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PHP Developer
Free template · 2026

PHP Developer Job Description Template

A ready-to-use PHP Developer job description for 2026, with the interview scorecard and questions to hire one. Copy it as is or customize it free in about 15 seconds.

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Includes the job description, an interview scorecard and questions for every round.

Mid-level in Latin America
$4,375/mo
Same role in the US
$11,875/mo
You save
Up to 63%

All-in monthly cost, 2026 rates.

Job description template
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PHP Developer

We’re looking for a mid-level PHP Developer to build and maintain reliable backend services and APIs in a production environment. You’ll work independently on well-defined work, collaborate with teammates to deliver features, and improve system quality through testing, monitoring, and clean engineering practices.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain backend features and RESTful APIs in PHP
  • Design and implement data access layers and optimize database queries
  • Integrate with third-party services and internal systems as requirements evolve
  • Write tests (unit and integration) to ensure correctness and prevent regressions
  • Debug production issues using logs, metrics, and application performance signals
  • Collaborate on code reviews and maintain consistent coding standards and documentation
  • Improve application reliability through refactoring, error handling, and observability improvements

Must-have qualifications

  • Hands-on PHP (Laravel or Symfony) experience building production backend services
  • Experience with relational databases (MySQL or PostgreSQL) and writing efficient SQL
  • Experience building and consuming RESTful APIs (request/response design, validation, versioning)
  • Practical experience with testing in a PHP stack (unit and integration)
  • Experience debugging and resolving production issues using application logs and monitoring signals

Nice to have

  • Experience with message queues or background jobs (e.g., Redis queues, RabbitMQ)
  • Experience with Docker-based development/deployment workflows
  • Experience with CI workflows for PHP (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)

What success looks like in 12 months

  • Reliable backend feature delivery
  • Improved API quality and correctness
  • Production stability and faster incident resolution
  • Performance and data efficiency improvements
  • Maintainable engineering practices

Logistics

  • Full-time (40 hours a week), remote from Latin America.
  • Working hours overlap with US business hours.

About the company

[About your company: what you build, your stage and team size]

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Interview scorecard

Score every candidate against the same bar

Build and improve production-grade PHP backend services that deliver reliable APIs and maintainable code quality.

Outcomes to measure

What this hire should deliver in the first year. Replace [N] with your own targets.

  • Reliable backend feature delivery. Measure: Ship [N] backend features end-to-end (design, implementation, tests, and deployment) with no open critical defects attributable to implementation after release
  • Improved API quality and correctness. Measure: Increase passing automated test coverage for touched modules by [X]% and maintain test pass rate of [Y]% in CI runs
  • Production stability and faster incident resolution. Measure: Reduce production incident rate related to backend changes by [X]% and cut mean time to resolution by [Y]% for issues you handle
  • Performance and data efficiency improvements. Measure: Reduce database query latency for key endpoints by [X]% and eliminate [N] high-cost queries identified through profiling/monitoring
  • Maintainable engineering practices. Measure: Maintain code review acceptance for your changes at [X]% (no rework required due to correctness/style violations) and document [N] notable changes (runbooks, API notes, or technical docs)

Competencies and weights

What to evaluate, how much it counts and what a strong answer looks like.

PHP backend engineering · 28%
This role centers on building and maintaining production backend services in PHP frameworks. Evaluated in Round 1.

  • Weak: Implements small changes without following established framework patterns or without reliable handling of errors/edge cases
  • Meets the bar: Builds and extends backend features using consistent framework conventions, with clear data flow and appropriate validation
  • Strong: Designs and implements robust backend components with clean abstractions, solid error handling, and predictable behavior under edge cases

SQL and data access · 18%
Backend work depends on writing efficient queries and choosing correct data access strategies. Evaluated in Round 1.

  • Weak: Writes inefficient queries, unclear joins, or lacks understanding of indexes and query plans
  • Meets the bar: Writes correct SQL and improves query efficiency through indexing/query changes when needed
  • Strong: Proactively identifies and resolves query bottlenecks using profiling/EXPLAIN and applies durable data access patterns

REST API design · 16%
Delivering well-behaved APIs requires correct request/response handling, validation, and evolution practices. Evaluated in Round 2.

  • Weak: Creates inconsistent endpoints or unclear contracts; minimal validation and limited handling of backward compatibility
  • Meets the bar: Designs and maintains REST endpoints with clear contracts, validation, and sensible versioning/evolution
  • Strong: Leads API contract improvements with strong validation, consistent error formats, and safe evolution practices

Testing discipline · 14%
Quality and regression prevention rely on meaningful unit/integration tests. Evaluated in Round 2.

