Senior Full-Stack Developer - Book a Builder UK : Job Details

Senior Full-Stack Developer (PHP/JS) - Job Specification

Position: Senior Full-Stack DeveloperLocation: Rochford, EssexSalary: (depending on experience)Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

About Us

Book a Builder UK is an online platform that connects customers with skilled tradespeople across the UK. Since our inception in 2014, we’ve built a powerful web application encompassing everything from customer and tradesperson signups to job matching, online checkout, CRM functionality, and much more. We are market leaders of innovation in our industry and seeking someone with an "out of the box" thinking mindset.

We’re now looking for a highly experienced Senior Full-Stack Developer to step into the shoes of our founding developer who designed and built the entire platform from scratch.

Role Overview

You will be responsible for maintaining, enhancing, and scaling our existing platform. This role goes beyond typical full-stack development: you’ll work on everything from front-end user experiences (HTML/CSS/JavaScript without heavy frameworks) to back-end logic (PHP/MySQL), integrations, cron jobs, reporting, and more. You’ll also oversee the architecture, ensuring stability and driving new feature development.

Key Responsibilities

• Front-End Development: Maintain and improve a custom front-end built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (no frameworks) to deliver an intuitive user experience.
• Back-End Development: Manage the existing PHP codebase and MySQL databases, including job posting logic, matching algorithms, and integration with third-party APIs.
• API & Integrations: Develop, maintain, and optimize internal and external APIs for seamless data exchange with partners and third-party services.
• Admin Interface / CRM: Improve, optimize, and add features to our custom CRM used by internal staff to manage user accounts, job postings, and reporting.
• Payment & Subscription Systems: Oversee the online checkout process for one-off payments and subscription models, ensuring security and compliance with payment regulations.
• Email & Notifications: Manage transactional email systems, ensuring robust deliverability and compliance with data protection guidelines.
• Database & Infrastructure: Optimize database queries, manage indexes, ensure backup routines and scaling strategies, and handle cron jobs for data processing tasks.
• Project Planning & Collaboration: Work closely with stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and manage the development roadmap.
• Code Quality & Best Practices: Ensure the platform meets high standards for performance, security, and reliability, and maintain thorough documentation.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven Expertise in PHP (5+ years) with a strong focus on custom-built applications rather than just frameworks.
• Advanced MySQL Skills, including designing and maintaining relational databases, optimizing queries, and performance tuning.
• Front-End Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (ES5/ES6) without relying on heavy frameworks.
• API Development & Integration: Experience building and consuming RESTful APIs, along with working knowledge of JSON, XML, etc.
• Version Control: Comfortable using Git or similar VCS for source code management.
• Architecture & Scalability: Understanding of how to design systems to scale efficiently.
• Security Best Practices: Familiarity with OWASP top 10, secure coding standards, and data protection (GDPR).
• Problem-Solving Mindset: Ability to debug complex issues, from front-end hiccups to back-end performance bottlenecks.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Server Management / DevOps: Experience with Linux-based servers, deployment pipelines, server monitoring, or AWS/Azure infrastructure.
• Email Deliverability Management: Familiarity with transactional email services like SendGrid, Mailgun, or AWS SES.
• Analytics & Reporting: Experience with Google Analytics, reporting dashboards, or custom metrics.
• Payment Integrations: Knowledge of Stripe, PayPal, GoCardless, or other subscription/payment gateways.
• Experience in a Similar Startup or Scale-Up: Comfortable working on a fast-paced team, wearing multiple hats, and taking on new challenges as they arise.
• App development: React Native

Personal Attributes

• Ownership & Autonomy: A self-starter who can take full ownership of the platform and drive it forward.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Analytical Thinking: Ability to dissect problems logically and methodically to propose effective solutions.
• Adaptability: Willingness to learn new technologies and continuously improve existing systems.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary (DOE).
• Potential for Hybrid Working: Flexible arrangements can be discussed.
• Generous Holiday Allowance: 20 days plus bank holidays
• Pension Scheme & Other Perks:

How to Apply

Please send your CV, a brief cover letter highlighting relevant experience, and examples of your work (GitHub links or project case studies)

We look forward to hearing from you!