PHP Engineer

What you'll do

You review AI-written PHP code, backend designs and technical explanations, and write reference implementations and step-by-step reasoning for hard engineering problems. The ad points to application architecture, data modelling, API design, security, caching and database usage as the areas where you will look for mistakes. You compare several AI responses on correctness and reasoning, write explanations that model best practice, and fact-check technical claims.

Who fits

• A computer science, software engineering or related degree, or equivalent professional experience
• 4+ years building production backend systems in PHP
• Expert modern PHP (7.4 and 8.x): OOP, strict typing, namespaces, Composer and common design patterns
• Backend fundamentals: HTTP, REST, authentication, sessions, caching, queues
• Databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, including schema design, indexing, query optimisation and transactions
• At least one major framework (Laravel or Symfony) and a security mindset covering OWASP Top 10, injection, XSS, CSRF and secrets handling
• C1 English, written and spoken; AI data training experience is a plus

The role is open in 17 countries across South and Southeast Asia, plus Brazil, Germany and the US.

What it pays

Up to $60 an hour on an hourly contract, per the ad. The PHP Team Lead listing pays up to $70 but is open to US applicants only.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Pays for the same skills as a day job, on your own hours
• Open in 17 countries, where the lead role is US-only
• Review and reference writing exercises design judgment rather than rote output

Less good:

• Up to $60 is a ceiling; the ad gives no floor, hours or project length
• Needs spoken as well as written C1 English, a stricter line than many reviewer roles
• Time the tracker classes as idle is unpaid, which can penalise careful reading

About this listing

Posted on SME Careers, the hiring site SuperAnnotate uses for expert contractors, and read from its jobs board on 27 October 2026. The board gives no posting date, so we have not stated one. The ad text we read does not say whether a project is live. The comparison with the lead role is ours. The hiring process, Deel contracting and monitoring rules are covered on the company page. See SuperAnnotate.