Backend Engineer

Are you an experienced backend developer looking to make your mark on a platform that touches (and brings together) the hearts of millions of people? Then you’re at the right place.

The #1 goal of the role is to power the engine that brings more singles together every second. You build fast, reliable and scalable backend systems that enable Inner Circle to deliver new features quickly, keep the app running flawlessly and to create the highest quality dating experience in the world.

Tech stack: PHP 8.3/8.4, Zend Framework, Laravel, MySQL (Aurora), Redis, OpenSearch, RabbitMQ, Docker, AWS (Fargate, RDS, S3, SNS/SQS, SES), Sentry, Grafana, Prometheus, Kibana. 

Result Areas:

1. Build and ship backend features that delight members
Deliver features that directly improve engagement, matchmaking, and retention, ensuring smooth, reliable user experiences every time.

2. Maintain and scale a high-performance backend
Optimise APIs, queries, and caching on AWS (Aurora, ElastiCache) so the platform stays fast and stable as traffic and features grow.

3. Guarantee code quality, stability and security
Write clean, testable code with strong automated test coverage, proactively fixing vulnerabilities to keep our members’ data safe, while actively contributing to code reviews to uphold team-wide coding standards.

4. Reduce tech debt to speed up future development
Refactor and modernise core components to make the codebase easier to maintain, enabling faster delivery of new features.

5. Build and maintain reliable APIs and integrations
Develop well-documented, consistent RESTful APIs and services that power both internal systems and the Inner Circle app experience.

Experience

• 5+ years of in PHP development

• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming, design patterns, and secure coding practices.

• Proficient with relational databases (MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL) and query optimization.

• Experience building and integrating RESTful APIs (GraphQL experience a plus).

• Familiarity with modern PHP frameworks (e.g., Laravel, Symfony).

• Hands-on experience deploying and managing applications in AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront, Lambda, or similar).

• Comfortable with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation (GitHub Actions, AWS CodePipeline, etc.).

• Solid understanding of containerization (Docker) and orchestration (ECS/EKS or similar).

• Proficient in version control (Git) and collaborative workflows (pull requests, code reviews).

• Strong debugging, performance tuning, and problem-solving skills.

• Experience working in agile or scrum teams.

• Good knowledge of unit-testing and writing testable code.

You

• Driven by high-quality work

• Passion for continuous learning and adapting to new technologies

• ​​Understanding of software development methodologies and best practices

• Pro-active and independent

• Authentic team player

• Understand various programming patterns and know how to implement them effectively

• Good knowledge of continuous deployment or continuous integration

What we offer

• A fulltime job that makes a positive impact on people's lives

• A competitive salary matched with your experience and ambition

• An amazing work environment in our office at Prins Hendrikkade, at the heart of Amsterdam

• A Macbook or other hardware of your choice to be able to do your job

• Stay healthy and bring your own device allowance

• Training and development budget

• Frequent team get-togethers and team activities

• Free Inner Circle VIP membership for you and your single friends

About Inner Circle

Inner Circle is less like a dating app, more like a member’s club made for dating. Niche by design, it’s for people who live ambitious, interesting lifestyles – and want to date people who move in similar circles. Built on the belief that opposites don’t attract, a thorough application and screening process curates a community where everyone is worth dating – and people have more in common than just being single.

The independent bootstrapped tech company ranked in the FT1000 2020 list as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe. The company was also the winner of Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 in The Netherlands in 2018.

At Inner Circle, we embrace our diverse community and team. We celebrate differences and know that they are key for helping us grow. Our team consists of 40 team members, with 16 nationalities and a female: male ratio of 60 : 40. Whatever your race, religion, colour, gender, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or age, we make sure everyone has the space to be themselves.

Ready to make an impact? Let’s get the ball rolling, by applying now!