Senior Software Engineer

About the role

Ludus is a SaaS company that builds digital tools trusted by thousands of organizations to power event ticketing, marketing, fundraising, retail, and registration. The company is migrating a legacy PHP application to a Laravel-based platform while maintaining and enhancing features on the existing system. The current technology stack includes PHP, MySQL, Linux, Nginx, Docker, and the Laravel TALL stack. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will help drive this migration, scale the application, and improve system reliability, performance, and maintainability for a growing base of arts‑organization customers.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the team on migrating a legacy PHP application to Laravel, establishing sustainable architecture patterns, and supporting others in adopting new code structures.
• Develop new application features within the Laravel framework, focusing on secure, maintainable code.
• Assess and update the existing PHP codebase where necessary to improve performance, security, and functionality during the migration.
• Act as a senior contributor and resource within the team, sharing expertise and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Contribute to deployment automation, server configuration, and database optimization to keep the application fast, secure, and reliable.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience developing, scaling, and optimizing web applications.
• Full‑stack generalist with deep knowledge of HTTP protocols, headers, cookies, sessions, requests, and responses.
• Pragmatic approach to problem solving that balances improvement with sustainable solutions.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to scaling an application, not just maintaining or patching it.
• Strong understanding of OOP principles (critical for Laravel) and/or functional programming practices.
• Curiosity and independent problem‑solving mindset, with a commitment to learning new solutions and technologies.
• Focus on measurable improvements, actively seeking to leave systems better than you found them and able to assess and articulate impact.
• Testing and security mindset: regular use of testing to prevent regressions and experience measuring/addressing security risks.
• Proficiency in debugging and profiling for performance improvements; ability to analyze, optimize, and streamline code.
• Strong understanding of relational databases (MySQL), including writing and optimizing complex queries, database design, configuration, partitioning, and migration tools like Phinx or Artisan.
• Familiarity with DevOps tools, Linux servers, CI/CD strategies, Docker, and container management; experience automating deployment pipelines.
• Experience using AI‑assisted development tools with sound judgment to review, test, and understand generated code.

Qualifications

• Experience with Stripe or other payment processing APIs.
• Strong experience with the Laravel Framework.
• Strong experience with PHP.

Skills

• Collaborative & Communicative: works effectively within a team, translates technical concepts for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Curiosity & Initiative: lifelong learner, proactive in exploring new technologies and methodologies.
• Mindful of the Future: evaluates and measures impact of contributions to align with long‑term goals.
• Adaptable & Resilient: thrives in a dynamic environment, pivots quickly while maintaining focus on goals.
• Attention to Detail: maintains code quality and system integrity, identifies potential issues early.
• Mentor: eager to share knowledge and guide less experienced team members.

Benefits

• Health Insurance (Medical, Vision, Dental) – Ludus pays 90% of employee premium and 50% of dependent premiums for the base medical plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield medical, Guardian vision/dental).
• 401(k) matching – Full match on the first 5% contribution and 50% match on the next 5% (7.5% total match if you contribute 10%).
• Profit Sharing and Stock Options – Annual profit‑sharing bonuses during profitable years and stock options for long‑term growth.
• Personal Wellness – $50 monthly reimbursement for personal wellness expenses.
• Experience Credit – $100 yearly reimbursement toward concert, theatre, or similar tickets.
• Flexible PTO – Take vacation or personal days as needed, coordinating with your team.
• Sick Days – Take time to recover when ill, within reason.

Pay

Salary Range: $130,000 – $150,000 per year.

Schedule

Hybrid work arrangement: expected in‑office Mondays and Wednesdays in Ada, MI. Flexible hours are encouraged, with a rotating on‑call rotation for urgent issues (standard business hours 9–5, occasional after‑