Ludus is a SaaS company that builds digital tools trusted by thousands of organizations of all sizes to power their event ticketing, marketing, fundraising, retail and registration needs.

We are seeking a talented Senior Software Engineer to join our team and help shape the future of our online suite of applications.

This role will be pivotal in ensuring our system scales alongside our growing business. Currently our application is built on a legacy PHP system, we are transforming it into a Laravel-based platform designed to meet both our current demands and future goals.

The ideal candidate has a curious mindset along with a proven track record of building and scaling web applications. If you have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of web technology and thrive on solving complex challenges in code, this could be an excellent fit for you. We are looking for someone willing to dive headfirst into the legacy PHP code collaborating with our team while we effectively migrate to a well-architected system, enabling us to continue scaling a SaaS application used by thousands of arts organizations across the country.

Where We Are Today

Our system includes PHP, MySQL, Linux, Nginx, Docker, and the Laravel TALL stack. We are actively migrating to Laravel while continuing to maintain and enhance features on the legacy platform. This means that your work will involve a balance of refactoring older code while introducing new, scalable solutions in Laravel to help create a more stable, maintainable, and performant application

Join us in our mission to bring people together through shared experiences and building digital tools for arts organizations.

Learn more about Ludus here

Things you should know before applying

At Ludus, our mission is to bring people together through shared experiences. It’s a big goal that allows for limitless expansion to make a difference in the world.

We get shit done, move fast, and are constantly learning and adapting. We embrace low process and high trust to navigate change and figure out what works.

We believe success is never final and when you think it is, that is when you fail. For us, success is a sum of small efforts, including trial and error, so we move at an unrelenting weekly pace.

In order to grow as a company and individually, discomfort is necessary so we can continue exploring new ideas and push ourselves to build quality tools to offer the best solutions for our customers.

If you prefer a hand-holding environment where everything is black and white, that’s not us. If you’re a self-starter and can thrive in controlled chaos, Ludus is the place for you — it’s time to find your role ⬇️

Role Overview

As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll join our engineering team as a core contributor to this migration and beyond. You’ll not only help us move to a Laravel-based architecture but also bring valuable, long-term improvements to our system and development practices. This role is ideal for someone with a deep understanding of web technologies, specific skillsets in PHP and Laravel, and has a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities that come with modernizing an existing application

IMPORTANT NOTE:

While our team generally works during 9-5 EST, Ludus offers a flexible work environment. We encourage employees to work in a way that suits them best. While it's incredibly rare, there may be occasions when urgent issues require immediate attention outside of normal hours. We maintain a rotating on-call schedule (approximately 5-6 weeks/year) to ensure fair distribution of any after-hours responsibilities among team members.

What you'll be doing

• Active Migration Participation: Collaborate with the team on migrating a legacy PHP application to Laravel, establishing sustainable architecture patterns, and supporting others in understanding and adopting new code structures.

• Build & Scale New Features: Develop new application features within the Laravel framework, focusing on creating secure, maintainable code.

• Maintain and Enhance Legacy Code: Assess and update the existing PHP codebase where necessary to improve performance, security, and functionality as we migrate.

• Team Collaboration: Act as a senior contributor and resource within the team, sharing expertise and supporting a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

• Infrastructure & Performance: Contribute to deployment automation, server configuration, and database optimization to keep our application fast, secure, and reliable.

Traits we're looking for

(In no certain order)

• 5+ Years in Web Development: Solid experience in developing, scaling, and optimizing web applications, particularly in PHP environments.

• Full-Stack Generalist with Deep HTTP Knowledge: Competent in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, with a fundamental understanding of HTTP protocols, headers, cookies, sessions, requests, and responses. Able to work fluidly across the stack and troubleshoot issues holistically.

• Strong experience with the Laravel Framework: While familiarity with Laravel is a major plus, a broader understanding of web development fundamentals and modern practices is key.

