PHP Software Development Officer

Your tasks

Requirements analysis and application development

• Work with users to analyse processes, document requirements, acceptance criteria and data flows, and identify practical automation and service improvements.
• Develop and maintain PHP applications, services and integrations using maintainable code, approved frameworks and coding standards.
• Build and improve web interfaces and APIs using appropriate HTML, CSS, JavaScript and database technologies; design input validation and robust error handling.
• Estimate work, agree priorities with the Head of Technical Services and demonstrate completed functionality against documented acceptance criteria.

CoCCA and registry application support

• Investigate registry-related application and integration issues, reproduce faults, review authorised logs and configuration, and coordinate resolution with vendor support.
• Maintain approved interfaces, custom tools and integrations around CoCCA; modify vendor-managed components only where authorised and supported.
• Support registrar onboarding and integration testing; build working knowledge of domain lifecycle operations, DNS concepts, EPP and registry data requirements.
• Analyse recurring incidents and implement approved permanent fixes; communicate service impact and workarounds clearly to technical and business users.

Quality security and release management

• Use Git, peer review and automated tests appropriate to the change; conduct integration, regression and user acceptance testing before release.
• Apply secure development practices, including access controls, parameterised queries, secret management, dependency checks and protection of personal data.
• Prepare deployment and rollback plans, obtain change approval, separate development and production access, and verify application behaviour after release.
• Investigate performance and reliability issues using logs and monitoring; coordinate recovery testing and application-level backup validation with infrastructure colleagues.

Documentation collaboration and continuous improvement

• Maintain technical documentation, API specifications, configuration records, release notes, support runbooks and user guidance sufficient for team handover.
• Provide agreed application support and user training; record incidents, changes and known issues in the approved tracking system.
• Identify technical debt and security risks, recommend remediation and provide regular updates on delivery, incidents and application health. Participate in approved maintenance or support cover as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Systems or a related discipline.
• Minimum of three years of hands-on software development experience, including at least two years developing and maintaining PHP applications in production. Experience diagnosing faults and supporting business-critical applications is required.
• A strong practical development portfolio is required.
• Relevant software development (front-end and back-end), secure coding, cloud, or database certification is an advantage.
• Practical competence and demonstrable delivery are more important than certification alone.
• Strong practical PHP skills, including object-oriented programming, dependency management with Composer and experience with a mainstream PHP framework or a substantial existing PHP codebase. PHP experience is mandatory.
• Working proficiency in SQL and relational databases such as MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL; REST APIs; HTML, CSS and JavaScript; Git; Linux-based application environments.
• Evidence of secure coding, debugging, automated testing, peer review and controlled deployment; ability to understand unfamiliar code and maintain existing applications.
• Domain registry or registrar systems, EPP, DNS, XML, payment or business system integrations, CI/CD and container experience are beneficial.

Other

Key Performance Indicators Performance Areas; Performance Measures

• At least 90% of agreed sprint or monthly commitments accepted by the due date; report scope changes, dependencies and delivery risks promptly.
• 100% of production code changes version-controlled, reviewed and supported by proportionate test evidence; track escaped defects and reduce repeat defects against baseline.
• 100% of production releases have approval, documented validation and a rollback plan; monitor change failure rate and agree an improvement target.
• At least 95% of assigned incidents acknowledged and progressed within severity-based service levels; record resolution or escalation evidence and recurring-issue actions.
• Triage assigned critical findings within one working day; remediate or obtain documented risk acceptance within approved severity-based deadlines; no secrets committed to source control.
• Complete agreed integration and regression tests before relevant changes; resolve or escalate assigned registry applications issues within agreed service levels and vendor dependencies.
• Monitor assigned application availability, error rates and response times against approved service objectives; investigate breaches and track corrective actions.
• Update relevant runbooks, API documentation and release notes with every material change; complete agreed user training and team handovers.