PHP Engineer

Summary

SME Careers is a fast-growing AI data services company and subsidiary of SuperAnnotate that provides AI training data to many of the world’s largest AI companies. As a PHP Engineer, you will work remotely to review AI-generated PHP code, backend designs, and produce high-quality implementations while ensuring security and performance.

Responsibilities

• Develop AI Training Content: Create detailed prompts across PHP/backend topics and write high-quality reference answers to guide AI learning
• Optimize AI Performance: Evaluate, rank, and provide feedback on AI responses to improve correctness, security, readability, and contextual fit
• Ensure Model Integrity: Test AI outputs for inaccuracies, unsafe practices, and potential biases; validate reliability across real-world use cases

Skills

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field (or equivalent professional experience)
• 4+ years of professional experience developing production backend systems in PHP
• Expert-level proficiency in modern PHP (7.4/8.x+), including OOP, strict typing, namespaces, Composer, and common design patterns
• Strong backend fundamentals: HTTP, REST, authentication/authorization, sessions, caching, queues, and API design
• Deep experience with databases (e.g., MySQL/PostgreSQL), including schema design, indexing, query optimization, and transactions
• Experience with at least one major PHP framework (e.g., Laravel, Symfony) and knowledge of dependency injection, middleware, and ORM tradeoffs
• Security mindset with hands-on knowledge of secure coding practices (e.g., OWASP Top 10, input validation, SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, secrets handling)
• Comfort with version control, CI/CD workflows, and automated testing (e.g., PHPUnit, integration tests, mocking strategies)
• Minimum C1 English proficiency (written and spoken), with the ability to write clear technical explanations and follow detailed English-language guidelines
• Highly detail-oriented and systematic, with a methodical approach to evaluating reasoning quality and identifying subtle bugs in complex PHP/backend systems
• Prior experience with AI data training, annotation, or evaluating AI-generated technical content is a strong plus

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field (or equivalent professional experience)
• 4+ years of professional experience developing production backend systems in PHP
• Expert-level proficiency in modern PHP (7.4/8.x+), including OOP, strict typing, namespaces, Composer, and common design patterns
• Strong backend fundamentals: HTTP, REST, authentication/authorization, sessions, caching, queues, and API design
• Deep experience with databases (e.g., MySQL/PostgreSQL), including schema design, indexing, query optimization, and transactions
• Experience with at least one major PHP framework (e.g., Laravel, Symfony) and knowledge of dependency injection, middleware, and ORM tradeoffs
• Security mindset with hands-on knowledge of secure coding practices (e.g., OWASP Top 10, input validation, SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, secrets handling)
• Comfort with version control, CI/CD workflows, and automated testing (e.g., PHPUnit, integration tests, mocking strategies)
• Minimum C1 English proficiency (written and spoken), with the ability to write clear technical explanations and follow detailed English-language guidelines
• Highly detail-oriented and systematic, with a methodical approach to evaluating reasoning quality and identifying subtle bugs in complex PHP/backend systems

Nice to Haves

• Prior experience with AI data training, annotation, or evaluating AI-generated technical content is a strong plus