PHP (Laravel) Backend Developer / Tech Lead to build and lead development of a proprietary ecommerce and inventory management platform for a high-growth Canadian appliance retailer

Location: North York, ON (Yonge & Sheppard) On-Site Requirement 5 days per week - fully on-site, Employment Type: Full-Time Permanent Parking: On-site parking available Our client is one of Canada''s largest and fastest-growing appliance retailers, operating as an omnichannel business built on a fully proprietary technology platform. Their lean, high-performance IT team of 5 has built everything in-house - from their ecommerce storefront to inventory, finance, and logistics systems. They are looking for a Senior PHP Backend Developer and Tech Lead to own backend development and provide technical leadership to a small team of developers, ensuring the CEO''s vision is translated into high-quality, timely delivery. This is a fast-paced, startup-like environment inside an established business. This is a collaborative, high-performing team that takes pride in what they''ve built. The right person brings strong technical ability and a team-first mindset: A natural communicator - you confirm scope, align with stakeholders, and keep the team informed Adaptable - you''re comfortable working through evolving priorities and ambiguous requirements Must Haves 7+ years of strong PHP backend development experience Proficiency in Laravel framework and MySQL LAMP stack experience (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) Proven experience leading a team of 5+ developers across multiple concurrent projects Comfortable in a fast-moving, high-change environment - agency, startup, scale-up, or similar Strong communicator - able to manage up to CEO/CTO level and down to the dev team Must be available 5 days per week on-site in North York Responsibilities Lead and mentor a team of 2-3 backend developers across multiple concurrent projects Own backend development on a proprietary LAMP stack platform (PHP, Laravel, MySQL) Translate business requirements from the CEO and CTO into clear technical deliverables Act as the bridge between business vision and dev execution confirming scope, flagging gaps, and keeping delivery on track Identify areas of improvement in the codebase and development processes Collaborate closely with a Front End / UX-UI developer and report directly to the CTO Nice to Haves Experience in ecommerce, retail, or inventory/logistics platforms Exposure to on-premise infrastructure environments Background building or maintaining proprietary internal platforms Experience in a small, high-ownership IT team