Summary

Highly influential Engineering Leader and Software Architect (15+ years) with deep expertise in Web-, Mobile- and SmartTV-application development, cloud-native, and high-scale platforms (11M+ MAU). I have the ability to define engineering vision, translate complex microservice and cloud architectures into strategic business value, and leading transformation initiatives in media and entertainment. I excel at building and establishing technical departments while fostering innovation and agile cultures. My experience extends beyond in-house leadership; as a consultant and influential co-host of the Working Draft Podcast, I excel at synthesizing complex engineering concepts into accessible, actionable guidance for a broad technical audience.

Work

AI-Native Systems Architect & Engineering Advisor

July 2025 – Present • Self-employed

Helping engineering organizations transition from legacy architectures to AI-native products. I don't just consult; I bridge the gap between high-scale architecture and the agentic future.

• AI & Machine Learning: Hands-on architecture and implementation using Vercel AI SDK, Next.js, Supabase, and serverless architectures to build production-ready AI applications.
• Reference Architecture: Designed and implemented a full-stack, conversational coach (N+One) based on Next.js and Vercel Edge Network for personalized training, demonstrating expertise in performant serverless applications and AI-powered experiences.
• Agentic Systems & Data Processing: Developed agentic-led, low-code crawling and indexing processes for fiber internet network information, showcasing proficiency in automation, LLM integration, and data structuring.

Founder at N+One

April 2026 – Present

Building an AI-native coaching platform for cyclists. N+One analyzes training load, recovery, and performance data to dynamically adapt training plans, identify limiters, and optimize race preparation. The goal: deliver the outcomes of a high-quality coach — at scale, and accessible to every athlete.

Fractional CTO at Fiberfone GmbH

October 2023 – February 2026

• Directed technical strategy and investor relations while leading the development of a 23M+ data point infrastructure for automated location-based order management.
• Architected and implemented agentic AI systems and low-code crawling processes using Vercel AI SDK and Next.js.
• Managed external partners and successfully launched the core checkout experience for the brand's comparison portal.

Vice President Engineering at ProSiebenSat.1

October 2021 – June 2025

As Vice President Engineering, I was responsible for the strategic development and maintenance of the customer facing applications of the multi-tenant Streaming Platform Joyn, serving 11 million monthly active users.

• Led six distributed engineering teams (55 individuals) including Engineering Managers and Staff Engineers, reporting to the CTO. Established a collaborative, innovation-friendly, and agile culture.
• Directed engineering vision and budget planning. Led change management and transformation during the Joyn and ProSiebenSat.1 merger.
• Created standardized reference architectures and deployment playbooks for multi-tenant platform, accelerating tenant rollouts and ensuring cross-platform consistency.
• Established data-driven decision-making with product-led metrics, resulting in ~4% increase in user engagement and 20% reduction in technical debt. Utilized DORA metrics and Core Web Vitals.
• Successfully introduced AI engineering practices by piloting GitHub Copilot, enhancing developer productivity and code quality.

Director Technology & Product, FYEO at ProSiebenSat.1

July 2020 – September 2021

As Director of Technology & Product, I led the development and maintenance of FYEO, a podcasting app with over 1.6 million formats and 40 million episodes.

• Built and led an agile, cross-functional team of 13 members, overseeing career development and recruitment.
• Led transformation by replacing external agency with internal development and design personnel, demonstrating change management capabilities.
• Developed and aligned business strategy with business owners and management, reporting to the CTO.
• Implemented engineering and product vision, executed product roadmap, and established data-driven planning processes.
• Significantly increased KPIs including retention, reach, and technical stability, improving audience engagement.

Software Architect & Engineer, Engineering Manager

April 2013 – June 2020 • Self-employed

I worked on projects for clients such as AXA, REWE digital, Vaillant Group and others where I served as Software Architect, Engineer and Engineering Manager.

Led the development and growth of an engineering team responsible for building online insurance tariff calculators for AXA Deutschland in a strongly regulated environment. Developed services using Node.js and Java, guided adoption of React/TypeScript, and architected deployments on Kubernetes and Docker — increasing annual application delivery velocity from 2 to 6. Expanded the team from four to 14 developers.

Built microservices with Node.js, transforming the backend from on-premise to cloud-native on Google Cloud Platform using Kubernetes and Docker. Implemented Apache Kafka for data streaming and employed a micro-frontend architecture with React.js.

Spearheaded the transformation of the monolithic e-commerce platform to a scalable microservice architecture. Led the relaunch resulting in market rollouts across Europe, UK and US. Expanded the team to 14 software engineers.

Played a pivotal role in shaping the online presence for Vaillant Group and its subsidiaries. Contributed to expanding a team from seven to 40 members in a Scrum environment and pioneered an agile transformation within the organization.

Other

January 2019 – July 2021: Software Developer and Co-Founder at Warhol
November 2011 – April 2014: Software Developer and Co-Founder at colored.by
April 2010 – April 2013: Lead Front-end Developer at /gebrüderheitz, Freiburg

Industry Influence & Collaborative Initiatives

Mentor at The Mentoring Club: The Mentoring Clubis an open community which aims at supporting people who are keen to learn, grow and develop. I provide advice to mentees to advance in their career in the areas such as Engineering Management & Leadership, Career building, Agile Methodologies and more. More information here.

Co-host of Working Draft Podcast: Strong influence on the German-speaking community while being a member of the weekly web-development and web-news podcast Working Draft since 2011.

Speaking engagements at conferences and webinars: topics including Agentic Engineering across the SDLC, Engineering Metrics, Design Systems and Component Based Development (e.g. Lead Dev Berlin, Front-Trends in Warsaw and Frontend Conference in Zürich). More about my speaking.