Ricardo Vieira

Ricardo Vieira

Tech Lead, Senior Software Engineer & Engineering Leadership
"Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence" — Hal Borland
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Professional Profile

  • Technical depth meets leadership breadth: Equally comfortable architecting distributed systems, writing production code, and leading cross-functional teams through complex technical initiatives.
  • Proven scaling expertise: Successfully grew engineering teams from 2 to 20+ while maintaining code quality, team velocity, and zero-downtime production deployments across multiple high-stakes environments.
  • Pragmatic problem solver: Balance cutting-edge technology adoption with maintainable, well-tested solutions—prioritizing business impact over technical complexity.
  • Effective communicator and mentor: Bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders seamlessly while fostering psychological safety and continuous learning within engineering teams.

Professional Summary

Senior Software Engineer and Tech Lead with 13+ years of experience architecting and delivering scalable backend systems, cloud-native solutions, microservices architectures, and full-stack applications across diverse industries including food delivery, healthcare, fintech, and enterprise software.
Specialized in designing high-performance, mission-critical platforms while scaling engineering teams, modernizing legacy architectures, and delivering high-reliability integrations at scale.

Proven track record driving zero-downtime deployments, complex data migrations (including Apache Hop ETL), and 10× team growth while maintaining clean, performant codebases using Python, Node.js, Docker, React, Kubernetes, and modern architecture principles.

As Tech Lead, work closely with product and stakeholders to translate requirements into technical roadmaps, manage sprint planning and team priorities, and mentor engineers through code reviews and 1-on-1s. Focus on building collaborative teams where people can do their best work while delivering reliable solutions on schedule.

Skills

Languages & Frameworks

  • Python
  • Node.js
  • Typescript
  • Java
  • Kotlin
  • React
  • Angular
  • Flutter (Dart)

Databases & Messaging

  • MySQL / SQL
  • Redis
  • BullMQ
  • RabbitMQ
  • MongoDB

DevOps, ETL & Infrastructure

  • Docker
  • Git
  • CI/CD Pipelines
  • Apache Hop (ETL / Orchestration; evolved from Pentaho Data Integration)
  • AWS (SiteWise)
  • Kubernetes
  • Azure

Architecture & Best Practices

  • Clean Architecture, SOLID Principles, PEP20
  • Modular Monoliths
  • Microservices Patterns
  • REST APIs
  • Data Migration & ETL
  • Performance Optimization
  • Refactoring Large Codebases

Leadership & Tools

  • Team Scaling & Mentoring
  • Technical Roadmapping
  • Project / Product Management
  • Jira / Confluence
  • Agile Delivery
  • Stakeholder Alignment
  • Business Analysis

Professional Experience

Tech Lead

TheTakenSeat – GetDukan / Cari
January 2022 – January 2026
Kuwait (GetDukan) | Kuwait, KSA, UAE (Cari)

Led complete platform transformation and 10× team scaling for dual-brand on-demand delivery ecosystem competing against regional giants in Middle East markets.

  • Architected and executed full refactor of acquired white-label delivery platform into dual-brand modular monoliths (Dukan: mass-market Kuwait focus; Cari: premium multi-market targeting affluent users), delivering scalable, fault-tolerant infrastructure that supported rapid growth in competitive food/grocery delivery markets.
  • Directed massive legacy-to-2.0 database migration using Apache Hop for heavy ETL/orchestration — handling complex extraction, transformation, validation, loading, and schema evolution of high-volume transactional data with zero loss or downtime during cutover.
  • Revolutionized deployment ecosystem to achieve sub-60-second releases and true zero-downtime via blue-green strategies and automated CI/CD pipelines — boosting iteration speed, platform uptime, and competitive edge against leaders like Talabat and Deliveroo.
  • Scaled engineering team from 2 (CTO + self) to 20 carefully recruited and mentored engineers, fostering ownership, technical excellence, and high-velocity delivery that captured outsized market share despite significantly smaller resources.
  • Owned end-to-end technical and product direction across full stack (Node.js/Express backend, MySQL/RabbitMQ/Redis messaging, React frontend, native Android/iOS in Kotlin/Swift, Python tooling), while leading roadmap, business analysis, and governance in Jira/Confluence.
  • Orchestrated seamless transition during Cari's acquisition by competitor in January 2026, ensuring knowledge transfer and continuity.

Backend Software Engineer

Kelvin Inc
October 2018 – December 2021
Braga, Portugal

Modernized industrial IoT data infrastructure for Fortune 500 energy clients, delivering mission-critical reliability in extreme environments.

