PHP / Drupal Developer

(ID: 2026-1549)

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Benefits We Offer:

• 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• 401K match up to 5%
• Educational Benefits for Career Growth
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Flexible Spending Accounts:
  • Healthcare (FSA)
  • Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
  • Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
  • Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

Position Overview

Axle is seeking a Mid-Level PHP Developer to support a mission-critical federal government program. The ideal candidate will possess strong PHP development skills, familiarity with federal IT standards, and a collaborative mindset to deliver robust and secure web applications that align with government requirements. We are especially looking for candidates who have worked in federal government space and currently hold an active clearance with the federal government. Candidates will work closely with solution architects, business and technology specialists to design and develop solutions and provide expertise and implementation support to project teams. Candidates will also create / update solution architecture documents and assist testing and DevOps teams with debugging and deployment support. 

Key responsibilities: 

• Develop, maintain, and enhance web applications using PHP (Laravel, Symfony, or similar frameworks).
• Work closely with UI/UX designers, project managers, and other developers to meet technical and functional requirements.
• Write clean, scalable, and well-documented code.
• Integrate third-party APIs and ensure secure data handling.
• Participate in code reviews, testing, debugging, and performance tuning.
• Ensure compliance with federal security standards and accessibility requirements (e.g., FISMA, FedRAMP, Section 508).
• Collaborate in Agile/Scrum development processes, including daily standups and sprint planning.
• Assist with the deployment and maintenance of applications in development, staging, and production environments.

Required qualifications to be successful in this role: 

• 3–5 years of hands-on PHP development experience.
• Experience with PHP frameworks such as Laravel, Symfony, or CodeIgniter.
• Strong knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery).
• Experience with relational databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Understanding of secure coding practices and data privacy.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.
• Ability to be on-site two days a week in Bethesda, MD.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working on federal or government contracts.
• Familiarity with DevOps tools and CI/CD pipelines.