Software Engineer (PHP Backend)

Who Are We? 

Smartbox Group is Europe’s leading provider of experience gifts, selling over 3.5 million gift sets annually across travel, food, wellness, and adventure. Available online and in 17,500+ retail locations across Europe, the company focuses on offering high-quality, curated digital and in-store experiences.

About the Role 

We are looking for a Software Engineer (PHP Backend) to join our Engineering team, working with
domain
that powers our real-time availability engine and support integrations with hotels, parks, and new verticals such as spas and restaurants, making it a key part of the Smartbox experience. 

You will work closely with other developers, QA engineers, and product managers to deliver reliable, scalable features that support the booking and availability experience for millions of customers across Europe. 

This is a hands-on engineering role with strong growth potential, ideal for someone with 2 to 5 years of experience looking to deepen their backend expertise and grow into a senior position. 

What You’ll Do 

• Develop and maintain backend features using PHP and Symfony. 
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code that follows best practices. 
• Collaborate with team members to solve problems, deliver features, and improve system performance. 
• Work independently on assigned tasks and contribute to team discussions on design and implementation. 
• Participate in code reviews and testing processes to ensure code quality. 
• Help maintain and improve existing integrations with third-party systems. 
• Work closely with offshore teams as part of a collaborative development process. 
  

What We’re Looking For 

• 2 to 5 years of experience in backend software development. 
• Solid experience with PHP (7 or 8) and ideally with Symfony or another modern PHP framework. 

• Good understanding of REST APIs, database design, and backend systems. 
• Comfortable using MySQL and writing efficient queries. 
• Familiarity with version control tools (e.g. Git), automated testing, and CI/CD practices. 
• A strong sense of responsibility for delivering reliable and maintainable solutions. 
• Good communication skills and a collaborative attitude. 
• Willingness to learn and grow within the team and contribute to a supportive engineering culture 

Even Better If You Have 

• Experience working with messaging systems (e.g. RabbitMQ). 
• Familiarity with containerised development using Docker or Kubernetes. 
• Exposure to SOAP integrations or legacy system interfaces. 
• Understanding of Agile development practices.