Drupal CMS Developer

Introduction

The Drupal CMS Developer is responsible for the architecture, development, customization, and continuous maintenance of enterprise-grade content management systems and decoupled digital web platforms. Operating at the intersection of backend PHP development, API design, and digital delivery, this professional acts as a key contributor who builds custom modules, structures complex content schemas, and optimizes platform performance. The position requires a technical practitioner with strong problem-solving skills, a deep understanding of Drupal core architecture, and a standards-driven approach to clean code, security, and scalability.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Architect, develop, and maintain secure, high-traffic enterprise Drupal (v9/v10+) web applications and content management architectures.

• Design and build custom Drupal modules using object-oriented PHP and standard Drupal APIs to satisfy complex business requirements.

• Develop and manage RESTful APIs, JSON:API, and GraphQL endpoints to support decoupled/headless web architectures and third-party systems integrations.

• Model complex content types, taxonomy hierarchies, custom entity schemas, and user role/permission structures.

• Partner closely with Front-End Engineers to integrate Twig templates, component libraries, and modern JavaScript frameworks seamlessly.

• Execute performance tuning and caching strategies utilizing Varnish, Redis/Memcached, Database indexing, and Drupal core render caching.

• Own code quality and security standards, conducting code reviews, implementing OWASP security hardening, and managing regular Drupal security patch cycles.

• Participate actively in Agile ceremonies, providing precise technical estimations, story point sizing, and clear execution pathways during sprint planning.

• Maintain local and cloud environments using containerized setups (Docker, Ddev, Lando) and automate deployments via CI/CD pipelines.

• Drive database and configuration synchronization across development, staging, and production environments using Drupal’s Configuration Management System (config-export/config-import).

Desired Experience & Qualification

• National Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• A minimum of 5 years of commercial experience as a dedicated Drupal Developer on enterprise-scale digital platforms.

• Professional certifications such as Acquia Certified Developer (Drupal 9/10) or Acquia Certified Back-End Specialist are highly preferred.

• Experience in IT Consulting, Telecommunications, or Media domains will be advantageous.

• Expert knowledge of PHP (8.x), Drupal Core architecture, Symfony components, Composer dependency management, and Drush.

• Advanced proficiency in database design, querying, and optimization with MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL.

• Hands-on experience building decoupled/headless implementations and consuming APIs with modern front-end frameworks (Next.js, React).

• Solid grasp of Git-based version control workflows, automated testing frameworks (PHPUnit, Behat), and CI/CD deployment pipelines.

• Advanced proficiency navigating, customizing, and generating insights from enterprise tracking ecosystems, specifically Jira and Confluence.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication capability, with a proven track record of translating technical CMS architecture constraints into clear summaries for non-technical stakeholders.