Backend Developer (Laravel / PHP)

Job Title: Backend Developer (Laravel / PHP)
Type: Full Time (37.5hrs)

Location: Norwich, United Kingdom
Department: Development
Reporting to: Head of Development / Senior Backend Developer
Salary: £30,000 – £40,000 per annum

A bit about the work

Good backend development turns lines of code into something that actually works — an app, an integration, a website that quietly does clever things in the background. In e-commerce, that background work is where a lot of the value (and the revenue) lives.

Most retailers don’t have the skills to make their systems talk to each other — they can’t wire up the third party that runs their warehouse, their subscriptions, their ERP or their loyalty programme, and the data ends up stranded where it’s no use to anyone. That’s where we come in — and increasingly, it’s the kind of work we want to do more of.

So this time we’re after a backend developer: someone who’s comfortable in the server-side, cares about a well-structured database, and enjoys the challenge of making two systems that were never designed to talk to each other work together.

Who are we?

We’re Quickfire Digital — an award-winning e-commerce development agency and Shopify Platinum Partner, based in Norwich. We work with scale-hungry DTC and retail brands, from traditional retailers who want the whole thing managed for them, through to some genuinely weird and wonderful businesses who just want a seamless way to get people to buy their products.

We’re busy, we’ve got ambitious growth plans, and alongside our Shopify build work we’re diversifying into application development and a few other fun areas when the project’s right for the studio. That’s exactly the kind of work this role leans into.

What is the job?

You’ll report to our Head of Development and our Senior Backend Developer, working as part of the dev team. This is a hands-on build role — focused on writing great backend code, not managing people. As a Shopify Platinum Partner, much of your work will centre on the Shopify ecosystem: building the integrations and backend services that sit in and around our clients’ stores. You’ll be the person we point at the harder server-side problems. In a nutshell, your duties and responsibilities will be…

• Building and maintaining backend systems in PHP and Laravel — custom functionality, internal tools, application work and the bits of client projects that go beyond the theme.
• Designing and building third party API integrations — connecting Shopify and our clients’ wider tech stacks (ERPs, PIMs, subscription platforms, warehouses, loyalty, payment providers and the rest).
• Database design and management — sensible table structures, migrations, and data that’s modelled to last.
• Handling data transposition, migration and integration work as part of build and replatforming projects.
• Assisting the development team with software design, code and problem-solving across projects.
• Writing clean, documented, testable code — documentation comes as standard with your work here.
• Working on bug fixes and helping keep the codebase healthy.
• Attending and contributing to development meetings, and giving the Head of Development / PM team honest estimations and milestone updates.
• Engaging with clients where needed — explaining the technical side in human language and telling us what we need from them to move a project forward.
• Occasionally rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck into our internal projects (we build our own tools too).

Who are we looking for?

We’re after a solid, effective mid-level developer who can hit the ground running and add real value — this is a growth role off the back of some recent project wins and expanding accounts. It’s not a junior position, so we do need to see demonstrable commercial experience — ideally two to four years working with PHP — but you don’t need to be at senior level. This is a great step for someone ready to take on meatier backend and integration work.

If you’ve been an in-house backend dev seeking more variety in your projects and fancy trying agency life? Brilliant — this could be a great match.

The essentials:

• Solid, demonstrable experience with PHP and Laravel — this is the core of the role.
• Strong MySQL and relational database skills: table design, infrastructure and implementation best practice.
• Experience with background jobs and queues (Laravel Horizon) — a lot of our integration work runs on these.
• A habit of writing automated tests (PHPUnit or Pest).
• Confident with Git-based version control and a clean branching / pull-request workflow.
• Experience with data transposition, migration and integration processes.
• Comfortable using AI tooling as part of your everyday development workflow — it’s a normal part of how we work here, not a novelty.
• The ability to write clean, maintainable, well-documented code and manage your own workload across multiple projects at varying stages.
• Comfortable in a collaborative, sprint-based team working to tight deadlines — someone who can help clear a backlog effectively.
• Au fait with the usual kit: wikis, Slack, G-Suite and time-tracking software.

The bonuses (these are what’ll make you stand out):

• Shopify experience — a big plus for us. As a Shopify Platinum Partner, most of what we build lives in and around the Shopify ecosystem, so hands-on experience with the Shopify Admin API, app development, or headless / integration work will put you right at home.
• Third party API integration experience — REST and GraphQL. If you’ve built and maintained integrations between commerce platforms and external systems, we really want to hear from you.
• Node.js and Cloudflare Workers — we use these across recent projects and our own internal tooling, so experience here is a real plus.
• Deployment and server management, ideally with Laravel Forge.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and Docker.
• Familiarity with Vue.js or React.
• Previous agency experience, or experience in a fast-paced multi-project dev setting .

What’s in it for you?

• A genuinely competitive salary for the Norfolk tech scene. We did the research.
• Hybrid working — 3 days in the office, 2 at home, negotiable once you’ve passed probation. We’d love you to be Norfolk or Suffolk based for a comfortable commute (this isn’t a remote-only role — much of the team’s in most days and the office atmosphere is a big part of who we are).
• Free parking on site, in a spot that’s convenient for commuting.
• A non-corporate environment — jeans and a t-shirt far more likely than a shirt and chinos.
• Private medical cover — even as a small business, we’ve got benefits.
• Company pension scheme.
• Half-yearly salary reviews, with regular reward and incentives, plus a financial bonus at Christmas if we’ve had a good year.
• A bustling social calendar and an office rammed with treats — we get a lot of swag sent to us and you’ll benefit from it.
• The best biscuit drawer in Norfolk. We’re quietly confident on this one.

What’s the interview process?

• A chat with our Head of Development — your chance to ask everything you need, talk through your experience, and decide if we’re the place for you. Usually a call or video call.
• A technical task, so we can see how you think and work. Nothing designed to trip you up — just a fair look at how you approach a real-world problem.
• A final interview with one of our co-founders and the Head of Development, in person — so you can see the office, meet the team and get a proper feel for the place.
• Then we make you an offer, and hopefully you say yes.

Apply today — we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

A quick note: this is a hybrid role — 3 days in the office, 2 at home — so please only apply if you’re able to commute to Norwich. We’re handling this one directly: no recruiters, no agencies, no contractors, thank you.

PS — we cannot and do not offer visa sponsorship at this time. Please be aware of this upon application.

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