Job Title: Senior PHP Developer with NodeJS Location: Remote (USA) Time Zone: EST Experience: 8+ Years Type: Contract Work Authorization: USC, GC, GC-EAD, H4-EAD Must Have:

• Expert-level PHP (Laravel) experience (non-negotiable)
• Strong backend experience with Node.js
• Experience with Microservices
• Experience refactoring or decomposing monolithic architectures
• Experience with AWS

Responsibilities:

• Develop a deep understanding of an existing PHP monolithic codebase and progressively extract modular services
• Design and implement scalable, testable, and reusable backend services
• Write clean, maintainable PHP and Node.js server-side code
• Design and maintain robust RESTful and GraphQL APIs
• Lead refactoring efforts to improve performance, readability, and long-term maintainability
• Build, deploy, and operate services on AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, and related services)
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests
• Review, validate, and improve code generated with AI tools—never blindly accept AI output
• Identify technical risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement
• Clearly communicate technical decisions, trade-offs, and solutions in written and spoken English
• Create short video walkthroughs or demos explaining architecture changes or completed work
• Collaborate effectively in a remote, async-first cross-timezone team with flexible working hours

Skills/Requirements:

• Expert-level PHP (Laravel) experience (non-negotiable)
• Strong backend experience with Node.js
• Proven experience working on enterprise-grade, production systems
• Hands-on experience refactoring or decomposing monolithic architectures
• Strong background in API design and backend architecture
• Experience with AWS, especially Lambda and serverless patterns
• Solid understanding of software design principles, patterns, and clean code practices
• Experience writing testable code and maintaining automated test suites
• Fluency in English (written and spoken)
• Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and communication skills
• Highly proactive and self-directed; able to unblock yourself without waiting for instructions

AI & Developer Tooling Expectations

• You are expected to use AI as a productivity multiplier, not a replacement for engineering judgment.
• Experience with AI coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor)
• Using AI within IDEs such as VS Code or PhpStorm
• Critically reviewing, testing, and refining AI-generated code
• Understanding risks, edge cases, and limitations of AI-assisted development