Quick Summary
Who Is Xcelirate?
Xcelirate develops technologically-advanced platforms utilized by thousands of users every minute. We foster a workplace environment where top developers collaborate to strategically plan and swiftly execute practices that maintain our market dominance and drive global expansion. Our success is built on a decade of customer support and the contributions of our talented team.
Ideal Candidate Profile: Principal Full-Stack Engineer
We are seeking a principal-level full-stack engineer—someone who has not only navigated complex systems but has also defined architectural direction. You view programming languages pragmatically, choosing tools based on intent and progress, not novelty or nostalgia.
Despite extensive experience, you remain deeply hands-on, preferring to stay close to the code rather than drifting into management. You approach work with a stoic mindset, avoiding panic and distinguishing between urgency and importance.
When you join a project, you bring clarity, making code easier to reason about and systems calmer. Your presence naturally elevates the technical standards of those working alongside you.
You possess an intuitive understanding of advanced concepts, including:
- Hot-path optimization
- Speculative execution
- Lazy initialization
We are eager to hear about your personal homelab experiments driven purely by curiosity.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage personal time effectively while adhering to company priorities.
- Own complex engineering problems end-to-end, covering problem framing, design, delivery, and iteration.
- Ensure critical platform areas remain reliable, performant, and maintainable.
- Build new features and enhance existing ones across our platforms.
- Pragmatically refactor legacy and modern codebases, balancing long-term health with immediate delivery needs.
- Write comprehensive tests (unit, integration, and end-to-end) to guarantee software reliability.
- Engage in every phase of the software lifecycle, from ideation through deployment.
- Participate in, and occasionally lead, deep technical discussions to drive sound decisions and trade-offs.
- Work hands-on across both backend and frontend systems, addressing issues wherever they arise.
- Identify inefficiencies and streamline workflows to minimize unnecessary effort.
- Collaborate closely with senior engineers, setting a high bar through example rather than formal authority.
- Take full ownership of work, ensuring high-quality results and maintainable solutions.
Required Skills & Experience
We are looking for candidates who bring the following expertise:
- 15+ years of hands-on experience building and maintaining complex web applications.
- Clear technical communication skills, capable of explaining and defending design decisions to both senior engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
- Expert PHP Developer (12+ years), proficient with Symfony or equivalent frameworks.
- 10+ years experience with modern JavaScript, including React or Vue (Next/Nuxt experience is a plus).
- Expert-level knowledge in at least one additional programming language (Python is a plus).
- Expertise in full-stack architecture: monoliths, services, and hybrid systems.
- Power user experience in cloud deployment and scaling (AWS preferred).
- Expert Linux user, including daily containerized workflows using Docker.
- Expertise in infrastructure automation tools: Terraform and Ansible.
- Power user level ownership of CI/CD pipelines and release workflows.
- Experience with automated testing: unit, integration, and E2E testing; applying TDD where appropriate.
- Expert-level knowledge of web security fundamentals: authentication, authorization, data protection, and secure coding practices.
- Fluency in both legacy and modern codebases, with the ability to execute incremental modernization.
- Demonstrated strong independent technical ownership and accountability.
We encourage applications from candidates who believe they are a good fit, even if they do not meet 100% of the requirements.
Contractor Benefits & Support
- Competitive Compensation: €85/hour plus a retention bonus scheme, paid generously every 6 months based on tenure.
- Top-Notch Workstation: Provision of the latest MacBook, branded merchandise, and necessary equipment for an optimal work environment.
- Global Co-Working Access: Access to a worldwide network of co-working spaces, promoting dynamic and flexible work-life balance.
- Flexibility: Full flexibility regarding work location and hours, tailored to support individual work-life balance needs.
- Events and Gatherings: Opportunities to participate in exciting annual events, including team gatherings and cultural activities.