PHP Developer - OUTSIDE IR35 - Up Too £350 P/D - REMOTE At Inspirec, we pride ourselves on connecting the right talent with the right opportunities. We are a forward-thinking recruitment agency that focuses on building long-lasting relationships with both clients and candidates. Our expertise spans a variety of sectors, and our dedication to providing tailored recruitment solutions has earned us a strong reputation in the industry. Join us in our mission to inspire and drive positive change within the recruitment landscape. ROLE OBJECTIVE Inspirec has partnered with a dynamic and innovative leader in the technology industry, who are seeking a highly motivated Software Developer (PHP) to join their team on a contract basis. We are seeking a skilled PHP Developer to maintain, troubleshoot, and gradually modernise our legacy PHP application. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in complex, existing codebases, has a keen eye for identifying root causes, and is passionate about building long-term, stable solutions. You’ll work closely with the product and delivery teams to ensure system reliability while supporting a broader migration to modern technologies. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * Analyse, troubleshoot, and resolve bugs in a legacy PHP (5.x/7.x) system. * Perform root cause analysis and implement durable fixes for recurring issues. * Write, test, and deploy patches with minimal disruption to production systems. * Collaborate with product and delivery teams to prioritise bug fixes and maintain feature stability. * Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code when applying enhancements or patches. * Support the long-term modernisation strategy by identifying technical debt and recommending incremental improvements. REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE * Strong hands-on experience with PHP (5.x/7.x), especially in debugging and optimisation. * Proficient in maintaining and updating legacy systems, including patch management and handling outdated dependencies. * Solid understanding of relational databases (e.g., MySQL). * Comfortable working with minimal documentation and understanding legacy codebases. * Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently on issue resolution. * Familiarity with Git and version control best practices. DESIRABLE SKILLS * Experience with modern PHP frameworks such as Laravel or Symfony. * Knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) for full-stack troubleshooting. * Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing practices. * Prior experience in system modernisation or migration projects