The PHP Foundation opened its 2027 contractor call on September 30, 2026. Applications are due by the end of October 20, 2026, in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time. The form is available at https://forms.gle/91aUZ5YLqnezsViJ9.

The contracts concern PHP’s core language, which is written in C. Applicants need experience with C and systems programming. Useful background includes commits or pull requests to php/php-src and experience writing PHP extensions. Open Source Collective acts as the fiscal host, so applicants must be legally able to receive funds from a US-based entity and provide personal information required for compliance in their country of residence.

The foundation is seeking help with security work and issue triage. It also wants support for under-resourced core areas and cooperation across the PHP ecosystem. Applicants may propose their own projects and should explain in detail how the work would improve PHP’s development experience, sustainability, or quality. Applying does not guarantee that the foundation will hire new contractors.

The current program covers the PHP core language. It has no capacity for work on documentation or userland PHP packages. Contractors receive flexibility and autonomy, while the role requires discipline and professionalism. Most of the work involves open-source maintenance, including handling issues and reviewing community pull requests. RFC development and new features make up a smaller part of the job.

The team works fully remotely. Contractors can work from any location and at any time, subject to the exclusion of sanctioned territories. Communication takes place asynchronously through Slack and GitHub. The team holds one synchronous meeting each month and occasional check-ins with the Executive Director. Contractors must follow the foundation’s mission and code of conduct, including in public spaces where their affiliation is known. Questions can be sent to contact@thephp.foundation.