developer

Hybrid 3 days in office | UK (Liverpool / Leeds) | Full-time

At Velstar, we build robust, scalable digital commerce solutions for ambitious brands. We’re looking for a Senior Backend Developer to lead the design and development of high-performance web applications and help shape the technical direction of our backend team.

This is a senior, hands-on role for someone who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, mentoring others, and making architectural decisions that stand the test of scale.

The role

As a Senior Backend Developer, you’ll act as a technical leader within the team, driving architecture, improving performance, and ensuring high coding standards across projects. You’ll work closely with frontend developers, DevOps and product teams to deliver scalable, secure and reliable applications.

Alongside delivery, you’ll mentor junior and mid-level developers, contribute to best practices, and help guide technical decisions from concept through to deployment.

What you’ll be doing

  • Designing and architecting scalable, high-performance applications

  • Leading development of complex features and new systems

  • Making key technical decisions and establishing backend best practices

  • Optimising performance across databases, caching and application layers

  • Improving API performance and overall application speed

  • Implementing robust security practices (authentication, authorisation, vulnerability prevention)

  • Conducting deep troubleshooting and resolving critical issues

  • Mentoring developers through code reviews, guidance and knowledge-sharing

  • Collaborating with Product, Frontend and DevOps teams to align solutions with business goals

  • Supporting estimation, planning and development workflows

  • Ensuring strong test coverage and stable production releases

What we’re looking for

You’re a highly capable backend developer who combines deep technical expertise with strong ownership and leadership. You’re comfortable guiding decisions, improving standards, and supporting others’ growth.

You’ll likely have:

  • 5+ years’ experience in backend development

  • Deep expertise in PHP and Symfony (including modern Symfony versions)

  • Strong understanding of Symfony components, architecture and best practices

  • Advanced SQL and Doctrine ORM knowledge

  • Experience with performance optimisation, caching and scalable systems

  • Solid testing practices (PHPUnit, TDD mindset)

  • Experience designing scalable, maintainable architectures

  • Confidence mentoring and reviewing others’ code

Nice to have:

  • Experience with API Platform

  • Familiarity with Redis, Elasticsearch or other NoSQL tools

  • Experience with event-driven or asynchronous architectures

  • Some frontend awareness (React / Next.js)

  • eCommerce or agency experience

Why Velstar?

  • Hybrid working (minimum 3 days per week in our Liverpool or Leeds office)

  • A senior role with real technical influence and ownership

  • Complex, high-traffic projects that challenge and grow your skills

  • A collaborative team that values quality and continuous improvement

  • Clear progression opportunities for senior engineers

If you enjoy building scalable systems, mentoring others and solving meaningful technical problems, we’d love to hear from you.

Department
Development
Locations
Leeds, Liverpool
Remote status
Hybrid

About Velstar

Serious work. Clear standards. Real growth.

Velstar is a digital commerce agency built to solve complex problems for ambitious businesses. We work with mid-market brands and organisations that need clarity, stability, and performance, not noise.

That shapes how we work internally too.

If you enjoy meaningful responsibility, collaborative teams, and work that has a real commercial impact, you’ll feel at home here.

Founded in 2016
Co-workers 100+ and growing all the time!
Turnover £11 Million
Development · Leeds, Liverpool · Hybrid

Senior Backend Developer - Symfony

Loading application form

Already working at Velstar?

Let’s recruit together and find your next colleague.

@velstar.co.uk
Applicant tracking system by Teamtailor