Head of Development (PHP-Focused) Lisboa

Head of Development (PHP-Focused)
Lisboa
Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

About e
Cars
Trade
e
Cars
Trade is a
- growing B2B digital platform that makes it easy for car dealers across Europe to buy
- quality used vehicles — 100% online.
We source directly from trusted partners (ex-lease,
- in, and rental fleets) and sell through our online auction platform and
- price listings. Dealers get full access to our own curated stock,
- time auctions, and transparent vehicle data, all in a few clicks.
With 60%
-
- year growth over the past three years, we're not just keeping up with the digital shift in automotive, we're driving it. Our mission? To redefine how professionals source used cars and become the
- to platform in Europe.
Your Role
As the Head of Development, you will be both a leader and an active contributor to the codebase. You will oversee technical architecture, drive process improvements, and nurture a
- performing development team. Your mission is to ensure our platform remains scalable, secure, and
- proof.
Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Development: Lead and mentor a
- functional team of developers, ensuring best practices in coding, design, and development.
Serve as the direct manager for developers across teams, providing guidance on professional development and growth.
Act as a mediator between the product / business and development teams to align technical efforts with company goals.
Foster a collaborative,
- driven environment that promotes innovation, high performance, and accountability.
Hands-on Development: Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code with a strong emphasis on Laravel and
- oriented architecture.
Design and develop systems, with a focus on scalability, security, and performance.
Troubleshoot, debug, and upgrade existing software solutions while ensuring the integrity of code and system performance.
Architectural Ownership: Design and maintain the architecture of our services, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.
Ensure that the architecture supports services and follows best practices for distributed systems.
Collaborate with SRE/Dev
Ops to optimize deployment pipelines, monitoring, and system infrastructure to ensure it’s reliability.
Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: Work closely with the Head of Product to translate product requirements into technical specifications and tasks.
Collaborate with other departments to ensure smooth and timely delivery of projects.
Manage and prioritize technical debt, ensuring balance between feature development and system maintenance.
Communicate progress, challenges, and opportunities to leadership and stakeholders.
Soft Skills & Leadership: Provide feedback, performance reviews, and growth opportunities for developers, fostering an environment of continuous learning.
Lead by example, encouraging collaboration, open communication, and constructive feedback within teams.
Promote a culture of innovation and knowledge sharing across teams.
Qualifications:
Proven experience as a senior or lead developer with
- on coding responsibilities, particularly in PHP.
Strong experience with SOA/microservices/event-driven architecture.
Experience in managing and leading development teams, with a focus on backend development.
Expertise in designing and maintaining scalable systems and services.
T-shape with Dev
Ops and QA.
Ability to work in a
- paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
Strong communication skills with the ability to articulate technical concepts to
- technical stakeholders.
Strong people management skills.
Excellent
- solving skills and ability to mentor others in technical best practices.
Deep understanding of Agile methodologies and experience working in
- functional teams.
Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes/Swarm)
Agile mindset with a proven ability to develop teams.
Fluent in English and Russian
W hat We Offer
A hybrid and flexible work environment with a focus on impact.
The chance to shape the technical future of a
- growing company.
Competitive salary and opportunities for growth.
Access to the latest tools, tech, and cloud solutions.
A supportive team that values innovation, ownership, and autonomy.