With 15+ years experience in software engineering in total, and 6+ years in management I'm adding meaningful contributions within a larger context and help others to exceed their own expectations.

As an engineering leader and passionate open source engineer I enjoy to collaborate with people all around the world. I'm convinced how we create software today can still be improved. I support a bottom-up culture where we work in an atmosphere of mutual respect and where teams resonate well with the organization's wider mission.

I'm convinced that major challenges can only be solved together and in well-functioning relationships. The people I lead or report to can rely on me in all situations. Open and honest communication is especially important to me.

Experience

Factorial, Principal Software Architect, since 2022
Product Field Works, Chief Technology Officer, 2020 – 2021
Lead the product-centric startup's foundational software development and strategic technology efforts to successfully pilot and release 1.0 of the software with enterprise clients Porsche Digital, Total, Kuehne+Nagel.

Leveraged data oriented design, translated a design pattern from games to business software, designed a data structure backed by Redis, to provide flexibility, low-latency and scale for the software product's core data.
Atelier Disko, Chief Technology Officer, Managing Director, 2013 – 2019
I was the driving force to transform a classical design boutique studio into a contemporary digital agency by winning and working with clients such as Wikimedia Deutschland, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Fielmann.

Built a trainee program to hire and grow junior talent with a focus on promoting women in tech. Recruited engineers, coached and managed direct reports in cross-functional engineering & design project teams.

We've created the design systems for enterprise companies, including the Design System Kit open-source software to develop and distribute the design systems, which helped to improve the overall quality of the organizations digital products.
Radify, Senior Software Engineer, 2011 – 2013
Worked fully remote as web framework specialist for NY headquartered e-commerce platform Totsy, Inc. Redesigned and reimplemented existing payment system, did performance analysis, reporting and optimization, build e2e test infrastructure, trained team on writing tests, built WebDAV based upload system.
Independent Contractor, Software Developer, 2008 – 2011
Developed a CouchDB based database SaaS MVP. Worked on a OAuth based accompanying identity solution. Helped to reboot development of a Web 2.0 social network for fashionistas.
Braunschweig University of Art, Student Assistant, 2006 – 2009
Automated generation of course catalog, built XML-workflows.

Engagements

dpa, Fielmann, Wikimedia Deutschland, Deutsches Elektron-Synchrotron DESY, DZ-4, OTTO, ByteFM, ZDK Gesellschaft Demokratische Kultur gGmbH, Cleptomanicx, Kleiderei, Freie Universität Berlin, Grand Hotel van Cleef, Jugendhilfe e.V, Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof, Tocotronic, Universal Music Group

Education

Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, Meisterschüler of Fine Arts, 2010 – 2011
Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, Diploma of Fine Arts, with honors, 2004 – 2010

Selected Side and Open Source Projects

Design System Kit, Co-Author, since 2018
A workbench to create design systems following the principles: “designed for process”, “low floor, high ceiling, wide walls”, “designed for uncertainty”, “resourcefulness”.
Symfony Gettext Parsers, Author, 2011
The Gettext parsers in pure PHP originally authored for the li3 framework are now used inside the Symfony web framework.
li₃, “the Jimi Hendrix of PHP frameworks”, Core Developer / Lead Developer, 2009-2020
Core and lead developer of the open-source li3 PHP framework, sponsored by Engine Yard. Author of the globalization features, release manager since 1.0 of the framework. Grew and worked with gifted and inpiring engineers.
CakePHP, PHP Framework, Core Developer, 2009
Core Developer of the popular open-soure CakePHP web framework. Worked in a passionate andd distributed international team on performance optimization, testing and internationalization.
NPIECE, artist portfolio SaaS, Founder, since 2008

Talks & Appearances

This lists my talks and workshops, as well as articles that feature projects I've participated in or lead.

Discovering Principles for Design System Tools, (Slides, Video), code.talks, Hamburg, Germany, 2019
Where do you build a Design System?, (Slides), UXRoundtable, uxHH, Hamburg, Germany, 2018
Where do you build a Design System?, (Slides), Design Tools #1, Hamburg, Germany, 2018
Where do you build a Design System?, Go User Group, Hamburg, Germany, 2018
Code+Design, Hamburg, Germany, 2018
Coding Design Systems, (Slides), Techcamp 2018, Hamburg, Germany, 2018
Visual Interface für Audio-Web-App, Page 08.2017, 2017
The CakePHP Media Plugin, (Slides, Review), Cakefest, Berlin, Germany, 2009

Contact

You can reach me via email. Phone calls can be arranged, too. For encrypted communication download my OpenPGP Key. My fingerprint is 761C 8678 F151 EE60 5442 1D47 C26D F2F1 18E6 34F4. Follow me on Twitter & Mastodon, fork me on GitHub or connect with me on LinkedIn.

“We are creating technologies - then we are the technologies: Your heart is not LIKE a pump, your heart IS a pump. It’s not like your brain is like a computer, it is a computer. Until the next thing comes along: Now you’re a neural net or now you’re an information system.”
John Brockmann in an interview with Lutz Dammbeck, Das Netz, 2004