10/21/2026 updated

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Hands-on Senior Engineer & Architect | Go, Python, Java | AWS, Kubernetes | AI/LLM

Cesar, Portugal
Worldwide
MSc & BSc Computer Science, University of Coimbra
Cesar, Portugal
Worldwide
MSc & BSc Computer Science, University of Coimbra

Profile attachments

cv_armando_rodrigues_tech.pdf

About me

Hands-on engineer, 13+ years shipping production systems: ESA on-board software, a 100M-customer e-commerce platform, AI health products. I write Go, Python and Java, run microservices on AWS/Kubernetes and take LLM features from POC to production. Former CTO, but I work in the code.

RAGJava (Programming Language)Amazon Web ServicesMicrosoft AzureDevOpsPython (Programming Language)PostgreSQLAnsibleEvent-driven ArchitectureReact.jsLarge Language ModelsSpring BootBackendKubernetesApache KafkaGraphQLApi DesignTerraformDockerGolangMicroservices
Hands-on backend, cloud and AI engineer with 13+ years building and running production systems.

CORE STACK
  • Languages: Go, Python, Java, Scala, JavaScript / Node.js, SQL, Ruby, C, Bash
  • Backend: Spring Boot, Spring, Hibernate, FastAPI, Flask, Play Framework, Node.js, Ruby on Rails, REST, GraphQL, API design, microservices, event-driven architecture
  • AI / LLM: LLM integration, RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), conversational assistants, personalised insights and recommendation systems, AI image recognition, voice AI, generative UI, AI-assisted development workflows
  • Data & messaging: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle, DynamoDB, Kafka, RabbitMQ, ZooKeeper, data lakes, ETL
  • Cloud & DevOps: AWS, GCP, Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Helm, ArgoCD, Flux CD, service mesh, Jenkins, Travis CI, Ansible, Chef, NGINX, Git
  • Observability: Grafana, Kibana, Splunk, AppDynamics
  • Frontend: React, Angular, AngularJS
  • Quality: automated testing (Cucumber, Selenium), code review, safety-critical verification and validation
  • Workflow / BPM: jBPM, Activiti, BonitaSoft, BPMN

WHAT I HAVE BUILT
  • AI in production: health-data insights and recommendations, a RAG-based conversational assistant and an AI food scanner (Erakulis); a voice-first AI app with generative UI and RAG (rumi.coach, my own product)
  • Backend services in Go and Python, including real-time analysis of data from most major wearables
  • Cloud platforms: migrated and ran 20+ microservices on AWS with Kubernetes, Terraform and Helm
  • Migrations: Oracle to PostgreSQL and microservices on GCP (Causeway); legacy e-commerce platform replaced and migrated live with zero downtime and no data loss for YOOX NET-A-PORTER (100M customers)
  • Scale: product scaled to millions of users (JoinedUp); Burger King's global ordering and delivery app with payment and POS integrations across countries (Tillster)
  • Regulated data: secure handling of sensitive genomic data and integration with healthcare systems (CBR Genomics)
  • Safety-critical: verification and validation of on-board software for ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

Experience

Professional experience10+ years
Freelancer since2022

Languages

EnglishFluentPortugueseNative speaker

Project history

Freelance Principal Engineer – AI/LLM, Backend & Cloud

Self-employed · Freelance, remote
  • Build and ship AI-powered features for client products, from identifying the right use case to production.
  • Scale systems, fix performance problems and stabilise architectures for clients.
Technologies: Go, Python, React, LLMs.

Founder & Engineer – Voice-first AI Product (Go, Python, LLMs, RAG)

rumi.coach (Rumi Labs) · Own product, remote
  • Founded and am building rumi.coach, my own product: a voice-first AI app for personal development.
  • Designed the product and its architecture, and write the code: backend in Go and Python, frontend in React.
  • Uses generative UI and RAG to adapt the experience to each user.
Technologies: Go, Python, React, LLMs, RAG, voice AI, generative UI.

CTO (hands-on) – Backend, AI/LLM & Cloud (Go, Python, AWS)

Erakulis (health & wellbeing platform)
  • Architected and wrote the critical backend services in Go and Python; code reviews and technical decisions with the team.
  • Built the product's AI features: a system that analyses each user's health data to generate personalised insights and recommendations, a RAG-based conversational assistant (LLM) that answers user questions, and an AI food scanner.
  • Integrated with most major wearables on the market and built real-time analysis of their data, feeding the insights users received.
  • Migrated and ran 20+ microservices on AWS with Kubernetes, Terraform and Helm.
  • Introduced AI-assisted development across the engineering workflow: 3–4x team output with the same testing and review standards.
  • Built the 20+ person product and engineering team from zero to launch.
Technologies: Go, Python, React, Kafka, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, Helm, LLMs, RAG.

Freelance Technical Consultant – Architecture, Performance & Scalability

Freelance (remote) · US-based clients
  • Remote engagements for US-based companies, working across time zones.
  • Improved software architecture for performance, stability and scalability.
  • Streamlined development workflows to speed up delivery and cut technical debt.
  • Guided client engineering teams and aligned engineering, product and business stakeholders.
Technologies: AWS, Kubernetes, Python, Java, Go.

