07/03/2026 updated
100 % available
Senior Software Engineer | Java, Spring Boot, Microservices & Cloud
Sofia, Bulgaria
Only remote
Software Engineering with Java & JavaScript (2017-2020), Software University, Sofia, BulgariaAbout me
Backend engineer, 8+ years building scalable systems for trading, banking, media and e-commerce (KBC, Financial Times, Cargill, IBM). Java/Spring on AWS and Kubernetes, event-driven with Kafka and Pulsar. Strong on clean delivery, testing, CI/CD, mentoring and detail. Open to new opportunities.
Java (Programming Language)Spring SecurityMemcachedSoftware EngineeringSystems IntegrationDatadogBackendSpring DataBackend ProgrammingKubernetesApache KafkaAWS EKSJenkinsMicroservices
Java & Spring Boot Microservice Architecture
Extensive expertise in designing and delivering high-performance backend systems using Java (versions 8 to 21) and the Spring Boot ecosystem, including Spring Data, Spring Security, and Hibernate. Specialisation in microservice architectures deployed on AWS and Kubernetes, with a strong track record of building scalable, cloud-native solutions.
Cloud Infrastructure & Kubernetes Orchestration
Deep hands-on experience with AWS services including IAM, EKS, DynamoDB, ElastiCache, EC2, S3, and Route 53, as well as Red Hat OpenShift. Proficient in configuring and managing Kubernetes clusters for zero-downtime deployments, autoscaling, and post-incident remediation.
Event-Driven Systems & Messaging
Proven ability to design and implement event-driven integrations using Apache Kafka, Apache Pulsar, and RabbitMQ. Delivered real-time content syndication, WebSocket feed data layers, and high-volume token validation pipelines across fintech, media, and e-commerce platforms.
CI/CD Pipelines
Solid experience establishing and maintaining robust CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, CircleCI, Drone, Vela, and GitHub Actions, enabling faster release cycles and improved deployment reliability.
Observability & Monitoring
Proficiency in setting up comprehensive monitoring dashboards and alerting using Kibana, Grafana, Datadog, Prometheus, Splunk, and Heimdall to proactively identify and resolve production anomalies.
SQL & NoSQL Databases
Broad experience with relational and non-relational databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, MSSQL, Elasticsearch, DynamoDB, Redis, and Memcached, covering complex deployment and multi-database environments.
TDD & Testing Frameworks
Strong focus on test-driven development with extensive use of JUnit and Mockito for unit and integration testing, maintaining high test coverage standards (above 80%) to reduce regression bugs in production.
Containerisation with Docker
Hands-on experience containerising microservices using Docker, combined with Kubernetes orchestration for scalable and reliable production deployments across multiple cloud environments.
AI-Assisted Development
Active integration of AI-assisted development tools including GitHub Copilot (IntelliJ IDEA) in Ask, Agent and Plan modes, as well as Claude, GPT, Gemini, and Grok, into daily workflows to accelerate delivery and improve code quality.
Database Migrations
Experience managing database schema migrations using Flyway and Liquibase within microservice deployment pipelines, ensuring consistent and reliable schema evolution across environments.
Agile & Scrum Delivery
Active participation in Scrum ceremonies including sprint planning, retrospectives, and refinement, contributing to improved team estimation accuracy and collaborative delivery across distributed teams.
Experience
Professional experience5 - 10 years
Freelancer since2023
Languages
BulgarianNative speakerEnglishFluent
Project history
Built and maintained backend services for KBC's Bolero trading platform targeting Belgium and German markets, used by retail investors for real-time stock and ETF trading. Designed and delivered Elasticsearch-based data layer for WebSocket feeds, led architecture review sessions, onboarded and mentored engineers, implemented Kibana monitoring dashboards, and adopted AI-assisted development methodology using Claude. Stack: Java 11/17/21, Spring Boot, Elasticsearch, Postgres, Kafka, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Jenkins, Docker, Flyway, AWS, Memcached.
Core team member on the identity and access management workstream for FT's new cloud-native news distribution platform, serving millions of readers globally. Built critical IAM microservices handling user authentication and subscription access, configured Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS, developed Prometheus/Grafana alerting, and delivered event-driven integrations using Kafka. Stack: Java 8/11/17, Spring Boot, Kafka, DynamoDB, Redis, Kubernetes, CircleCI, Jenkins, Prometheus, Grafana, AWS, Heimdall.
Contributed to a highly scalable B2B e-commerce platform managing agricultural commodity clients and their complex product catalogues, built on AWS microservices. Developed backend services for product catalogue management, implemented Kubernetes-based deployment pipelines using Drone/Vela, built monitoring dashboards in Grafana, and collaborated with external stakeholders to deliver data-driven analytics features. Stack: Java 8/11, Spring Boot, Spring Data, Hibernate, Postgres, DynamoDB, Apache Pulsar, Redis, Grafana, Kubernetes, Drone, Vela, Flyway, AWS.