Personal details
Raul P.
Technical skills
About
Backend specialist with 18+ years building web applications in PHP, Laravel, and WordPress, with additional experience in Java and JavaScript ecosystems. I've optimized database performance, built systems that integrate multiple APIs, and developed platforms for the e-commerce, automotive, and healthcare industries. I've led migrations from on-premises to cloud and currently design and operate AWS environments with Terraform and Ansible for production workloads.
Work Experience
Built the inventory system from scratch, designed to ingest data from a variable number of sources (APIs, FTP, URLs, and others). Once collected, the data is normalized and enhanced using machine learning libraries, cross-referenced against previously stored units, and made available for export.
The main technical challenge was that every dealership structures their data differently. Applying SOLID principles was key here: we had to identify what was common across sources and build flexible abstraction layers that could accommodate the differences without turning the codebase into a mess. The logging system we built alongside it turned out to be one of the most valuable parts, making issue tracking and debugging significantly easier.
I also contributed to the frontend, built in Nuxt 3.0. My involvement started small, but grew steadily over time until it became roughly half of my work. I built new pages and components, not just backend integration glue.
I can divide my work in this company into these two stages:
Initially, I worked on a CiviCRM extension to manage cases, which involve a set of related activities.
I worked as a Senior Backend developer, along with two other developers in the same position and two frontend developers. I assisted in many new functionalities and maintenance of the existing ones. I was able to develop using TDD since the extensions were already prepared for that.
After that, I was moved to the Drupal team. We worked on Drupal modules that allow CiviCRM users to update their profiles, membership, and other details that otherwise would be only accessible through the CiviCRM interface. This is known as SSP: Self-Service Portal.
Also, we developed a tool for creating websites that complements the SSP previously mentioned, named "Core Website". This uses Bootstrap 5 as a CSS framework, and we offer the ability to customize many of the details by exposing SASS variables on the admin Drupal panel, and compiling the CSS "on the fly".
In both stages, I learned the technologies (CiviCRM, Drupal 7) and current products quickly, allowing me to collaborate almost immediately with the team.