rafaeldemenech

Aws Cloud Engineer | 5x Aws Certified | Infrastructure | Aws Solution Architect | Dev Ops | Cloud Security | Go

With over 13 years in the IT industry—including the past 7+ years focused on AWS, Cloud Engineering, Cloud infrastructure, and DevSecOps—I bring a robust mix of full-stack development and cloud architecture experience to enterprise-scale projects across FinTech, EdTech (e-learning), and the recruitment industry.

As a Principal Cloud Architect, I specialize in designing and implementing secure, scalable, and cost-optimized AWS architectures that align with the AWS Well-Architected Framework. My work bridges the gap between Infrastructure, Solution Architecture, DevOps, automation, and security, empowering engineering teams while maintaining compliance and performance at scale.

Key Achievements
• Achieved 85%+ security score in AWS Security Hub through rigorous controls and best practices
• Designed cloud infrastructure aligned with PCI DSS, SOC2 requirements
• Engineered internal automation tools and developer enablement platforms
• Reduced operational costs by up to 90% through innovative AWS-native solutions
• Led implementation of CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps workflows to accelerate delivery and security.

I collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to translate complex requirements into cloud-native, resilient, and scalable solutions. Outside of tech, I’m a family man who recharges through adventure—skydiving, surfing, and exploring the outdoors.

Core Skills & Technologies
Cloud & AWS: EC2, RDS, Lambda, S3, VPC, IAM, Cognito, API Gateway, Route 53, SES, CloudWatch, ECS, EKS, IAM Identity Center, Transit Gateway, VPN, Security Hub, Control Tower, WAF, GuardDuty, Amazon Inspector, AWS Systems Manager (SSM), Amazon Workspaces, AWS Directory Services, AWS Well-Architected Framework, AWS Elastic Beanstalk 
IaC & Automation: Terraform, AWS CDK, CloudFormation
CI/CD & DevOps: Git, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Docker, Serverless Architectures, Internet Information Services (IIS)
Programming: Go, Python, Bash, PowerShell, .NET (C#), JavaScript (Node.js, Angular, React), Typescript
Databases: SQL Server, PostgreSQL, DynamoDB
Security & Monitoring: Cloud Security, Secrets Management, New Relic, CloudWatch, DataDog
Compliance & Best Practices: DevSecOps, PCI DSS, SOC2
Methodology: Agile Methodologies, SCRUM, Kanban
Frameworks: Entity Framework


Experience: 11 years

Yearly salary: $150,000

Hourly rate: $70

Nationality: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Residency: 🇧🇷 Brazil


