Prat City LLC: Senior Laravel Developer & Technical Lead

We’re building an in-house development team and need a senior Laravel developer to lead this transition. You’ll take ownership of our technical infrastructure, modernize our platform architecture, and eventually build a development team.

This is a high-ownership role. You’ll work directly with the founder (me), have full technical decision-making authority, and shape how we build software going forward.

The Technical Challenge

Current state

• Mostly similar architecture but evolved independently
• Blade templates primarily, some Vue.js components
• WordPress integration for certain content
• AWS infrastructure with dedicated DevOps support
• ~44 items in active backlog (Jira)

What needs to happen

• Upgrade from Laravel 10 to latest stable
• Consolidate 5 codebases into modern multi-tenant architecture
• Clear substantial backlog of features and improvements
• Establish scalable foundation for 16+ courses
• Improve deployment processes and code quality standards

What You’ll Do

Month 1-2

• Audit all 5 codebases – document architecture, dependencies, technical debt
• Review and understand existing AWS infrastructure
• Get access to all systems and establish development workflow
• Take on first backlog items to understand codebase hands‑on

Month 3-4

• Execute Laravel upgrade path
• Start platform consolidation work
• Clear high-priority backlog items
• Define technical standards and processes

Month 5-6

• Build AI automation system for case management
• Interview and hire 2 additional developers
• Begin knowledge transfer and onboarding of new team members
• Transition to full technical ownership

Ongoing

• Own all technical decisions and architecture
• Lead small development team (eventually 3-4 people)
• Work directly with me on product roadmap and priorities
• Ensure code quality, security, and performance standards

Requirements

Technical must-haves

• 7+ years professional Laravel development
• Strong experience with Blade templating
• Database design and optimization (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
• RESTful API design and integration
• Git workflow and code review experience
• Laravel upgrade experience across major versions
• Experience with legacy codebase modernization

Experience we value

• Leading or mentoring other developers
• E‑learning or EdTech platforms
• Python (for automation project)
• Stripe or payment integration
• Security best practices for PII/payment data

Working style

• Self‑directed and proactive – you see problems and solve them
• Strong written communication (we’re async‑first)
• Comfortable with ambiguity and making technical decisions
• Patient with knowledge transfer and documentation
• Pragmatic about shipping vs perfection
• Comfortable using AI to scale output

How We Work

• Fully remote – work from anywhere
• Async‑first – no fixed hours, overlap as needed
• Tools: GitHub, Jira, Slack, AWS
• Communication: Slack for daily updates, video calls for planning/decisions
• You’ll work with: Me (founder), DevOps engineer, eventually 2‑3 developers you help hire
• Salary: $70‑80k USD annually (based on experience)
• Time off: 10 days PTO + your local public holidays

Hiring Process

• Application – Resume + answers to questions below
• Initial call – 30 minutes to discuss experience and fit
• Technical assessment – Take‑home Laravel project, 3‑4 hours, $200 compensation
• Technical interview – 60 min discussion of your solution + architecture scenarios
• Offer – Start within 2‑4 weeks

Total timeline: 4‑6 weeks

To Apply

Email [email protected] with:

• Resume/CV (including GitHub or code samples if available)
• Answers to these questions:
  Describe a legacy codebase you inherited. What was the biggest technical challenge and how did you approach it?
  You’re auditing 5 similar Laravel codebases that need consolidation. Walk me through your first 2 weeks – what do you analyze, what do you document, how do you prioritize?
  What’s your experience with Laravel version upgrades? What’s the trickiest upgrade you’ve done?
  Optional: Anything else you think is relevant