About

I'm a backend-focused Software Engineer based in Portugal. Most of my time is spent in the JVM ecosystem (Java, Kotlin, Spring Boot, the usual suspects) and a healthy amount of cloud infrastructure on Azure.

I take my engineering seriously, but myself? Not so much.

Experience

Feb 2023 - Present

The short version: I build and fix backends for large-scale systems across different sectors. The long version:

EMSA - European Maritime Safety Agency (Dec 2025 - Present)

Currently neck-deep in a legacy WebLogic estate that's been running maritime safety systems across Europe. The mission is straightforward: migrate everything to modern Spring Boot services without sinking the ship (pun fully intended). Kafka and Solace for messaging, Kubernetes for orchestration, and a lot of patience for the parts that were written before I was in high school.

MaxMat - Retail (Nov 2024 - Dec 2025)

Warehouse and e-commerce backend integrations. Led the DevOps side of things, including CI/CD pipelines in Jenkins and infrastructure as code with Bicep on Azure. Built the deployment automation from scratch because the previous approach was... let's call it "artisanal."

HF GIRO - Public Transport (Feb 2023 - Nov 2024)

Ticketing and transport network systems for Madeira. Scaled the backend to handle peak tourist season loads. The kind of work where if you do it right, nobody notices. If you don't, buses stop accepting payments and your phone rings a lot.

Jul 2022 - Feb 2023

Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML)

Backend development for Lisbon's metropolitan transit system. Java/Spring Boot, payment gateway integrations, ticketing systems. My first taste of what "production at scale" actually means when a few million people depend on it daily.

Optiply - Backend Intern

Mar 2022 - Jun 2022

Built a reactive microservice with Micronaut, PostgreSQL, Project Reactor, gRPC, and Protobuf. My internship project and my first proper deep dive into reactive architectures. Also my first time working abroad (Netherlands), which taught me that not every country runs on coffee as aggressively as Portugal does.

Tech Stack

  • Backend: Java, Kotlin, Spring Boot, Micronaut, RESTful APIs, Microservices, Kafka, Solace
  • Infrastructure: Azure, Bicep (IaC), Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, Jenkins
  • Scripting: Bash, PowerShell, Python (when I need to automate something and Java would be overkill)
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB
  • Frontend: React, Preact... look, I can do it, but let's not pretend it's my passion
  • Languages (the human kind): Portuguese (native), English (fluent)

Education

MSc in Cybersecurity (Paused) at IPBeja, 2022-2023. Got through the first year focusing on security principles and practical implementations. Then life happened and I "paused to explore other interests." So sue me, I'm always a student.

BSc in Computer Science at IPBeja, 2018-2022. Four years of project-based learning in application development and data science. The degree that started it all.

IT Equipment Management Technician at Instituto dos Pupilos do Exército, 2014-2017. Where it actually started, if we're being precise. Professional High-School education with hands-on tech education, culminating in an RFID-based meal management system for my final project. Yes, I peaked early.