Experience

Senior DevOps Engineer
Xvoucher
2020 - 2023
At Xvoucher, a FinTech platform for credentialing and global learning, I led the foundational DevOps transformation—designing scalable CI/CD pipelines, automating releases, and embedding DevSecOps practices across teams. My work enabled development velocity, platform reliability, and infrastructure scalability on AWS. Key Responsibilities & Contributions: - Defined and implemented company-wide DevOps strategy, frameworks, and tooling from the ground up - Led full AWS cloud migration with a focus on high availability, scalability, and security - Built the first CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps to automate build, test, release, and environment promotion - Introduced release management strategies including blue/green deployments, rollback automation, and versioning - Implemented SSDT-based database DevOps to replace manual SQL processes with database-as-code - Delivered “Xvoucher DevOps Tools” — an internal platform for automated DB restoration, remote debugging, error visibility, and data obfuscation - Developed reusable modules and self-service tools to empower developers and reduce DevOps bottlenecks - Embedded security controls across pipelines: static code analysis, secrets detection, and compliance scanning - Integrated logging, monitoring, and alerting tools for observability and incident response readiness - Promoted a culture of cross-team collaboration and mentored engineers on cloud-native design and automation Technologies & Tools: AWS (EC2, Lambda, S3, SQS, SES, VPC, Control Tower, IAM, IAM Identity Center, TransitGateway, VPN, RDS, Route 53, CloudWatch), Azure DevOps, AWS CDK, Terraform, Docker, SQL Server, SSDT, PowerShell, Bash, Python, Go, .NET (C#), Node.js, Angular, JavaScript, TypeScript, New Relic, Git, GitHub, DevSecOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, Secrets Manager, SSM Parameter Store
Software Engineer
Vfg Consulting
2015 - 2020
DevOps Engineer at Xvoucher (via VFG Consulting) Full-time Apr 2018 - Jul 2020 · 2 yrs 4 mosApr 2018 to Jul 2020 · 2 yrs 4 mos Minneapolis, Minnesota, United StatesMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States Client: Xvoucher Led the greenfield implementation of DevOps practices for Xvoucher, a FinTech and e-learning platform supporting global credentialing and training distribution. Tasked with designing the entire DevOps foundation from the ground up, I established modern workflows, CI/CD automation, and internal tooling to improve engineering velocity and operational consistency. Key Responsibilities & Contributions: - Designed and implemented scalable CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps to support automated builds, testing, and deployments across all environments - Established structured release management workflows including versioning, rollback support, and environment promotion - Developed internal DevOps tooling to streamline processes such as database restoration, error monitoring, and test data management - Introduced process automation with PowerShell and Bash to reduce repetitive manual tasks and standardize deployments - Built cross-team alignment between development, QA, and infrastructure stakeholders, enabling adoption of DevOps practices - Supported application development in .NET and JavaScript during key delivery phases, bridging Dev and Ops gaps - Mentored team members on automation-first culture and efficient delivery workflows Technologies: Azure DevOps, C# ASP.NET, SQL Server, SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), JavaScript, PowerShell, Bash, Git, Automation, CI/CD, Agile Delivery, Windows Server, DevOps Tooling, Go, ScrumClient: Xvoucher Led the greenfield implementation of DevOps practices for Xvoucher, a FinTech and e-learning platform supporting global credentialing and training distribution. Tasked with designing the entire DevOps foundation from the ground up, I established modern workflows, CI/CD automation, and internal tooling to improve engineering velocity and operational consistency. Key Responsibilities & Contributions: - Designed and implemented scalable CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps to support automated builds, testing, and deployments across all environments - Established structured release management workflows including versioning, rollback support, and environment promotion - Developed internal DevOps tooling to streamline processes such as database restoration, error monitoring, and test data management - Introduced process automation with PowerShell and Bash to reduce repetitive manual tasks and standardize deployments - Built cross-team alignment between development, QA, and infrastructure stakeholders, enabling adoption of DevOps practices - Supported application development in .NET and JavaScript during key delivery phases, bridging Dev and Ops gaps - Mentored team members on automation-first culture and efficient delivery workflows Technologies: Azure DevOps, C# ASP.NET, SQL Server, SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), JavaScript, PowerShell, Bash, Git, Automation, CI/CD, Agile Delivery, Windows Server, DevOps Tooling, Go, Scrum Azure Devops, C# and +12 skills Fullstack Software Engineer at SpaceLogik (via VFG Consulting) Full-time Sep 2015 - Aug 2018 · 3 yrsSep 2015 to Aug 2018 · 3 yrs Chicago, Illinois, United StatesChicago, Illinois, United States SpaceLogik is a commercial real estate technology platform designed to help tenant brokers optimize space programming and leasing processes. The platform leverages patented tools to reduce space requirements by up to 15% and accelerate lease cycles from 8 months to just 4 weeks through automated planning and real-time design capabilities. As a Software Engineer, I contributed across both development and operations, working closely with company leadership to evolve the core platform and its supporting infrastructure. My work spanned UI modernization, backend optimization, CI/CD automation, and server configuration—supporting the scalability and reliability of a business-critical system. Key Responsibilities & Contributions: - Translated complex business requirements into scalable technical specifications and functional features - Led implementation of core features during a major backend and UI modernization