Hi, I’m Chidera Okara, a senior full-stack engineer with 7+ years of experience delivering end-to-end applications across modern frontends and robust backends. I enjoy turning complex problems into clean, scalable solutions and collaborating with product teams to ship features that users love. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, I’ve built systems from dashboards to APIs, and I’m passionate about clean code, testing, and reliable deployments. In my work I leverage React, Next.js, NestJS, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and cloud platforms like AWS and GCP. I set up CI/CD pipelines, implement serverless architectures, and write Jest and Cypress tests to prevent regressions. When I’m not coding, I mentor teammates, contribute to open source projects, and continuously explore new tools to improve performance and security.

Chidera Okara

Hi, I’m Chidera Okara, a senior full-stack engineer with 7+ years of experience delivering end-to-end applications across modern frontends and robust backends. I enjoy turning complex problems into clean, scalable solutions and collaborating with product teams to ship features that users love. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, I’ve built systems from dashboards to APIs, and I’m passionate about clean code, testing, and reliable deployments. In my work I leverage React, Next.js, NestJS, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and cloud platforms like AWS and GCP. I set up CI/CD pipelines, implement serverless architectures, and write Jest and Cypress tests to prevent regressions. When I’m not coding, I mentor teammates, contribute to open source projects, and continuously explore new tools to improve performance and security.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Chidera Okara, a senior full-stack engineer with 7+ years of experience delivering end-to-end applications across modern frontends and robust backends. I enjoy turning complex problems into clean, scalable solutions and collaborating with product teams to ship features that users love. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, I’ve built systems from dashboards to APIs, and I’m passionate about clean code, testing, and reliable deployments.

In my work I leverage React, Next.js, NestJS, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and cloud platforms like AWS and GCP. I set up CI/CD pipelines, implement serverless architectures, and write Jest and Cypress tests to prevent regressions. When I’m not coding, I mentor teammates, contribute to open source projects, and continuously explore new tools to improve performance and security.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Full Stack Engineer at Remote More
January 1, 2024 - October 3, 2025
Built analytics dashboards with React, GraphQL, and NestJS APIs for real-time insights. Created a Puppeteer scraper to collect market data, enhancing analytics coverage and accuracy. Integrated OpenAI API to generate automated reports and used Stable Diffusion for image generation to support content and reporting workflows. Cut dashboard load times by ~40% through caching and lazy loading. Implemented Jest test suites for API and UI flows.
Open-Source Contributor at Zap Cache
January 1, 2023 - October 3, 2025
Open-source caching library. (Node.js, Redis, TypeScript, Jest).
Frontend & Public Website Developer at Wazo Bia Academy Frontend
January 1, 2023 - Present
Public site built with modern UI tooling (React, JavaScript, Tailwind CSS).
Full Stack Engineer (Mobile) at Wazo Bia Academy
January 1, 2023 - Present
E‑learning platform for courses and payments using Ionic on client and NestJS/Express with MongoDB backend.
Developer at Aptech Port Harcourt Public Website
January 1, 2021 - October 3, 2025
Public website built with WordPress and JavaScript; maintained portal for students and staff.
Software Engineer at Strings Code
January 1, 2021 - October 3, 2025
Delivered health and commerce apps with React/Angular front-ends and Node/NestJS back-ends; drove DevOps with Docker, CI/CD, deployed to AWS and GCP; introduced Jest and improved test coverage.
Instructor & Full Stack Engineer at Aptech Port Harcourt
January 1, 2021 - October 3, 2025
Taught React, Angular, Node.js, and Python to 300+ students; built internal school system with WordPress and JavaScript features.
AI MVP Developer at BeHooked
January 1, 2021 - October 3, 2025
AI video generation MVP using React, NestJS, AWS; Jest tests.
Project Lead / Developer at Music Vibe
January 1, 2021 - October 3, 2025
Music platform with likes and bookmarks (React, NestJS APIs, Jest).

Education

Bachelors of Science at Igbinedion University
September 12, 2009 - October 23, 2015
M.Sc. Computer Science at Rivers State University
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2021

Qualifications

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
January 11, 2030 - February 1, 2027
Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
January 11, 2030 - October 3, 2025
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
January 11, 2030 - October 3, 2025
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
January 11, 2030 - October 3, 2025
Oracle Database Certified
January 11, 2030 - October 3, 2025

Industry Experience

Financial Services, Consumer Goods, Education, Healthcare, Real Estate & Construction, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Gaming