Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Cloud Architect / Solution Architect at Kostal Group 🌟 About Me With over 15 years of experience in software development, primarily in Java (Spring Boot) and more recently in Python, I specialize in designing and implementing robust cloud solutions. Currently, I serve as a Cloud Architect and Solution Architect within the Automation Team at Kostal Group, where I manage and optimize our Azure Cloud Infrastructure. 🌐 Professional Focus At Kostal, I oversee vital components like Kubernetes, and integrate essential tools such as Jenkins, Artifactory, Bitbucket, and Jira to streamline our operations. Our microservice-based applications empower embedded software development teams globally. 🚀 Key Achievements Successfully set up our comprehensive Azure Infrastructure, utilizing tools like Kubernetes, VMs, Storage Accounts, Databases, Open AI, and Azure Search. This setup is completely automated using Terraform, enhancing efficiency and scalability. Implemented Azure OpenAI solutions to provide advanced chat clients, both with and without internal document integration, broadening our communication capabilities. 🔧 Skills Azure Cloud Infrastructure Kubernetes, Jenkins, Bitbucket Java, Spring Boot, Python Infrastructure as Code with Terraform Microservices Development 🎯 Career Goals I am passionate about leveraging cutting-edge cloud technologies to solve complex problems and drive innovation. I continually seek to enhance systems for greater efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring that our teams are supported with the best possible tools and infrastructure. While my experience extends to maintenance and support, my passion lies in architecture roles where I can leverage my skills to design innovative and scalable solutions. I am driven to transform ideas into reality by crafting efficient and effective cloud solutions. Connect with me to discuss cloud architecture and automation solutions.
Driving the digital transformation of our organization by designing and implementing cutting-edge architectures and leveraging the Azure Cloud portfolio to develop scalable, secure, and efficient solutions that align with modern development practices and business needs. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞: • Led enterprise-wide cloud transformation by designing secure, scalable Azure architectures to modernize legacy systems and align with business growth. • Designed and deployed an internal ChatGPT assistant using Azure OpenAI, improving documentation access and boosting productivity across teams. • Architected a microservices-based, self-service portal for project stakeholders to monitor embedded development progress and generate automated reports. • Led the implementation of scalable Kubernetes infrastructure via Infrastructure as Code (IaC), promoting automation, consistency, and rapid environment provisioning. • Defined and applied modular architecture principles using the arc42 methodology, ensuring system flexibility and future readiness. • Served as technical lead for a cross-functional team, guiding architectural decisions, mentoring members, and ensuring sprint delivery success. • Developed AI-powered automation pipelines, reducing manual effort and increasing process efficiency across departments. • Acted as the primary advisor on cloud-related initiatives, aligning development, operations, and security teams under a unified architectural strategy. • Migrating Jenkins pipelines to container-based nodes, seamlessly deploying on Kubernetes. • Developing a custom application to optimize and automate development processes, using Spring Boot, Camunda, and Keycloak for secure and efficient workflow management. This role combines a deep focus on cloud-native architectures with innovative AI-driven solutions to empower teams and drive business outcomes.
• Support and guidance for 7 Scrum Teams • Development of a standard pipeline for all projects using GitLab CI • Ansible Scripts for installing development tools
Development of microservices based on Spring Boot with OpenShift as platform
As a 𝐉𝐚𝐯𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭, I was responsible for driving the design and implementation of modern, scalable software architectures of cutting-edge enterprise applications. My role focused heavily on architecting and implementing microservice-based solutions while working with technologies like Docker, Kubernetes, and Spring Boot, in addition to expanding an eGovernment suite and introducing standardized BPMN workflows for enhanced process management. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: • Architected and led the implementation of a new development platform based on Microservice architecture using Docker and Kubernetes, focusing on scalability, reliability, and ease of maintenance. • Developed and deployed Microservices with Spring Boot to improve application modularity and support scalable, high-performance business logic. • Designed and implemented a REST API extension for the existing eGovernment Suite, enabling seamless integration with external systems and improving system interoperability. • Conducted a project study and evaluation for the introduction of a BPMN standardized workflow engine, aimed at streamlining process management and automating business workflows. • Maintained and enhanced an IBM Lotus Notes-based CMS and DMS system as part of the eGovernment Suite, ensuring ongoing support and continuous improvements to the platform for the public sector. In this role, I focused on both the technical and architectural leadership of projects, ensuring that the software solutions were not only functional but also built with long-term sustainability and growth in mind. My experience in software architecture and microservice design provided the foundation for creating innovative, scalable systems that met the complex demands of the public sector.
As part of a strategic project to modernize public sector services, I was responsible for evaluating and conducting a market study on portal server solutions for a Citizen Service Center. The goal of the project was to identify the most suitable portal platform for improving citizen interaction with local authorities. 𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: • Market Research & Solution Evaluation: Led the evaluation process for potential portal server solutions tailored to the municipal environment, including a detailed comparison of Liferay and IBM Portal Server. • Requirements Gathering: Collaborated with stakeholders (e.g., municipal IT departments, government representatives) to understand the specific needs of the Citizen Service Center and define functional and technical requirements for the portal system. • Vendor Analysis: Conducted a comprehensive analysis of market-leading portal solutions, assessing factors such as scalability, security, ease of integration, and user experience. • Reporting & Recommendations: Compiled findings into a detailed market study and provided strategic recommendations on the most suitable portal server solution based on the needs of the local authorities. • Documentation & Stakeholder Communication: Documented evaluation criteria, analysis results, and presented recommendations to key stakeholders, ensuring alignment with the project’s strategic objectives. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: • Successfully evaluated and compared leading portal server solutions, including Liferay and IBM Portal Server, in a municipal context. • Delivered actionable recommendations that helped steer decision-making for the digital transformation of public services. • Played a key role in ensuring that the solution selected would meet future scalability, security, and usability requirements.
As a Java Developer, I was responsible for maintaining, enhancing, and optimizing a complex Java EE application that involved a Java fat-client, server-side components, and a DB2 database. My main responsibilities included: • 𝐉𝐚𝐯𝐚 𝐄𝐄 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Designing and implementing new features, improving existing functionality, and resolving issues across both the client and server layers. • 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Analyzing and optimizing database queries, server-side logic, and client interactions to enhance the overall application performance. • 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Administering and optimizing the DB2 relational database, including designing data models and fine-tuning SQL queries for performance. • 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: Identifying, diagnosing, and resolving bugs, performance issues, and security vulnerabilities in both the frontend and backend.