PHP Backend Engineer

Zixio develops software for complex, business-critical processes in pharma, clinical trials, medicine and industry. Our systems are used in real operational environments where stability, security, traceability and maintainability matter.

We are a small, technically strong team based in Berlin. We work with direct communication, short decision paths and a high level of ownership. We are looking for a solid Backend Engineer who solves problems independently, challenges technical decisions constructively and strengthens our engineering team.

Our engineering culture and stance on AI

We are building a solid, ambitious engineering team. We care deeply about technical quality: architecture, maintainability, security, testing, documentation and stable operation.

We also want our developers to keep growing. That means learning time, training budget, conferences, certifications and active support for technical development are part of how we work. We want people to stay close to new technologies and to have the space to become better engineers over time.

We have worked with AI technologies since 2017 and understand them beyond ready-to-use tools. We see AI as a way to empower engineers, not replace them. We follow current research, test new approaches critically and apply AI where it creates real value: internally in our own workflows and externally in customer systems. We are looking for someone who shares this mindset: curious about new technologies, but grounded enough to use them responsibly.

Requirements

have several years of backend development experience, ideally with PHP and a common framework

work confidently with relational databases and APIs

understand design patterns, clean architecture and maintainable code

analyze problems systematically instead of only fixing symptoms

take web application security seriously

enjoy learning new technologies and technical concepts

like discussing technical decisions constructively

work independently, take ownership and collaborate well with a team

Responsibilities

You will mainly work on backend systems for complex B2B applications. Depending on the project, you will also be involved in architecture, data modelling, API design, deployments, testing, security topics and technical documentation.

Typical topics include:

backend development with PHP and relational databases

roles, permissions, workflows and business logic

API integrations and interfaces to external systems

architecture discussions with our CTO and project team

automated tests, debugging and quality assurance

deployment and operational topics

security aspects around data, authentication and interfaces

AI integrations, such as internal AI hubs or assistant systems