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Maina Kihuyu

@mainakihuyu

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Senior software engineer specializing in cloud, backend development, and automation.

Kenya

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What I'm looking for

I am seeking senior engineering roles focused on cloud-native backend systems, automation, and reliability in collaborative teams that value mentorship, strong testing, and fast CI/CD.

I am a senior software engineer with deep experience designing, building, and supporting cloud-hosted backend systems, APIs, and automation pipelines for fintech and enterprise clients across East and Southern Africa.

At Finplus I led full SDLC delivery of USSD and web applications, built a Rails permissions engine for granular access control, increased test coverage from ~20% to 70%, and automated CI/CD to ensure fast, reliable deployments. I also mentored junior engineers and ran Scrum ceremonies to keep teams aligned.

At AWS I provided in-depth troubleshooting and architecture guidance for serverless services (Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions) and IAM policies, managing technical client communications to resolution. I combine strong developer skills (Ruby/Rails, Python, SQL) with cloud expertise (AWS services, deployment and monitoring) to deliver secure, maintainable systems.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Cloud Support Engineer

Amazon Web Services

Feb 2024 - Aug 2024 (6 months)

Provided deep troubleshooting and architecture guidance for AWS Serverless (Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions) and IAM, resolving complex customer issues and maintaining high customer satisfaction.

AWS Lambda API Gateway Step Functions IAM Troubleshooting Serverless Architecture Customer Support

Senior Software Engineer

Finplus Group

Apr 2022 - Jan 2024 (1 year 9 months)

Led development and delivery of USSD and web banking applications across East and Southern Africa, built a granular RBAC/UBAC Rails engine, and improved CI/CD to deploy under 10 minutes.

Ruby on Rails RSpec PostgreSQL AWS Sidekiq CI CD API Design JavaScript

Software Engineer

Finplus Group

May 2018 - Mar 2022 (3 years 10 months)

Developed and modularized USSD and web applications for financial clients, raised unit test coverage from ~20% to 70%, and automated Graylog configuration to protect PII.

Ruby on Rails RSpec PostgreSQL AWS Bitbucket Testing Graylog

Software Engineer

DewCIS Solutions Ltd

May 2016 - May 2018 (2 years)

Designed and built an autonomous Raspberry Pi–based drone (navigation, sensors, delivery) using C++ and Python to fly to GPS coordinates and deliver payloads.

C++Python Raspberry Pi SQLite Embedded Systems Sensors Robotics GPS