Looking for a job

Nikolai Petko

@nikolaipetko

Senior Java Backend Dev, 5+ yrs: Spring Boot, Kafka, microservices. Led monolith-to-microservices migration (+40% perf). Remote, Tbilisi (UTC+4)

Georgia

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a full-time, permanent Senior Java / Backend Engineer role that is fully remote. I’m based in Tbilisi, Georgia (UTC+4) and work comfortably with European time zones.

Senior Java Backend Developer with 5+ years of experience building enterprise-grade microservices with Java, Spring Boot, Kafka and PostgreSQL/Oracle. Led the migration of a monolithic Oracle-based telecom platform to microservices, improving performance by 40%, and designed Keycloak-based security across 15+ services with zero downtime. I specialize in modernizing legacy systems while keeping the business running.

Based in Tbilisi, Georgia (UTC+4), working well with European time zones. Looking for a full-time remote role as a Senior Java / Backend Engineer.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Senior Java Developer

Current

Smart Design

Sep 2023 - Present (3 years 2 months)

Building a high-load microservices platform for telecom client management
• Led the migration of a monolithic Oracle system to microservices, improving performance by 40%
• Designed Keycloak-based authentication and access control across 15+ microservices with zero downtime
• Guided a team of 2 developers during the migration

Java Spring Boot Kafka Oracle PostgreSQL Docker Kubernetes

Current

Senior-Level Java Developer

Current

Smart Design

Sep 2023 - Present (3 years 2 months)

Architected and executed complete system modernization, migrating monolithic Oracle infrastructure to microservices architecture, resulting in 40% performance improvement and enhanced scalability for 1000+ concurrent users. Designed and implemented enterprise-grade authentication system using Keycloak, achieving 60% reduction in security incidents and enabling fine-grained access control across 15

Java Spring Boot Kafka Oracle PostgreSQL Docker Microservices Keycloak Hibernate REST APIs Event Driven Architecture Distributed Systems

Java Developer

Information Systems and Services

Jul 2021 - Sep 2023 (2 years 2 months)

Developed Liferay-based applications giving clients access to social services.
• Built and optimized a web portal serving 1,000+ daily users; raised test coverage from 45% to 80% with JUnit
• Refactored 8 legacy modules, improving response time by 25%
• Led a high-priority project from stakeholders to developers and launched it in 2 months

Java Docker PostgreSQL Kafka Liferay

Mid-Level Java Developer

Information systems and services

Jul 2021 - Sep 2023 (2 years 2 months)

Developed and optimized Liferay-based web portal serving 1000+ daily users, implementing comprehensive JUnit testing strategy that improved code coverage from 45% to 80%. Refactored legacy codebase across 8 critical modules, improving application response time by 25% and reducing new developer onboarding from 2 weeks to 5 days.

Java Liferay Junit Spring Boot SQL REST APIs Microservices Docker Git

Junior-Level Java Developer

Non-commercial project

Nov 2020 - Jul 2021 (8 months)

Designed and built a mobile application for real-time currency exchange tracking, using REST APIs for live data. Developed an online store application with basic product catalog, cart, and order management functionality.

Java REST APIs Mobile Development Online Store Development

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Self-directed Backend Development Training

Professional Development, Backend Development

2020 -

Ongoing self-directed backend development training, including completion of multiple production-ready Java applications and real-world projects using modern frameworks and best practices.

NSTU

Master, Mechanical Engineering

2012 - 2018

Grade: 4.9

Graduated with a GPA of 4.9/5.0. Engineering background built strong analytical and problem-solving skills, which I later applied when transitioning into backend software development in 2020.