CTO / Founding Engineer – Full-stack & Cloud (Java, Node.js, React, AWS)

CBR Genomics (personalised medicine, genomics)
  • Built the company's platform end-to-end with one other developer: architecture, backend, frontend and infrastructure.
  • Wrote microservices in Java/Spring Boot and Node.js with a React frontend.
  • Designed secure handling of sensitive genomic data and integrated the platform with complex healthcare systems.
  • Ran 20+ services on AWS with infrastructure as code (Terraform), Helm charts and ArgoCD; service mesh and data lake.
Technologies: Java, Spring Boot, Node.js, JavaScript, React, MySQL, PostgreSQL, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, Helm, ArgoCD, service mesh, data lake, Git.

Director of Engineering – Architecture & Delivery (Java, Node.js, React, AWS/Azure)

Devoteam (consulting)
  • Designed the architecture for multiple enterprise projects, focused on performance and scalability, and stayed active in development.
  • Set engineering standards and best practices across Java/Spring Boot, Node.js, React, AWS, Azure and Kubernetes projects.
  • Grew the engineering department from 45 to 60+ engineers and promoted 5 engineers to tech lead.
Technologies: AWS, Azure, microservices, Java, Spring Boot, React, Node.js, JavaScript, Python, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Terraform, Flux CD, Git.

Head of Engineering – Architecture & Delivery (Java, Spring Boot, Node.js, React, AWS)

Devoteam (consulting: fintech, retail, insurance)
  • Owned architecture and end-to-end delivery for enterprise clients including Lidl, BBVA, BNP Paribas and TMG Group, running multiple projects in parallel.
  • Designed and optimised architectures for performance and scalability; guided client teams in implementing new systems and optimising existing ones.
  • Stayed hands-on in development and set software processes and best practices for each stack.
  • Grew the engineering team from 20 to 45 developers in one year.
Technologies: AWS, microservices, Java, Spring Boot, React, Node.js, JavaScript, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Terraform, Flux CD, Git.

Tech Lead – Backend & Scaling (Java, Play Framework, PostgreSQL, AWS)

JoinedUp (London startup) – via Mindera
  • Assembled and led a team of 5 engineers during JoinedUp's scaling phase, helping scale the product to support millions of users.
  • Improved and customised the product for new clients, working hands-on across backend and frontend.
Technologies: Java, Play Framework, PostgreSQL, JavaScript, React, AWS, Travis CI, Docker, Kubernetes, Git.

Tech Lead – E-commerce Platform Rebuild & Zero-downtime Migration (Java, Scala, Node.js, AWS)

YOOX NET-A-PORTER – via Mindera
  • Led the team that built a new e-commerce platform to replace a failing legacy application with performance issues.
  • Migrated it live with zero downtime and no data loss, for a business serving 100 million customers.
  • Better performance and scalability on the new platform improved the customer experience.
Technologies: AWS, microservices, Java, Scala, Node.js, MySQL, Oracle, JSP, Apache, Tomcat, NGINX, Splunk, Grafana, AppDynamics, Git.

Backend / Data Engineer – Oracle to PostgreSQL Migration & Microservices on GCP

Causeway (remote) – via Mindera
  • Owned the migration of the Tradex platform's database from Oracle to PostgreSQL.
  • Re-implemented the legacy product as microservices on GCP (Java, Spring Boot).
  • Cut operating costs and improved performance; the savings were reinvested in product improvements.
Technologies: Java, Spring Boot, Oracle, PostgreSQL, GCP, microservices, Bash scripting, Git.

Tech Lead – Global Ordering & Delivery App (Java, Spring Boot, AWS)

Tillster (client: Burger King) – via Mindera
  • Led a team of 6 engineers on Burger King's global ordering and delivery app, supporting full customisation of any item in an order.
  • Integrated different payment methods and POS systems across countries, coordinating with teams in multiple countries.
Technologies: Java, Hibernate, Spring Framework, Spring Boot, MySQL, AWS, AWS Lambda, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, NGINX, Ruby, Chef, Ansible, Git, Kibana, Grafana.

Software Engineer – Backend (Java, Scala, Play Framework, MongoDB)

Altice Labs (formerly PT Inovação)
  • Led design and development of the Inventory and Project modules of Netwin, a network-planning platform used by telecom operators MEO (Portugal) and Oi (Brazil).
  • Built a framework that decoupled workflow from the application, letting each tenant run a different workflow engine (jBPM, Activiti, BonitaSoft) and simplifying maintenance and customisation.
  • Co-built a backend-configurable platform: the frontend was rendered from backend configuration, so new client requirements shipped without frontend changes.
Technologies: Java, Scala, MongoDB, Oracle, Play Framework, AngularJS, REST, ZooKeeper, NGINX, JBoss, Jetty, jBPM, Activiti, BonitaSoft, SVN, Ansible, Jenkins.

Software Engineer – Safety-critical Software Verification & Validation (C, Java)

Critical Software (client: European Space Agency)
  • Verified and validated on-board software for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), an ESA mission to detect biologically relevant gases such as methane in the Martian atmosphere.
  • Worked under strict safety-critical standards: verification, traceability and rigorous testing.
Technologies: C, Java.

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