Backend Developer (PHP)

Pepperstone is a leading global forex and CFD broker, headquartered in Melbourne and operating across multiple international markets. Pepperstone's engineering teams build the systems, APIs, and integrations that underpin a high-volume global trading platform. Reliability, performance, and security are non-negotiable — and the backend is where that foundation is built.

About the Role

We are looking for a mid-level Backend Developer with strong PHP experience to join a team that builds and maintains the server-side systems powering Pepperstone's platform. You will be designing and developing APIs, managing data, and ensuring the backend runs reliably at scale. This is a focused backend role — you will not be expected to own the front end, but you will be expected to deeply understand the systems you build and take full ownership of their quality and performance.

What You Will Be Doing

• Designing, building, and maintaining RESTful APIs and backend services in PHP

• Writing efficient, scalable, and secure server-side logic that supports a high-volume financial platform

• Working with relational databases to design schemas, write complex queries, and optimise performance

• Integrating with third-party services, payment systems, data providers, and internal APIs

• Collaborating with front-end engineers to ensure seamless integration between systems

• Participating in code reviews and upholding backend engineering standards across the team

• Identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks, bugs, and security vulnerabilities

• Contributing to technical documentation and ensuring codebases are maintainable and well-structured

What You Bring

Essential:

• 3 to 5 years of backend development experience with a strong PHP focus

• Deep understanding of RESTful API design principles and best practices

• Solid experience with relational databases — MySQL, PostgreSQL, or similar — including schema design and query optimisation

• Strong grasp of security fundamentals relevant to backend systems — authentication, authorisation, data handling, and input validation

• Experience working with Git in a team development environment

• Ability to write clean, efficient, and well-tested code

• Strong analytical and debugging skills with a systematic approach to problem solving

Advantageous:

• Experience in fintech, trading, or regulated financial services environments

• Familiarity with microservices architecture or event-driven systems

• Exposure to cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure

• Experience with message queuing systems such as RabbitMQ or Kafka

• Knowledge of caching strategies using Redis or Memcached

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and containerisation tools such as Docker

Working Arrangement

Fully remote, work from home. Time zone alignment requirements will be confirmed during onboarding.