Tech Lead - PHP/Laravel

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Company Name - CIMET

CIMET - A Comparison Software Leader

Website - www.cimet.com.au

Product Link - https://www.econnex.com.au/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cimet/about

CIMET currently provides end-to-end comparison and switching of Energy, Telco, Credit Cards, Personal Loans, and Residential Solar Plans through its online platform in a B2B and B2C environment. It presently caters to various Brands/Providers and has several Partners. This portfolio will further expand over the next 18 months across financial services (loans and insurance products). The online comparison market is extremely crowded in Australia, with most comparators providing a light-touch directory solution. CIMET saw this as an opportunity and developed a fully integrated online comparison and signup platform in 2017. Today, CIMET has around 220 resources across Australia, India, and the Philippines, and has grown to a topline of $25 million in FY2025. We have plans to list CIMET by 2030 and grow the company to a $1 bn enterprise. We are ISO 27001 certified, an ACL license holder, and have been recognized in the AFR Fast 100 and Deloitte Fast 50.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

We are looking for an experienced Tech Lead – PHP (Laravel & Lumen) to lead a high-performing backend team responsible for building scalable, secure, and performant SaaS applications. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise in PHP, Laravel, NodeJS, and RESTful APIs with strong leadership and architectural skills. You will guide a team of backend developers, drive code quality, influence architectural decisions, and ensure smooth integration with frontend and data services.

KEY ACCOUNTABLIITIES

Technical Leadership & Architecture:

• Lead the architecture, design, and development of complex, scalable backend systems using Laravel and Lumen frameworks.

• Define and enforce coding standards, architecture principles, and best practices across the backend team. • Architect and implement modular, reusable APIs with strong security, performance, and scalability considerations.

• Review existing systems and recommend improvements in microservices architecture, caching, and API versioning.

• Collaborate with solution architects and DevOps engineers to align with overall platform strategy and CI/CD pipelines.

Team Management & Mentorship:

• Lead and mentor a team of 3–6 backend developers, ensuring technical excellence and professional growth.

• Conduct regular code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and ensure adherence to quality and performance standards.

• Plan, prioritize, and oversee sprint deliverables in collaboration with the Scrum Master or Product Owner. • Foster a culture of continuous improvement, automation, and proactive problem-solving within the team.

Development & Delivery:

• Oversee the development of high-quality web applications and RESTful APIs ensuring modularity and maintainability.

• Ensure smooth integration of frontend (ReactJS) components with backend services.

• Conduct unit, integration, and load testing, ensuring production-grade reliability.

• Collaborate closely with frontend, DevOps, and QA teams for smooth end-to-end delivery.

• Maintain detailed API documentation using Postman or Swagger for internal and external consumption.

Process & Governance:

• Manage Git-based workflows (branching, merging, release tagging) and promote effective version control practices.

• Participate in architecture reviews, sprint ceremonies, and technical planning sessions.

• Identify and mitigate risks, ensuring adherence to security, compliance (ISO 27001), and performance standards.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 6+ years of commercial experience in backend development, with at least 2+ years in a lead or senior capacity.

• Strong expertise in PHP (Laravel, Lumen) and JavaScript (NodeJS).

• Hands-on experience with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB.

• Proven experience in RESTful API design, GraphQL, and microservice communication patterns. • Proficiency with Git and CI/CD pipelines.

• Familiarity with containerization (Docker) and cloud deployment (AWS, Azure, or GCP).

• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.