Full Stack / Backend Developer

Full Stack / Backend Developer (PHP)

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Full-time

About the Role

We are seeking a Full Stack / Backend Developer with strong experience in PHP and large-scale MySQL environments to join our engineering team. This role focuses on building and maintaining backend services and APIs that power our platform, with some involvement in front-end integrations using modern JavaScript frameworks.

You will work on systems that handle high volumes of data and traffic, requiring careful attention to performance, scalability, and reliability.

Key Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain backend services using PHP

Build and maintain APIs and integrations with internal and third-party systems

Design and optimize queries for large-scale MySQL databases

Analyze and improve database performance, indexing, and query efficiency

Collaborating with front-end developers working in React

Troubleshoot production issues and implement long-term solutions

Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code

Participate in code reviews and contribute to development best practices

Support deployment processes and ongoing system maintenance Required Qualifications

3+ years of professional experience with PHP (no frameworks required)

Strong experience working with large-scale MySQL databases

Deep understanding of query optimization, indexing strategies, and performance tuning

Experience handling high-volume data and production-critical systems

Strong understanding of backend architecture and API design

Experience building and consuming RESTful APIs

Familiarity with front-end integration using React

Experience with version control systems (Git)

Strong problem-solving and debugging skills

Ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively Preferred Qualifications

Experience working with large, legacy PHP codebases

Familiarity with replication, sharding, or other scaling strategies in MySQL

Experience with asynchronous processing, queues, or background jobs

Familiarity with AI coding tools such as Copilot in VS code or Claude Code

Understanding of web security best practices

Experience working in high-traffic environments

Exposure to cloud infrastructure (AWS or similar)

Why Join Us?

Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that can be personalized to your needs. Our benefit program includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, company provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401K retirement plan with company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow the flexibility to balance personal life and work. This includes paid parental leave for new parents.

Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news and information and a major subscription and advertising platform, with daily and weekly newspapers and rapidly expanding digital products serving 114 markets across 25 states. Our core commitment is to provide valuable, intensely local news and information to the communities we serve.

Lee Enterprises is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We respect and celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

For more information about Lee, check us out at