PHP Developer

PHP Developer

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.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.

• 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

What You'll Bring

• 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)

Not Required but Nice to Have!

• 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

Benefits & Perks:

Join a tenacious, inventive company that empowers team members to chart their own path, lead by grounding decisions in the "why", and has a strong sense of empathy and openness to new perspectives. Be a part of exciting growth, work with incredible people, and create tomorrow's pet products—plus a whole lot of extras. You will also be provided with:

• Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Whisker Parents Program
• 1 day "pawternity" leave for new pet adoption
• Pet Insurance Discount
• 401K match
• Flexible spending accounts
• Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Generous paid time off
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Top of the line equipment
• Pet-friendly office
• Whisker products and swag
• Continuing education Support
• On-site gym with Peloton
• Referral program

Statement of Inclusivity:

We believe different perspectives make Whisker better and strive to create a place where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.