initiative - Built integrations with Google Maps and 3D modeling engines for dynamic space visualization - Developed and automated space optimization algorithms that significantly improved efficiency metrics - Designed and maintained CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps to streamline testing and deployments - Managed Windows Server environments - Automated release workflows and service monitoring using PowerShell and scripting routines - Built backend Golang tools to automate spatial data collection and transformation Technologies: ASP.NET Framework (WebForms, WebAPI), Angular, JavaScript, SQL Server, Windows Server, Azure DevOps Pipelines, IIS, Go (Golang), PowerShell, CI/CD, DevOps AutomationSpaceLogik is a commercial real estate technology platform designed to help tenant brokers optimize space programming and leasing processes. The platform leverages patented tools to reduce space requirements by up to 15% and accelerate lease cycles from 8 months to just 4 weeks through automated planning and real-time design capabilities. As a Software Engineer, I contributed across both development and operations, working closely with company leadership to evolve the core platform and its supporting infrastructure. My work spanned UI modernization, backend optimization, CI/CD automation, and server configuration—supporting the scalability and reliability of a business-critical system. Key Responsibilities & Contributions: - Translated complex business requirements into scalable technical specifications and functional features - Led implementation of core features during a major backend and UI modernization initiative - Built integrations with Google Maps and 3D modeling engines for dynamic space visualization - Developed and automated space optimization algorithms that significantly improved efficiency metrics - Designed and maintained CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps to streamline testing and deployments - Managed Windows Server environments - Automated release workflows and service monitoring using PowerShell and scripting routines - Built backend Golang tools to automate spatial data collection and transformation Technologies: ASP.NET Framework (WebForms, WebAPI), Angular, JavaScript, SQL Server, Windows Server, Azure DevOps Pipelines, IIS, Go (Golang), PowerShell, CI/CD, DevOps Automation ASP.NET, MSSQL and +11 skills Fullstack Software Engineer Part-time Aug 2015 - Aug 2017 · 2 yrs 1 moAug 2015 to Aug 2017 · 2 yrs 1 mo UruguayUruguay Client: todotix - Bolivia todotix is Bolivia’s leading digital ticketing platform for live events. I contributed to the modernization and enhancement of the platform’s user experience and performance to support high-volume ticket sales and secure transactions. Key Contributions: - Redesigned the event showcase experience to improve user engagement and conversion rates - Enhanced core platform functionality with ongoing feature development and maintenance - Optimized frontend performance to support peak load periods during major events Technologies: ASP.NET, Angular, JavaScript Client: Pronto - Uruguay Pronto is a financial services company in Uruguay offering personal loan and credit card products. I developed the core of their digital loan application tool, enabling secure online submission and approval workflows. Key Contributions: - Built secure frontend components and forms for loan and credit card applications - Implemented validation logic and a seamless, responsive UI using Bootstrap - Integrated the application with backend systems for real-time eligibility and processing Technologies: ASP.NET, Angular, JavaScript, Bootstrap Client: Burgh Recruitment - UK Burgh Recruitment is a UK-based recruitment agency serving clients such as St. James’s Place Wealth Management. I led the development of their internal admin portal and public-facing site, aligning with the needs of both clients and candidates. Key Contributions: - Developed a responsive, modern landing page optimized for lead generation and conversion - Built an internal admin system for managing job postings, candidates, and hiring pipelines - Integrated the platform with iKrut’s HR SaaS system for streamlined recruitment operations Technologies: ASP.NET MVC, Angular, JavaScript, SQL Server
Fullstack Software Engineer
Bravi Software
2013 - 2015
Bravi Software partnered exclusively with Tribal Group (UK), a global leader in educational software solutions. Tribal’s platforms are trusted by millions of students and institutions worldwide to manage student data, streamline operations, and ensure academic quality. I contributed to the development and continuous improvement of international education platforms, working in SCRUM teams to deliver scalable, cross-platform applications supporting academic and administrative processes for universities and colleges. Key Contributions: - Developed and maintained modules across both desktop (WPF) and web (ASP.NET MVC/WebForms) applications supporting academic records, staff onboarding, course management, and institutional reporting - Improved onboarding workflows and system usability for internal staff and educational institutions - Collaborated with cross-functional teams in an agile environment, participating in sprint ceremonies and delivering features on schedule - Ensured reliability and performance of database interactions through optimized SQL queries and refactoring efforts - Provided technical support and code reviews to maintain code quality and long-term maintainability Technologies: .NET Framework (MVC ASP.NET, WebForms, Desktop Development), SQL Server, Oracle, Agile methodology Scrum
Software Developer
Ayty CRM BPO e Serviços de Tecnologia da Informação
2012 - 2013
The company is focused on providing CIT (Communication and Information Technology) solutions for call centres in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia: Key responsibilities: Development and customisation of solutions for call centres; Systems analysis; System Development using .Net technologies( WCF, Webforms and Desktop Development); Data base development using Oracle and SQL Server; System Integration with ARU (Audible Response Unit); SCRUM methodologies to development

Skills

aws
cloud
devops
docker
golang
infrastructure
network-engineer
node
terraform
english
portuguese
spanish