PHP Developer

Whisker•Auburn Hills, MI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Whisker is redefining what it means to live with cats—designing intelligent systems that remove friction, elevate the everyday, and celebrate the quiet brilliance of feline companionship. Today, Litter-Robot leads the category. Tomorrow, an entire ecosystem that expands what’s possible for cats and the people who love them. We believe the future is feline. And we’re imagining that future today. We work onsite 4+ days a week, with our team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Juneau, Wisconsin. Our team of 700+ passionate pet people thrives on collaboration, innovation, and the occasional office cameo from a four-legged friend. What You’ll Do: The PHP Developer will build, enhance, and maintain the software and systems that power Whisker’s operations, including fulfillment of our Litter-Robots, Feeder-Robots, and other innovative pet products. This role is ideal for a mid-level developer with strong PHP expertise who is eager to contribute to core business systems and expand their technical skillset. Experience with ERP, MES, or similar enterprise systems is a strong bonus. The Specialist will collaborate across teams, actively participate in Agile processes, and deliver clean, maintainable, and efficient solutions that support Whisker’s global operations.

Requirements

BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering and/or equivalent experience
2–3+ years of professional experience in web development with strong PHP expertise
Experience with modern MVC frameworks such as Laravel or Symfony
Experience developing REST APIs and integrating with third-party APIs
Hands-on experience with relational databases and writing efficient queries
Familiarity with project management tools for task/issue tracking
Experience participating in Agile teams and ceremonies
Exposure to maintaining and refactoring existing applications
Experience with unit testing frameworks (e.g., PHPUnit)
Proficiency in PHP (7.x/8.x) and object-oriented programming
Strong understanding of MVC frameworks and clean code principles
Basic knowledge of cloud hosting and deployments (Azure preferred)
Front-end skills: JavaScript, JQuery, SASS/LESS, with familiarity in build tools (Webpack, Gulp, or Grunt)
Familiarity with modern JS frameworks (React, Vue, Angular, or Svelte)
Exposure to CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and version control (Git)
Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues
Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs)

Nice To Haves

Experience working with ERP, MES, or other enterprise-grade systems
Experience migrating PHP applications from older versions (7.x to 8.x)
Familiarity with caching (Redis, Memcache) and message queues (RabbitMQ or similar) is a plus
Hands-on experience containerizing applications
Familiarity with accessibility/ADA compliance in web apps
Cloud certifications (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
Experience working cross-functionally with non-technical stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical deliverables
Not required to have pets, but highly recommended

Responsibilities

Contributes to the development, enhancement, and maintenance of Whisker’s operations management systems
Collaborates with operations, manufacturing, and shipping teams to understand challenges and support solutions
Translates requirements into incremental deliverables, provide accurate estimates, and participate in Agile ceremonies (planning, stand-ups, reviews, retros)
Writes, tests, and deploys clean, maintainable code across both back-end and front-end systems
Participates in code reviews, offering and receiving constructive feedback
Assists in designing and maintaining database schemas and queries
Develops and supports integrations with third-party systems (e.g., shipping, returns, ERP)
Troubleshoots and resolves system issues with urgency and attention to detail
Creates and maintains technical documentation for system functionality and processes
Writes and maintains unit and integration tests to ensure application reliability
Follows best practices in software development, including coding standards, testing, and Agile methodologies
Stays current with emerging technologies and recommends improvements for systems and processes
Will perform additional responsibilities when required