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