Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Laurens is a passionate Java Software Developer with extensive hands-on experience in financial services. He is dedicated to keeping his skills up to date and holds two Oracle Certified Professional certifications in Java (Java 8 and Java 17), as well as being a VMware Spring Certified Professional. In addition, Laurens has earned the Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate certification. Beyond his technical expertise, he enjoys writing articles, conducting workshops on Spring, and regularly delivering tech talks.
As a DevOps Java Engineer at TKP Pensioen, I work on backend microservices that support TKP's document generation and distribution platform. Day-to-day I work across the full backend stack: designing and evolving OpenAPI contracts, implementing domain logic and adapters that integrate with internal services. A selection of the stack I work with includes: Java 21+, PostgreSQL, Spring Boot 3+, Kafka, Hibernate, JPA, LiquiBase, OpenAPI, GitLab, Docker, Kubernetes, Splunk, ELK Stack, SonarQube, JUnit 5, Mockito, Maven, Git and Claude Code.
As a Senior Java Consultant in the JTech division of Sopra Steria, I am assigned to various companies, providing advanced Java development expertise and back-end solutions. Alongside my consulting work, I conduct internal workshops on Java and Spring, helping to elevate technical skills across the organization. As our team expands, I play a key role in the recruitment process by conducting technical interviews with candidates. I also actively share knowledge within Sopra Steria through Tech Talks and by writing articles focused on Java, Spring, and functional programming. My efforts emphasize best practices and encourage the use of functional programming techniques in Java, fostering the development of scalable, maintainable, and high-quality software.
At CJIB, part of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, I am part of a Sopra Steria High Performance Team as a lead software developer. With this team, we are building several new applications, including a component for the Vorderingen Overzicht Rijk project (see vorijk.nl). My role within the team involves guiding other developers, designing the software architecture and technical implementation, as well as hands-on coding of the more complex solutions we deliver. Since we are developing new applications, our assignment also partially involves exploring and pioneering technologies (e.g., GraphQL) and architectural patterns (e.g., Hexagonal) that are not yet commonly used at CJIB. In addition to my primary assignment, I actively share knowledge within CJIB's tech community by leading workshops on Spring, Java, and unit testing. I also give Tech Talks on Functional Programming and OpenAPI. Furthermore, I serve as the lead for GraphQL at CJIB, where I help with the technical and architectural setup of GraphQL within the organization and support other teams in adopting and integrating it effectively. A selection of the stack I work with includes: Java 23, PostgreSQL, GraphQL, Netflix DGS, Spring Boot 3, JMS, Hibernate, JPA, Flyway, OpenAPI, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, Splunk, ELK Stack, SonarQube, JUnit 5, Mockito, Maven, Git and Antora.
At Rabobank, I worked as a Java Developer within a Sopra Steria High Performance DevOps Team. Together, we were responsible for building several new applications as part of the Proactive Servicing initiative. One of the key deliverables in this project was the development of the Rabo Mortgage Check, which is integrated into both the Rabobank app and website. The stack I worked with included: Java 11/17, PostgreSQL, GraphQL, Spring Boot 2/3, Hibernate, JPA, Flyway, Camunda, Azure DevOps, Docker, Cloud Foundry, Kafka, Axual, Splunk, SignalFx, SonarQube, NexusIQ, JUnit 5, Mockito, Maven, and Git.
As a Java Developer at OVM | Group, I was responsible for developing web applications for the company's various auction platforms and associated administration systems. A selection of the stack I worked with daily at OVM includes: Java 11, Spring Framework 5, Hibernate, JPA, JDBC, MySQL, Liquibase, JUnit 5, Mockito, Git, GitLab, Gradle, Docker, OpenAPI, React, Android, Python, the ELK stack, and Bamboo.