DigitalBuff

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EXPERIENCE YOU CAN RELY ON

I have led the development of two streaming data platforms and have extensively contributed as a developer to two other cloud-based streaming data platforms.

I am the Swiss Army Knife of your project.
Reliable. Versatile. Effective.

Development

The intersection between data engineering and front-end development is my sweet spot. I've built and designed real-time data pipelines and user interfaces for cloud-based streaming data platforms.

My toolbox of languages, frameworks, and open source products is quite extensive. The list below gives you a glimpse.

• Frontend: Typescript & Angular
• Data Engineering: JVM-based languages (primarily Scala), Kafka, Docker, DC/OS (Kubernetes alternative), Calico (network security), MQTT, Keycloak (Identity & Access Management solution)
• Cloud: AWS, Azure

Leading Projects

I can lead a small, focused project team. Why small and focused? Because I think it's important to still contribute code when you're technically leading a project. It's this boots on the ground approach which keeps me technically up-to-date and involved.

Coaching

I can coach junior developers into quality contributors. Active coaching improves the productivity, raises the quality, and speeds up the path from junior to senior developer. It's what helps to scale your business.

Open source

Co-founder

Back in 2011, I co-founded the GradleFx open source project, as an intuitive Gradle-based solution for building Adobe Flex projects. This is where I applied my love for developer productivity. It provided Flex developers with a low-configuration, but highly flexible, build tool.
Running the project required setting up and maintaining project tools, versioned user documentation, implementing new features, managing project releases, and managing community contributions.

Contributor

I've contributed code to multiple open source projects. This is a sample of these contributions.

Supporter

I'm actively sponsoring the VerneMQ and Play Framework open source projects, because I believe we should invest in open source to make sure that these critical projects remain supported.

This is what I value.

I love fully integrating with teams

There's only one way to contribute effectively, and that's by fully integrating into a team and learning its technology stack and business. It provides insights that are invaluable to design/architect new systems and coach team members effectively.

Remote First

I have experienced projects running perfectly in a remote first setting. I know it works, that it provides a better work/life balance (no commute), and that my office is generally better equipped for my needs. Also, online tooling has improved immensely to a point where collaborating online is as efficient as being in the same location. Therefore, I prefer remote first projects. It's all about clear written communication and not being afraid to set up a video call when necessary. For this, a timezone overlap is required of several hours (I'm located in Belgium, West-Europe).
However, I understand that a meaningful gathering of team members can occasionally be a great addition, certainly during the initial phase of the project.

Initiative, responsibility and a no-nonsense environment

I highly value a no-nonsense environment where initiative is encouraged, and where all team members take responsibility for their tasks and the project. Where there's a continuous drive to improve. Processes shouldn't burden development, but empower it.
A development culture with a pragmatic but quality-driven approach to software-development.

Research and Development (R&D)

I think an R&D way-of-working is important to stay ahead of the competition. To nurture a culture of exploring new technologies and weighing its pros and cons against the current industry standard. So that a healthy mix of rock-solid (but older) technology and innovative new technologies can be combined into state-of-the-art software solutions.

The best tools for the job

I work freelance. I have hand-selected and configured my development hardware and software, based on years of experience, so that I can work efficiently. I continuously invest in this setup, so I value using this for all the work I do. Your software can be complementary to my setup, so that combined they provide the best tools for the job.

Do you want guaranteed results?
I have a track record of multi-year project engagements, thanks to consistently delivering quality and value to clients.

Ready to talk?

Do you have an interesting opportunity and are directly involved with the project (no professional recruiter)? Then pitch me your project and I'll get in touch with you!