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I am a naturally agile Back End Software Developer (independent contractor) with a proven track record of creating and optimising resilient solutions for startups and established organisations, driving operational efficiency and improving system performance. I learn quickly, think laterally, and solve complex problems while delivering value incrementally. I combine strong stakeholder management with a product mindset to hit the ground running, providing tailored solutions that deliver strategic value and balance technical drivers with deadlines. I bring commercial acumen and a commitment to high-quality solutions that scale with the business.…I am a naturally agile Back End Software Developer (independent contractor) with a proven track record of creating and optimising resilient solutions for startups and established organisations, driving operational efficiency and improving system performance. I learn quickly, think laterally, and solve complex problems while delivering value incrementally. I combine strong stakeholder management with a product mindset to hit the ground running, providing tailored solutions that deliver strategic value and balance technical drivers with deadlines. I bring commercial acumen and a commitment to high-quality solutions that scale with the business.

Ilja Hämäläinen

Back-End Developer, Full Stack Developer, Cloud Developer, +4

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I am a naturally agile Back End Software Developer (independent contractor) with a proven track record of creating and optimising resilient solutions for startups and established organisations, driving operational efficiency and improving system performance. I learn quickly, think laterally, and solve complex problems while delivering value incrementally. I combine strong stakeholder management with a product mindset to hit the ground running, providing tailored solutions that deliver strategic value and balance technical drivers with deadlines. I bring commercial acumen and a commitment to high-quality solutions that scale with the business.…I am a naturally agile Back End Software Developer (independent contractor) with a proven track record of creating and optimising resilient solutions for startups and established organisations, driving operational efficiency and improving system performance. I learn quickly, think laterally, and solve complex problems while delivering value incrementally. I combine strong stakeholder management with a product mindset to hit the ground running, providing tailored solutions that deliver strategic value and balance technical drivers with deadlines. I bring commercial acumen and a commitment to high-quality solutions that scale with the business.

Available to hire

I am a naturally agile Back End Software Developer (independent contractor) with a proven track record of creating and optimising resilient solutions for startups and established organisations, driving operational efficiency and improving system performance.

I learn quickly, think laterally, and solve complex problems while delivering value incrementally. I combine strong stakeholder management with a product mindset to hit the ground running, providing tailored solutions that deliver strategic value and balance technical drivers with deadlines. I bring commercial acumen and a commitment to high-quality solutions that scale with the business.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Language

Russian

Fluent

English

Fluent

Estonian

Advanced

Finnish

Beginner

Work Experience

Go/React Developer at Deliveroo

January 25, 2002 - January 26, 2002

Short-term contract focused on delivering a new third-party integration for Deliveroo’s restaurant partner portal, utilizing React for the frontend and Go-based AWS Lambda for the backend. Collaborated with the team to complete the project ahead of schedule and ensured robust integration with backend services.

Full-stack Developer (Contract) at Deliveroo

October 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026

Joined the Integrations Team to deliver a third-party lending integration for partner restaurants via the Partner Hub. Designed and implemented backend APIs to support frontend loan interactions; built an event-driven architecture using AWS Lambda to persist loan quotes and applications. Introduced an event bus leveraging Kafka and SQS to manage asynchronous workflows; improved test coverage, observability, and monitoring to ensure production readiness. Successfully delivered the lending integration ahead of schedule and deployed a fully functional loan application flow within the platform.

Software Developer (Contract) at Nala Money

April 1, 2025 - August 1, 2025

Within the Wallet team, designed and implemented an internal transaction module based on a state machine to provide real-time transaction status visibility on mobile devices. Improved test coverage and introduced local testing and debugging scripts to streamline development workflows. Expanded platform functionality to support additional markets and regulatory requirements as the business scaled internationally. Added a status widget to the transaction details page, significantly improving user visibility into payments.

Golang Software Developer at Admiral

April 1, 2023 - May 1, 2024

Supported the implementation of the decisioning pipeline for a new loans product. Collaborated across multiple teams to resolve production issues and drive new development. Supported greenfield projects and performed extensive financial scenario testing to ensure robust integration of external data (e.g., vehicle registration). Diagnosed and resolved bugs in the main customer-facing module, improving reliability. Developed microservices to automate loan processes and integrated with 3rd-party APIs; conducted performance optimisations and deployed applications to live environments with monitoring.

Software Developer (Contract) at NovaFutur LT D

August 1, 2021 - February 1, 2023

Rewrote legacy services to improve performance and scalability, designing high-load microservices to handle real-time data. Ensured safe acquisition, processing, and storage of large volumes of data. Identified and resolved PostgreSQL bottlenecks and configured optimisations; transitioned API infrastructure from REST to GraphQL; introduced CI/CD practices and observability using Datadog and Grafana.

Software Engineer (Contract) at Alchemy Solutions

March 1, 2021 - August 1, 2021

Delivered an urgent frontend module for a CRM platform; rapidly upskilled on frontend technologies (React/Redux) to meet a tight deadline, while also supporting backend development by refining microservices, integrating third-party services, and conducting thorough testing.

Backend Developer (Contract) at Sainsburys

August 1, 2019 - February 1, 2021

Migrated functionality from a legacy monolith to a Go-based microservices architecture, implemented internal fixes including an API gateway, prepared automated tests, and established CI/CD pipelines. Worked with stakeholders to manage expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic and delivered a critical system to prioritise online grocery orders for elderly and disabled customers.

Backend Developer at NewsUK Corporation

March 1, 2019 - August 1, 2019

Backend development role contributing to the evolution of core services within the London-based team during 2019.

Software Developer at GlintPay Ltd

June 1, 2018 - April 1, 2019

Rewrote legacy services for payment platforms, delivering maintainable microservices and improving performance and scalability within data processing pipelines.

Software Architect, Full Stack Developer at Follow Me Tours

November 1, 2017 - June 1, 2018

Led UI development for a Polkadot token bridge project, reverse engineered undocumented source code, and co-developed a working prototype that was adopted by the Polkadot team.

Platform Operations Specialist at MOO Print

February 1, 2016 - November 1, 2017

Managed platform operations and helped transition and optimise services for reliability and scale.

Senior Java Developer at PI Benchmark LTD

June 1, 2014 - January 1, 2016

Drove backend improvements, contributed to Java-based services, and supported training and deployment activities.

Diverse Software Development Roles at Various Companies

September 1, 2006 - June 1, 2014

Diverse software development roles across multiple employers, leveraging Java, Go and web technologies.