Job Description
About the role
Check out the role overview below If you are confident you have got the right skills and experience, apply today.
This is an on-site role, based in Southend. Please only apply if you are comfortable working from the office Monday to Friday.
We are looking for a practical, capable Web Developer to join a small and growing development business working across a mixture of client websites, bespoke web applications and ongoing technical support.
Our work is varied. Some days you may be developing a new feature for a bespoke PHP application; others may involve improving an existing website, investigating a database issue, fixing a deployment problem or helping to maintain the Linux hosting environment behind a project.
Web development will be the main focus of the role, but we are looking for someone who is comfortable working beyond the front end and understands how websites, databases, servers and DNS fit together.
We work closely alongside a range of businesses requiring website development, maintenance and technical support.
This is a permanent position with room to take ownership of projects, expand your skills and become an important part of a small technical team.
What you will be doing
- Developing and maintaining websites and bespoke web applications
Building new features using PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Working on existing systems built with frameworks such as Laravel and CodeIgniter
Investigating and fixing bugs in both new and legacy code
Designing, writing and optimising MySQL or MariaDB queries
Integrating websites and applications with third-party APIs
Maintaining and improving existing client websites
Supporting WordPress websites where required
Deploying code and database changes to development and production environments
Diagnosing website, email, DNS, SSL and hosting-related issues
Carrying out basic Linux and web-server administration
Communicating clearly about progress, technical problems and proposed solutions
Working directly with clients and non-technical colleagues when required
Usage of Claude/Codex where appropriate to facilitate speed, however strong core understanding of what you are producing is essential
Essential skills
You do not need to have worked with every technology we use, but you should have a solid foundation in web development and be willing to learn.
You should have experience with:
- PHP
MySQL or MariaDB
HTML and CSS
JavaScript
Git
Building, maintaining or supporting database-driven websites
Debugging existing code and identifying the cause of technical problems
Writing clear, maintainable code
Working independently and managing your own workload
A good understanding of relational database design is important. Whilst it will be largely unnecessary due to the frameworks we use, you should be comfortable writing joins, filtering and grouping data, working with indexes and investigating slow or incorrect queries.
Server and hosting knowledge
This is primarily a development role, but some basic server-management experience is required.
You should be comfortable with at least some of the following:
- Linux command-line environments
Apache or Nginx
cPanel or WHM
File permissions and ownership
DNS records
SSL certificates
Email-delivery troubleshooting
Reading server and application logs
Using SSH, rsync and command-line tools
Basic deployment and backup procedures
You will not be expected to be a dedicated systems administrator, but you should be confident investigating why a website or application is not working rather than treating the server as a black box.
Desirable experience
Experience with any of the following would be beneficial:
- Laravel
CodeIgniter
WordPress development
REST APIs
Docker or containerised development environments
Node.js
jQuery or existing JavaScript codebases
Linux server administration
cPanel hosting environments
Performance optimisation
Website migrations
Email authentication, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Cloud services or virtual servers
Automated testing
CI/CD or deployment pipelines
What we are looking for
We are a business starting out, and flexible regarding formal experience and qualifications. You may be an established developer, someone earlier in their career with strong practical skills, or a self-taught developer who can demonstrate good-quality work.
More important to us is that you:
- Approach problems logically
Take responsibility for seeing work through
Are comfortable working with existing and sometimes imperfect code
Know when to investigate independently and when to ask for help
Communicate clearly and honestly
Pay attention to detail
Understand the importance of backups, testing and safe changes
Are interested in how the whole system works, not just the section of code immediately in front of you
We are not looking for someone who only builds pages using visual website builders. You should be comfortable working directly with code and databases.
What we offer
- A permanent, full-time position
Varied work across websites, bespoke systems and infrastructure
The opportunity to take ownership of meaningful projects
Exposure to both modern and established codebases
Support from an experienced developer with more than 25 years in the industry
The opportunity to broaden your development and server-management skills
A relaxed, practical working environment without unnecessary corporate processes
Scope for the role to grow around your strengths
How to apply
Please send us:
- Your CV
A brief introduction explaining your current experience
Links to any relevant websites, applications, GitHub repositories or portfolio work
Details of the parts of web development you are most confident with
Your current notice period and salary expectations
We welcome applications from candidates with different levels of commercial experience. xwwtmva Evidence of practical ability, sound judgement and a willingness to learn will be considered alongside years spent in previous roles.
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