  • Weak: Adds tests inconsistently or writes tests that don’t meaningfully validate behavior
  • Meets the bar: Writes unit/integration tests that cover key logic and protects against regressions for the changes made
  • Strong: Builds a thoughtful test strategy (including edge cases), keeps tests stable, and improves coverage where it matters

Production debugging · 12%
Independence includes diagnosing and resolving issues quickly using real production signals. Evaluated in Round 3.

  • Weak: Relies on guesswork or broad changes; struggles to connect symptoms to root cause
  • Meets the bar: Uses logs/metrics to narrow issues, identifies likely causes, validates fixes, and prevents recurrence
  • Strong: Drives systematic debugging, documents findings, and adds targeted safeguards to stop repeat incidents

Ownership and collaboration · 12%
Mid-level independence requires managing well-defined work while coordinating effectively with teammates. Evaluated in Round 3.

  • Weak: Needs frequent guidance to complete tasks; unclear communication during reviews and handoffs
  • Meets the bar: Takes ownership of scoped work, communicates progress/risks clearly, and incorporates feedback
  • Strong: Proactively manages scope, surfaces risks early, and coordinates tradeoffs to unblock others
Interview questions

Questions for every interview round

Each round has an owner, a time box and questions that test the competencies above.

Round 1: Backend & Data Foundations
Engineering Lead · 45 min

  1. Tell us about a PHP backend service you built or significantly improved. What parts did you own, and how did you ensure correctness and maintainability?
  2. Walk through a time you diagnosed a slow database query in MySQL or PostgreSQL. What evidence did you use (e.g., EXPLAIN, query profiling), what changed, and what was the result?
  3. Describe how you structure data access in PHP (repositories/ORM patterns). How do you prevent inefficient queries and duplicated logic?

Round 2: API & Testing
Senior Backend Engineer · 45 min

  1. Describe a REST API you designed or evolved. How did you handle input validation, error responses, and API contract stability over time?
  2. Tell us about your approach to testing in a PHP stack. What do you test with unit vs integration tests, and how do you keep tests reliable?
  3. Share an example where you found a bug before release due to tests or careful test planning. What was the bug and how did the test help?

Round 3: Production Realism & Ownership
Staff Engineer · 45 min

  1. Tell us about a production incident you personally debugged. How did you use logs/metrics to narrow down the root cause, and how did you validate the fix?
  2. Describe how you work independently on well-defined tasks. How do you plan, manage tradeoffs, and communicate progress or risks to the team?
  3. Give an example of a time you improved reliability or observability (error handling, instrumentation, monitoring). What specifically changed and why?

Red flags to watch for

  • Uses PHP/SQL knowledge mainly for small scripts rather than production services with reliability concerns
  • Relies on guesswork for production debugging instead of using logs/metrics to confirm hypotheses
  • Cannot explain how they ensure API correctness (validation, error handling, contract evolution)
  • Has little experience writing or maintaining meaningful tests for backend changes
  • Tends to avoid ownership or fails to communicate tradeoffs and risks during independent work

How much does it cost to hire a PHP Developer in Latin America?

In 2026, a senior PHP Developer in Latin America costs $6,625 to $7,625 a month all-in, versus $14,625 in the US: up to 55% less. Mid-level starts at $4,375.

Country

Mid-level

Senior

Argentina

$4,375

$6,625

Brazil

$4,875

$7,375

Colombia

$4,375

$6,625

Mexico

$5,125

$7,625

United States

$11,875

$14,625

Monthly cost in USD, all-in: the talent's salary plus Teilur's flat 20% fee, from our 2026 rates. The United States row shows what the same role typically costs there.

Compare costs in the calculator →

Frequently asked questions

What does a PHP Developer do?

Typical responsibilities include: develop and maintain backend features and RESTful APIs in PHP; design and implement data access layers and optimize database queries; integrate with third-party services and internal systems as requirements evolve. The full list is in the template above.

How much does it cost to hire a PHP Developer in Latin America?

In 2026, a senior PHP Developer in Latin America costs $6,625 to $7,625 a month all-in, versus $14,625 in the US: up to 55% less. Mid-level starts at $4,375.

Can I customize this PHP Developer job description?

Yes. Teilur's free Job Description & Scorecard Generator rewrites it for your stack, seniority, time zone and hiring urgency in about 15 seconds. No sign-up needed.

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