Senior PHP Laravel Developer | Remote | Docker/Kubernetes

We're seeking an experienced PHP Laravel Developer to join a leading Latvian food production company specializing in dairy processing, ice cream, pastry, and frozen food products. In this fully remote role, you'll maintain and enhance our business-critical internal management system built on modern web technologies. About The Role: As our PHP Laravel Developer, you'll work with a distributed team to support and enhance our custom enterprise system. This self-descriptive platform powers critical business operations, requiring your expertise to navigate existing codebase efficiently and implement scalable improvements with minimal documentation. Key Responsibilities: - Maintain and develop our Laravel-based enterprise management system for food production operations. - Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues within the existing codebase. - Implement new features and functionalities according to evolving business requirements. - Refactor legacy code to improve performance, maintainability, and scalability. - Collaborate on migration plans from Laravel 5.5/6.0 to newer versions (Laravel 10+). - Optimize database queries and structure to enhance overall system performance. - Configure and maintain Docker deployments with potential Kubernetes scaling implementation. - Participate in code reviews and technical planning sessions with the distributed team. - Write comprehensive unit and integration tests for all new features. - Document code, APIs, and system architecture to improve knowledge transfer across teams. Required Skills: - 3+ years professional experience with PHP 7.x/8.x development in production environments. - Strong proficiency with Laravel framework (version 5.5 or higher), including Eloquent ORM. - Practical experience with Docker containerization, deployment, and orchestration. - Working knowledge of Git version control and collaborative development workflows. - Experience with MySQL or PostgreSQL database design, optimization, and migration. - Familiarity with Ubuntu or other Linux server environments for deployment. - Understanding of RESTful API design principles and implementation best practices. - Experience implementing and maintaining robust authentication/authorization systems. - Ability to work with file uploads, validation, and document processing workflows. - Practical experience with data exports/imports (Excel, CSV) in enterprise applications. - Problem-solving skills for working effectively with limited system documentation. Nice to Have: - Experience with Kubernetes orchestration for application scaling in production. - Knowledge of workflow management systems, state machines, and business process modeling. - Experience with Laravel packages such as Entrust, Laravel Translation Manager, or PHPSpreadsheet. - Familiarity with visualization libraries like GraphViz for workflow and process mapping. - Background in food production, manufacturing systems, or similar regulated industries. - Experience migrating legacy Laravel applications to newer versions while maintaining functionality. - History of working with internationalization and localization in multi-language applications. - DevOps experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and deployment strategies. - Testing expertise using PHPUnit or similar frameworks for comprehensive test coverage. Technology Stack: - PHP 8.1+ (upgrading from current 7.x implementation) - Laravel framework (current 5.5/6.0, planning upgrades to Laravel 10+) - Docker containers with Kubernetes scaling potential for high availability - MySQL database (with planned migration path to PostgreSQL) - Ubuntu Linux servers for application hosting and services - Git version control for collaborative development - Various Laravel packages including: Zizaco/Entrust, Acoustep/EntrustGUI, bkwld/croppa, gargron/fileupload, maatwebsite/excel, phpoffice/phpspreadsheet, venturecraft/revisionable, brexis/laravel-workflow, graphp/graphviz, and barryvdh/laravel-translation-manager Why Join Us: You'll be working with a stable European food producer boasting decades of market presence. Your contributions will directly impact food production efficiency across multiple product lines. We offer competitive compensation packages, fully remote work arrangements, and the opportunity to modernize business-critical systems. This role provides excellent exposure to the complete web application lifecycle while balancing maintenance needs with new development in an environment where your technical decisions matter.