  • Modernized mission-critical data infrastructure for major oil & gas clients (Anadarko, BP, Shell, Halliburton): upgraded Kelvin Databridge to v2.0 for robust multi-target replication and refactored DSInterface Angular frontend to enable seamless on-device ML model creation/execution by data scientists.
  • Designed and led Kelvin SDK development — Python CLI + Docker containerization toolkit that streamlined workflows, accelerated application deployment, and enhanced developer productivity in industrial IoT environments.
  • Delivered AWS SiteWise integration, improving real-time data ingestion, observability, and compliance for edge/field operations in harsh, resource-constrained settings.
  • Prioritized reliability, performance tuning, and maintainable code in Python/Angular/Docker/Git ecosystem for zero-tolerance, high-stakes industrial applications.

Flutter Developer

Private Medical Group
October 2021 – December 2021
Braga, Portugal

Built patient-facing mobile healthcare application prioritizing intuitive UX for pediatric care workflows.

  • Developed Pueri, an intuitive pediatric patient assistance mobile application using Flutter/Dart, delivering fast, simple, and user-centric experience that enhanced accessibility and satisfaction in sensitive healthcare contexts. Published on Google Play Store with positive reception from medical staff and parents.

Mobile Developer / Consultant / Project Roles

Xpand-IT (Clients: TAP Airlines, Altran, Commerz Finanz, BNP Paribas/Cetelem)
March 2015 – September 2018
Portugal (Multiple Locations)

Delivered specialized mobile solutions and expert consulting across aviation and fintech sectors for major European enterprise clients.

  • Led end-to-end Android development and delivery for aviation/fintech sectors: gathered requirements, designed architecture, and implemented specialized features (e.g., Firebase ML Kit barcode scanning for airport machinery tracking, digital signature/document scanning for credit contracts).
  • Refactored high-traffic components (multimedia plugins, backend queries, content access) across banking and airline apps, achieving significant performance improvements and maintainability gains.
  • Provided expert consulting: analyzed medical/banking systems, crafted refactoring roadmaps, and delivered on-site guidance on mobile architectures and techniques to ensure scalable, production-ready solutions.

Software Engineer

Eufinity Solutions
February 2013 – February 2015
Braga, Portugal

Developed retail mobile applications and managed critical ETL infrastructure supporting multinational operations across Europe and Africa.

  • Designed, developed, and managed retail-oriented Android applications (e.g., Aldo Store Find deployed across Portugal), ensuring reliable functionality for nationwide store networks.
  • Maintained SQL Server/MySQL databases for integrity and 99.9% uptime; engineered ETL pipelines to enable robust, bidirectional data exchange between systems and global partners.
  • Served as client-facing support interface for multi-continental customers (primarily Europe and Francophone Africa), resolving issues and bridging technical/business needs.

Education

MSc Informatics Engineering

University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
2012 – 2014
Focus: Mobile Computing, Ubiquitous Programming, Requirements Engineering.

BSc Computer Science

University of Minho, Braga, Portugal 2008 – 2012
Focus on software engineering through strong mathematical foundations, algorithm design, and core computing concepts.

High School – Science and Technology

Vila Verde High School, Portugal | 2005 – 2008
Emphasis on Tech, Mathematics & Physics.

Personal Projects & Open Source

ShiningImagination

Specialized company focused on delivering custom software solutions, technical consulting, and enterprise-grade development services.
Visit Website

Pueri Pueri

Pediatric healthcare mobile application built with Flutter/Dart for intuitive patient assistance and care workflows.
View on Play Store

GitHub FloatingMenu

Highly rated Android floating menu library (Top 5 featured, June 2017).
View on GitHub

GitHub CircularView

Google Fit-style circular progress/animation view.
View on GitHub

GitHub Morphos

Lightweight animation wrapper for fluid UI transitions.
View on GitHub

GitHub openrouteservice

Fork of open-source routing engine with advanced pathfinding enhancements.
View on GitHub

GitHub DroidTextSig

LGPL-based wrapper for PDF text extraction and signing.
View on GitHub

GitHub expandableConstraintLayout

Kotlin wrapper enabling smooth expand/collapse in ConstraintLayouts.
View on GitHub

Certifications & Training

MongoDB for Node.js Developers

March 2014 – May 2014
Comprehensive course on MongoDB fundamentals, including database operations, integration with Node.js, and building scalable applications.

Teaching & Pedagogical Competence Certificate

September 2013 – November 2013 | Cisco AnySolutions, Braga, Portugal
Certification equipping individuals with essential pedagogical skills and knowledge required for official teaching roles in Portugal, focusing on effective instruction and classroom management.

Awards & Achievements

Top 5 Android Library of the Month

June 2017
FloatingMenu library recognized among the top 5 Android libraries by Medium's Cobeisfresh, highlighting innovative UI/UX contributions to the developer community.
View Article

Interests

  • Physics, Electricity & Algorithms
  • 🔗 Graph Theory & Clean, Performant Implementations
  • 🌍 Geographical Knowledge and calculations
  • 🏗️ Software Architecture, Functional Programming & Code Maintenance
  • 🚀 Version Control & Performance Optimization
  • 📚 World Knowledge, Trivia & Lifelong Learning
  • 💻 Open Source