Senior Backend Developer

Looking for a place where your ideas are heard, your code is shipped, and learning never stops? Do you want to learn by building software that powers real-world events — from festivals to film shoots? in 70+ countries?

About us

Rentman is a B2B SaaS scaleup building smart, powerful resource management software for event and production teams. Our users plan everything from small shoots to massive festivals in 70+ countries - and they all rely on Rentman to keep their gear, people, and timing perfectly in sync. Check out our public roadmap to see what’s coming next.

We’re based in Utrecht (NL) with a second office in Toronto (CA), and our team includes 100+ people from 30+ nationalities. We work in English, and our culture is open, inclusive, and flat — built on curiosity, ownership, and the freedom to challenge ideas.

Mission of this role

As a Senior Backend Developer, you’ll help design and build new strategic product areas — such as crew & equipment management and a project management board — while safeguarding long-term quality and scalability. You’ll bring technical depth to a young, enthusiastic team, provide mentorship, and play a key role in raising the maturity of technical decision-making.

What are you going to do?

• Lead the design and implementation of new backend features in PHP and MySQL, ensuring scalability and maintainability.

• Take ownership of new product areas (crew & equipment, project management) from architecture to deployment.

• Contribute to technical refinement, helping the team balance new feature excitement with sustainable practices.

• Mentor junior and mid-level developers, guiding code reviews and supporting their growth.

• Collaborate with frontend engineers, product managers, and architects to align requirements and anticipate trade-offs.

• Help the team transition from a custom PHP framework toward Symfony/Laravel practices.

• Proactively identify risks, surface technical debt, and propose solutions.

Our Stack

Rentman is a modern cloud-based web application relied on daily by our users to administer the movement of equipment and access data on the go.

Back-end

• From a back-end perspective, Rentman consists of our internal API, a public API and a set of microservices. The internal API is quite intense on complex database calculations.

• Modern version of PHP and MySQL, used in our internal API

• Modern versions of Laravel, used by some of the microservices

• Our backend is deployed on AWS

• We work based on "Continuous integration", so our systems can be separately run on different versions
   

Testing Approach

• Automated unit testing on every pull request

• Automated E2E tests with Ghost Inspector, running weekly and on-demand

• Automated mobile app tests with Appium and Webdriverio

• Weekly manual regression testing

• Manual testing on-demand
   

Methodology

We follow Scrum with two-week sprints and weekly releases. Our five self-organising development teams each focus on their own product stream and consist of a product owner and 4 to 6 frontend or backend developers, one of whom has the role of Scrum Master. A dedicated QA team supports testing and manages regression tests and releases. During a weekly 'Tech Alignment' meeting, developers together with the CTO discuss technology, address technical debt and decide on our technical roadmap. A 20% sprint capacity can be allocated to initiatives on the technical roadmap.

Essential attributes to be a successful Backend Developer

• 6+ years of backend development experience, with at least 3 years in a senior role.

• Strong PHP skills (modern versions), with proven experience scaling real-world systems.

• Deep SQL expertise, including database design and performance optimisation.

• Experience leading complex feature development end-to-end.

• Mentorship mindset — able to coach, review, and set technical standards for younger teammates.

• Strong problem-solving ability, balancing long-term quality with fast-paced delivery.

• Collaborative communicator who can bring focus and structure to an enthusiastic team.

Nice-to-have attributes

• Experience with Symfony, Laravel, or other modern PHP frameworks.

• Familiarity with microservices, API design, and AWS.

• Background working in SaaS platforms with real-time collaboration or resource scheduling.

• Exposure to frontend or full-stack development.

What makes this role attractive

• Chance to shape new product areas from the ground up in a global SaaS platform.

• Join a young, motivated team and help raise its technical maturity.

• Scale-up environment that values enthusiasm, ownership, and innovation.

What you'll get

• An ambitious, inclusive, diverse international team

• A “13th month” annual bonus based on company results

• 25 days of paid vacation, plus one extra day off each year up to your 5th anniversary

• A paid 4-week sabbatical after 5 years to go on an adventure

• Flexible WFH policy & work from anywhere for 4 weeks a year

• A shiny Windows, Linux or Mac of your choice

• An Annual training budget to boost your skills

• A pension plan via BrightPensioen

• Access to OpenUp for mental well-being and personal growth

• Sports activities (Rentman football team, squash and padel) and a fitness subscription

• An OV Business card if you live further than 10km away from the office

• A flexible and engaging work environment with free lunches, office perks (PS5, Ping Pong, D&D), legendary karaoke parties, and various team activities

• An amazing office in the heart of Utrecht, Netherlands, at the historical Drift
  

 
Our process

Here's a breakdown of our recruitment process to give you a clear idea of what to expect:

• Call with Recruiter (30 mins), an introduction to Rentman & the process 📞

• Call about past experiences with two team members (45 mins) 👩‍💻🧑🏼‍💻

• Take home assignment (max 120 mins) 📝

• Onsite final - Skills & Culture Fit interview (60 mins) 🏣

If this sounds like the challenge you’re looking for, we’d love to hear from you. Apply via the link.  

Note: Due to high application volume, we encourage all candidates—including those reaching out via LinkedIn—to apply directly. Please submit any questions within the application to maintain a fair process for all!

At Rentman, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that our differences make us stronger and strive to foster a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.