PHP Engineer – Remote AI Code Review Contractor

About the role

We are looking for an experienced PHP Engineer to join SME Careers on a remote, hourly‑paid contractor basis. You will evaluate AI‑generated PHP code, backend designs, and technical explanations, providing high‑quality reference implementations and detailed reasoning for complex engineering problems.

Key responsibilities

• Develop AI training content by creating prompts and reference answers on PHP/backend topics.
• Review, rank, and give feedback on AI responses to improve correctness, security, readability, and contextual fit.
• Test AI outputs for inaccuracies, unsafe practices, and potential biases, ensuring reliability in real‑world use cases.
• Identify architectural, data‑modeling, API, security, caching, and database issues in submitted solutions.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of professional experience building production backend systems with PHP.
• Expert‑level proficiency in modern PHP (7.4/8.x+), OOP, strict typing, namespaces, Composer, and common design patterns.
• Strong understanding of HTTP, REST, authentication/authorization, sessions, caching, queues, and API design.
• Deep experience with MySQL or PostgreSQL, including schema design, indexing, query optimization, and transactions.
• Experience with at least one major PHP framework (Laravel, Symfony) and knowledge of dependency injection, middleware, and ORM trade‑offs.
• Security‑focused mindset with hands‑on knowledge of OWASP Top 10, input validation, SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and secrets handling.
• Proficiency with Git, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing (PHPUnit, integration tests, mocking).
• Minimum C1 English proficiency, written and spoken.

Required skills

• PHP (7.4/8.x+)
• OOP, strict typing, namespaces
• Composer
• Laravel or Symfony
• MySQL / PostgreSQL
• REST API design
• HTTP, authentication, authorization
• Caching, queues
• Git
• CI/CD workflows
• PHPUnit, integration testing, mocking

What we offer

• Fully remote work environment
• Hourly paid contract with flexible scheduling
• Opportunity to influence AI model training for leading AI companies
• Access to future projects through our expert network