Senior PHP Software Engineer

Job Advert Summary

Purpose of the Role: 

The Senior System Engineer is responsible for providing full-stack systems engineering services — including the design, development, maintenance, and support - of Eduvos' Learner Management System (LMS), hosted on AWS Cloud Infrastructure. 

The role works closely with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions aligned with business needs, with key responsibilities spanning installation, configuration, maintenance, and optimisation of LMS instances, ensuring high availability, performance, and security across the environment. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

Application Development and Maintenance 

• Design, develop, test, and maintain custom solutions and plugins within the LMS environment. 
• Configure and manage LMS application instances, including installation, setup, and customisation of plugins and themes. 
• Support development and systems strategy execution in line with organisational goals and standards. 

System Integration and Maintenance 

• Design and develop plugins, workflows, and system integrations to support business processes. 
• Coordinate and manage integrations between the LMS and other systems to ensure seamless data flow. 
• Develop and maintain scripts and automation tools to enhance system performance and operational efficiency. 

AWS Cloud Infrastructure Management 

• Deploy, configure, and manage the LMS on AWS using services such as EC2, RDS, S3, and CloudFront. 
• Implement and maintain strong AWS security controls to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance. 
• Perform regular updates, patches, and backups, and support backup/disaster recovery strategies. 

AGILE Practices 

• Actively participate in AGILE ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives. 
• Collaborate with product owners and stakeholders to refine, prioritise, and manage the product backlog. 
• Support the continuous delivery of high-quality software through iterative development and feedback cycles. 

DevOps Practices and Technical Leadership 

• Automate deployments for consistent, reliable releases, and design/maintain CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps. 
• Monitor and improve application performance and reliability, promoting DevOps best practices across the team. 
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior developers, conducting routine code reviews and staying current with LMS platforms, AWS, and related technologies. 

Problem Solving, Troubleshooting and Continuous Improvement 

• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve technical issues and defects related to PHP, MySQL, and other technologies used within the LMS environment. 
• Perform root cause analysis and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence, providing responsive support to ensure high availability and minimal downtime. 
• Evaluate and recommend new tools, technologies, and processes to improve development efficiency, analysing system issues and performance trends to identify and implement improvements. 

LMS Administration, Maintenance and Content Management 

• Manage user accounts, roles, permissions, and authentication to ensure secure LMS access. 
• Monitor system performance and implement solutions to optimise stability, speed, and reliability. 
• Ensure user data and system access comply with institutional policies and data protection regulations. 
• Develop and upload course content, learning resources, and assessments, ensuring all content is accessible, up-to-date, and aligned with instructional design best practices. 
• Generate and analyse reports on learner engagement, course completion rates, and other performance metrics. 
• Utilise data insights to evaluate course effectiveness and recommend improvements.

Collaboration and Communication 

• Work closely with product managers, project managers, and other stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver solutions. 
• Communicate technical concepts and solutions effectively to non-technical stakeholders. 
• Create and maintain documentation of technical designs, configurations, and processes. 

Training and Support 

• Provide training and knowledge-sharing sessions to the software development and system administration teams. 
• Offer technical support and troubleshooting assistance across teams. 
• Create and maintain technical and support documentation for the LMS systems. 

Projects and Reporting 

• Define and manage project scope and tasks within agreed timelines, ensuring effective communication and feedback to stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements for the job: 

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent NQF-7 qualification (Advanced Diploma or Bachelor of Technology) in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field

Experience: 

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in application development, with a focus on PHP, JavaScript, and related technologies 
• Proven experience and exposure to high-traffic/high availability application/system architecture, design, implementation and scaling. 
• Advantageous/Highly Desirable:  
• Proven experience in the deployment and management of Moodle LMS on AWS, utilizing services like EC2, RDS, and S3 
• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience in administering and supporting Moodle-based Learning Management Systems 
• Experience in educational technology, instructional design, or e-learning  

Technical / Functional Competencies: 

• Proficient in PHP, JavaScript, and related technologies for LMS customisation and development 
• Strong technical knowledge of Moodle administration, including installation, configuration, and customisation 
• Solid understanding of MySQL or other relational databases for managing LMS data and performing SQL queries 
• Skilled in working with AWS services such as EC2, RDS, S3, and CloudFront 
• Good understanding of AGILE and DevOps methodologies and practices 
• Experience with CI/CD tools and processes 
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to support and train users effectively 
• Well-developed organisational and time management abilities 
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve technical issues efficiently 
• Well-developed organisational and time management abilities 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to support and train users effectively 
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve technical issues efficiently 
• Excellent coding and debugging skills 
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment 
• Strong organisational and time management skills 

Behavioural Competencies 

• Initiative and adaptability to changing technologies and requirements 
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams and stakeholders 
• Clear and professional verbal and written communication 
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving in technical contexts 
• Structured planning and organisation of tasks 
• Effective and optimal task execution