Staff Software Engineer (PHP)

TL;DR

Staff Software Engineer (PHP): Designing and building a next-generation greenfield permissions service to securely control access across the platform with an accent on AuthN/AuthZ patterns and identity management at scale. Focus on creating a policy evaluation engine, defining API contracts for scoped authorization, and driving organization-wide token strategies.

Location: Remote (Must be based in the state of Utah)

Company

A people intelligence platform that transforms HR and enables employees to do great work.

What you will do

• Architect and deliver a new permission service from initial design to production, including the data model and policy engine.
• Define organization-wide AuthN/AuthZ standards, authentication flows, and scoped authorization patterns.
• Design the API contract for the permission service and drive token strategy (JWT issuance, rotation, and revocation).
• Partner with product, platform, security, and compliance teams to implement zero-trust and least-privilege requirements.
• Set the technical bar for the team by mentoring engineers, leading RFCs, and performing architectural reviews.

Requirements

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 3 years at Staff or Principal level.
• Deep expertise in identity protocols (OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML) and authorization models (RBAC, ABAC, ReBAC).
• Proven experience designing and building scalable AuthN/AuthZ systems from the ground up.
• Strong backend fundamentals with comfort working in a PHP monolith using modern architectural patterns.
• Ability to drive org-wide architectural decisions through RFCs and consensus building.
• Employment is contingent on passing both a background and credit check.

Nice to have

• Experience building Zanzibar-style or OPA-based authorization frameworks.
• Familiarity with Okta, Auth0, or similar identity platforms.
• Background in multi-tenant SaaS focusing on tenant isolation and role inheritance.
• Experience with secrets management and zero-trust architecture principles.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance.
• Generous leave policy including 4 weeks of vacation and 12 company holidays.
• 401k plans with up to 6% company match.
• $2000 Paid-Paid Vacation bonus.
• Mental health support through Headspace (EAP).