Senior PHP Full Stack Laravel Development Lead (Remote)

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior PHP Full Stack Laravel Development Lead to join Smile and play a pivotal role across our Retail Dental Cover and Corporate Dental Cover platforms.

This role is ideal for a senior, hands-on technical leader who thrives in small, high-ownership teams , enjoys building scalable systems, and takes pride in delivering clean, reliable, and well-architected solutions.

You will be responsible for leading technical delivery , architecting and developing new features, maintaining critical infrastructure, and ensuring the scalability, performance, and security of our platforms as the business continues to grow.

AMAZING REASONS TO WORK WITH SMILE

• 100% Remote: Enjoy the flexibility and convenience of working from anywhere.
• Full-Time Position: Secure a stable and consistent work schedule.
• Similar Time Zone: Work seamlessly with a team in a compatible time zone.
• Established Company: Join a nearly 20-year-old successful & growing organisation.
• National Presence: Be part of a national Australian company.
• Meaningful Work: Contribute to a noble mission to revolutionise quality healthcare accessibility and affordability.
• Top-Tier Leadership & Team: Collaborate with 'A' leadership and 'A' players, including successful Australian/Canadian Founder/CEO and an accomplished Australian COO with extensive experience building and scaling companies.
• Excellent Culture: Thrive in a positive, supportive work environment with a long-serving team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, build, and maintain production-grade PHP/Laravel applications and scalable backend APIs for web and mobile platforms.
• Architect and integrate secure RESTful APIs and third-party services (payments, CRMs, analytics, messaging, mapping, deep linking).
• Deliver full-stack features using JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Blade, jQuery , and modern tooling (Composer, npm, Gulp).
• Apply advanced Git/GitHub practices , including branching, pull requests, rebasing, and code reviews in multi-developer environments.
• Design and optimise SQL schemas and databases (PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server) following SOLID principles.
• Implement automated testing and code quality standards using PHPUnit and linting tools.
• Deploy and support development, staging, and production environments , including AWS infrastructure, servers, DNS, and hosting.
• Use AI-assisted development tools responsibly to improve productivity while maintaining engineering discipline.
• Support analytics, tracking, and growth systems , including GA4, Google Tag Manager, CRM integrations, and conversion tracking.
• Research, evaluate, and integrate third-party tools and SDKs, ensuring technical fit and business value.
• Produce clear technical documentation and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrate strong ownership, accountability, and reliability , operating effectively in a high-performance remote setup.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

• Code Quality: Code review outcomes, test coverage, and static analysis results.
• Delivery Time: Speed from feature initiation to production deployment.
• Improve Sales & Customer Satisfaction: Application of best-practice e-commerce and customer experience methodologies, with customer feedback driving acquisition and retention.
• API Performance: Reliability, response times, and error rates of REST APIs.
• System Uptime: Hosting and infrastructure availability against uptime targets.
• Innovation Impact: Measurable gains in efficiency and productivity through adoption of new tools and technologies.
• Compliance Adherence: Consistent adherence to data security, privacy, and regulatory standards.
• Collaboration & Communication: Effectiveness as a team player, including code reviews, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional engagement.
• Ownership & Accountability: Demonstrates responsibility for outcomes, follows through on commitments, and proactively resolves issues.

REQUIREMENTS

This full-time role will suit someone who meets all of the following:

• 8–10+ years of PHP experience , with deep expertise in Laravel and backend/API development for web and mobile.
• Strong full-stack capability across JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Blade, jQuery, and modern build tools.
• Proven ability to design, scale, and integrate RESTful APIs and third-party services (payments, CRM, analytics, messaging, mapping).
• Advanced Git/GitHub proficiency in collaborative, multi-developer environments.
• Strong foundations in SQL schema design , SOLID principles, and production databases (PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server).
• Experience with automated testing and code quality (PHPUnit, linting).
• Hands-on experience deploying and supporting AWS-based production infrastructure .
• Effective use of AI-assisted development tools within disciplined engineering practices.
• Experience supporting marketing teams with analytics, tracking, and growth tooling (GA4, GTM, CRMs).
• Ability to evaluate and integrate third-party tools and SDKs .
• Demonstrated ability to liaise with stakeholders, plan and deliver projects, and maintain technical documentation.
• Excellent spoken and written English in order to be able to effectively liaise with stakeholders in the region. 
• Proven ownership, accountability, and reliability , with a professional remote work setup and remote work experience..