Backend Developer

Overview

Science In Sport Group is a world leader in sports and performance nutrition. We have two brands:
SiS, combining world-class science and innovation for professional athletes, sports and fitness enthusiasts, and the active lifestyle community; and PhD Nutrition, offering intelligent active-nutrition products. Our brands sell through  and , third-party marketplaces including Amazon, and extensive domestic and international retail distribution. In 2022 we opened a 160,000 square foot manufacturing and logistics facility in Blackburn, Lancashire. Science In Sport is the nutrition partner to globally recognised elite teams and events.

• Contract:
  
  12-month fixed-term contract
• Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 per annum
• Working Hours:
  
  Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm
• Location:
  
  Blackburn

• Pension scheme, employer contribution at 4%
• On-site gym
• Cycle to work scheme
• Product discount
• Birthday day off

• Develop and maintain backend logic and modules - Build, extend, and maintain custom modules, business logic, and server-side functionality to support storefronts and ecommerce workflows.
• Implement integrations and backend services - Integrate third-party systems (payment gateways, ERP, stock systems, external APIs), manage data flows (orders, customers, products), and ensure seamless system interoperability.
• Ensure data integrity, security, performance and scalability - Work on database structure, queries, caching, indexing, performance tuning, and security patches to keep the platform stable and efficient under load.
• Support release cycles, maintenance, bug-fixes and technical debt management - Ensure the codebase remains clean, maintainable, and up-to-date; troubleshoot backend issues; apply patches/updates; support hotfixes and ongoing enhancements.

• Robust, reliable and well-architected backend code and modules for Adobe Commerce.
• Stable data handling and integrations (orders, products, customer data, payments, shipping, 3rd-party APIs).
• High performance and scalable backend infrastructure to ensure fast response times, efficient database access and proper caching.
• Secure platform; following best practices for security, data protection, and compliance.
• Timely delivery of backend features, bug fixes, and backend-related support in sprints/releases.
• Clear documentation of backend architecture, modules, APIs that facilitate maintainability and collaboration.

• Strong PHP knowledge and object-oriented programming.
• Deep understanding of Adobe Commerce / Magento backend architecture: modules, config XML, database models, resource models, repositories, events/observers, plugin architecture.
• Experience with MySQL (or equivalent), database schema design, query optimisation, indexing, caching layers (Redis, Varnish, etc.).
• Familiarity with REST/Graph
  
  QL APIs (for integrations, headless setups), web-services, third-party integrations (payment, shipping, ERP).
• Familiarity with version control (Git), deployment workflows / CI-CD, and development best practices (code reviews, testing).
• Awareness of security, scalability, and performance best practices in ecommerce contexts.

• Detail-oriented and careful - backend mistakes can compromise data or business logic.
• Good communication - collaborate with in-house and agency developers.
• Problem-solving - ability to debug/solve complex issues, trace problems and reason across multiple layers (database, PHP, integrations).
• Ownership - take responsibility for the reliability and stability of backend systems.
• Proactive and forward-thinking - plan for scalability and future growth, avoid short-term hacks.

• Backend code and modules are stable, reliable, and rarely cause production issues or outages.
• System performance stays strong even under load. Fast response times, efficient database access, low latency.
• Integrations (payment, shipping, external APIs, custom modules) work smoothly and reliably.
• Feature requests and bug fixes are delivered on schedule, with minimal regressions or technical debt…