PHP Backend Engineer (m/f/d)

At Smoobu, we are building more than just software. We empower everyday people to become successful entrepreneurs by helping them manage their vacation rentals simply and efficiently. Our platform supports over 100,000 properties in 120+ countries, enabling hosts to grow their businesses confidently and efficiently.
That kind of impact doesn’t come from playing it safe; it comes from people who take ownership, act purposefully, and work together to make things happen.

• Enable scalable architecture by driving the transition from monolith to well-bounded internal services that support autonomous delivery.
• Reduce complexity for product teams by abstracting infrastructure and platform concerns into clean, reusable backend services.
• Raise system resilience and reliability through sound service design, fault isolation, and observability-first engineering.
• Accelerate delivery velocity across teams by delivering platform capabilities that remove duplication and streamline workflows.
• Shape platform architecture direction by applying system-level thinking, service boundary definition, and DDD-informed design.
• Design, implement, and maintain internal services that act as building blocks for the wider organisation.
• Refactor legacy systems into modular components, reducing coupling and exposing well-documented APIs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product teams to ensure services are scalable, operable, and secure.
• Establish and enforce technical standards around service communication, data contracts, versioning, and monitoring.
• Continuously improve platform quality by identifying friction points and leading engineering efforts to resolve them.

• Have solid relevant experience in Backend engineering
• Demonstrate expertise in our technical stack 
  • Recent PHP & Symfony versions
  • Relational databases (MySQL)
• Understand the concepts of:
  • Decomposing monolithic architectures
  • Clean Coding
  • Test-Driven Development
  • SOLID principles
  • Docker
• Have good communication skills and the ability to work efficiently in a distributed team
• Are fluent in English

• Flexibility – We work remotely for up to 50% of the year, including up to 63 working days abroad.
• Time to Recharge – 27 vacation days, plus one extra day for each year of tenure (up to 32). Celebrate your 5th anniversary with five additional paid days off and a €500 HomeToGo booking credit.
• Learning & Growth – Mentorship program, German classes, professional development opportunities, and clear pathways for growth based on your performance.
• Wellbeing & Fun – Team events, a dog-friendly office, social clubs, new joiner buddy lunches, mental health support, and a Wellhub (Gympass) contribution.
• Perks & Discounts – Enjoy corporate discounts and exclusive offers through FutureBens and Corporate Benefits.
• Sustainability Commitment – We partner with Plan A to reduce our environmental impact through measurable climate action.
• Diversity – Our company language is English, and our team represents over 28 nationalities.

• 30-minute call with a recruiter
• 45-60-minute call with your future manager
• 45-60-minute technical assessment with a peer or stakeholder (this step may include a discussion of a take-home assignment)
• 30-minute call with your future team members
• Reference check & Offer

Smoobu (www.smoobu.com), a subsidiary of HomeToGo Group, is a fast-growing startup in the vacation rental industry. Smoobu’s SaaS solution currently empowers private hosts to manage over 100,000 properties across more than 110 countries. Smoobu runs as an independent enterprise within the HomeToGo Group, ensuring its startup spirit and growth potential remain at the forefront. Our top priority is to assist hosts in efficiently managing and growing their businesses simultaneously.

Smoobu’s success is attributed to our dynamic, ambitious, and international team, dedicated to exceeding our customers’ expectations through expert advice and action. We celebrate diversity and operate in a truly global environment, embracing the challenges and opportunities that come with it. Join us on this exciting journey to transform the vacation rental industry!