• Pragmatic Approach to Problem Solving: We value a thoughtful approach that balances pragmatism and improvement. You should have a strong improvement mindset, focused on sustainable solutions that make the system better with every task completed.

• Scalable Architecture Experience: Demonstrated experience contributing to scaling an application, rather than only maintaining or patching an existing system. A background in optimizing systems for growth and scalability is essential.

• Strong Software Design Principles: A solid understanding of OOP principles (critical for working with Laravel’s architecture) and/or functional programming practices, with the ability to apply these to design clean, maintainable code structures.

• Curiosity and Independent Problem-Solving: Demonstrated ability to proactively learn and explore new solutions, technologies, and methodologies. This role values a natural curiosity and commitment to tackling challenges with a mindset that actively seeks improvement and optimization.

• Continuous Improvement & Impact Assessment: A mindset focused on measurable improvements, both in your contributions and the system's overall state. You are someone who not only completes tasks but actively seeks to leave systems better than you found them, with the ability to assess and articulate the impact of your work.

• Testing & Security Mindset: Regularly employs testing as a tool for preventing regressions, as well as experience measuring and addressing security risks. Familiarity with security tools (e.g., SonarCloud) and experience implementing security best practices in code are highly valued.

• Performance & Debugging Proficiency: Experience with debugging and profiling for performance improvements. Able to analyze, optimize, and streamline code to improve overall application efficiency.

• Database & Query Optimization: Strong understanding of relational databases, specifically MySQL. Skilled in writing and optimizing complex queries, with experience in database design, configuration, partitioning, and using tools like Phinx or Artisan for migrations.

• CI/CD and Deployment Experience: Familiarity with DevOps tools, Linux servers, and continuous integration and deployment strategies, including Docker and container management. Experience automating deployment pipelines to streamline and stabilize releases.

BONUS Qualifications:

• Experience with Stripe or other payment processing APIs.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Pragmatic Problem Solver: Able to balance immediate needs with long-term scalability, making informed decisions that benefit both the project and the overall system.

• Collaborative & Communicative: Demonstrates the ability to work effectively within a team, showing humility and curiosity. Capable of translating complex technical concepts into clear, understandable language for non-technical stakeholders and less experienced developers.

• Curiosity & Initiative: A lifelong learner with a proactive approach to problem-solving, always exploring new technologies and methodologies to enhance development processes and outcomes.

• Mindful of the Future: Embodies an improvement mindset, consistently evaluating and measuring the impact of their contributions to ensure that each task completed enhances the overall system and aligns with long-term goals.

• Adaptable & Resilient: Thrives in a dynamic environment, able to pivot quickly in response to changing priorities or challenges while maintaining focus on the end goal.

• Attention to Detail: Exhibits a keen eye for detail, ensuring that code quality and system integrity are maintained, while also identifying potential issues before they escalate.

• Mentor: Eager to share knowledge and guide less experienced team members, fostering a culture of growth and learning within the team.

Perks

💪 Health Insurance (Medical, Vision, Dental) — Provided by Blue Cross Blue Shields and Guardian. Ludus covers 90% of the premium of our employees and 50% of all dependents.

💵 401(k) matching — Full match on the first 5% contribution and 50% match on the next 5% of contribution (7.5% contribution match by Ludus if you contribute 10%).

📈 Profit Sharing and Stock Options — We believe in sharing our success and offer annual profit-sharing bonuses during profitable years, along with stock options that give employees a stake in our long-term growth and success.

👓 Personal Wellness — $50 monthly reimbursement that can be used on anything personal wellness related.

🎫 Experience Credit — $100 yearly reimbursement toward concert tickets, theatre tickets, etc. to encourage shared experiences.

⛱ Flexible PTO — Take the time you need for vacation or personal days - simply work with your team to ensure everything runs smooth while you are away.

😷 Sick Days — We do not track sick days. If you're under the weather, we expect you to take the time needed to recover within reason. 

Role Details

• Salary Range: $130-150k

• Location: Remote (U.S. Only). Based in Holland and Grand Rapids, Michigan.