Teodor Kurtev

Building high quality front-end and back-end solution for variety of business problems, using the JavaScript/TypeScript/Node.js, .NET and GoLang stacks.

🚀 After 10+ years in Full Stack development, I’ve come to see code as a bit like a good joke—if you have to explain it, it’s just not quite right! 😄 Along with deep expertise in JavaScript, TypeScript, MERN, GoLang, and AWS, I’ve had the rewarding experience of leading and building teams from scratch, creating strong, dynamic groups that bring projects to life and solve tough challenges together.

📧 How can you reach me?

Drop an email at teodor.ivanov92@gmail.com 😊

👨‍💻 Engineering Experience

Deel - Engineering Manager - Remote - (Jan 2024 - Present)

  • Conducted 70+ interviews and established 4 new teams to support business growth.
  • Managed career development for 13 direct reports to foster growth and performance.
  • Led refactoring of billing and invoicing systems, improving efficiency and scalability.
  • Streamlined Quote-to-Cash processes to enhance operational workflows.
  • Optimized internal processes to reduce distractions and increase engineer productivity.
  • Collaborated with Product Managers and Engineering Directors to define and achieve quarterly OKRs.

Moteefe - Senior Software Engineer - Remote - (Jan 2022 - Jan 2024)

As a member of Moteefe’s tech team, I played an instrumental role in the development, deployment and maintenance of several key features for the company. My responsibilities included:

  • Refining, defining, developing, testing, deploying, and supporting several end-to-end features such as payment integrations with Stripe and PayPal, integration with headless CMS systems and cart recovery email functionality.
  • Creating new microservices and splitting existing ones to improve system performance and scalability.
  • Continuously monitoring and analyzing system metrics, troubleshoot issues and apply bug fixes or escalate when necessary.
  • Actively participating in internal code quality initiatives, mentoring and sharing knowledge with team members to improve the overall development process.
  • All the above was achieved via TypeScript, React, Nest.js, Node.js, and deployed on AWS.

Software University - Part-time Lecturer - Remote - (May 2020 - April 2024)

As a lecturer at SoftUni, some of my key responsibilities, included:

  • Lead “Programming Basics,” “Programming Fundamentals,” and “Programming Advanced” courses at Software University, delivering interactive lectures for a comprehensive understanding.
  • Provide practical insights and foster skill development to equip students with applicable programming expertise across foundational and advanced levels.
  • Extend support beyond class by offering supplementary reading materials, resources, and guidance for students to self-develop. Facilitate their independent growth with curated content to deepen their understanding of programming concepts.

Mentor The Young - Mentor - Sofia, Bulgaria/Remote - (Sept 2022 - Jan 2024)

As a mentor at Mentor The Young, I am responsible for:

  • Providing personalized guidance in Software Engineering through one-on-one sessions, addressing specific needs and goals.
  • Assisting in setting achievable goals, monitoring progress, and offer constructive feedback for continuous improvement.
  • Sharing practical knowledge and industry experience to help mentees navigate challenges and make informed decisions.
  • Facilitating regular meetings to discuss progress, address concerns, and ensure alignment with mentees’ objectives.

Independent Contractor - Software Engineer - (Sept 2011 - Now)

As a software engineer, I have experience in building a wide range of applications using technologies such as .NET, JavaScript/TypeScript/Node.js, and GoLang. My expertise primarily lies in the web domain, however, I am open to all opportunities. My responsibilities include:

  • Translating business needs into specific software requirements by working closely with clients to understand their needs.
  • Designing, implementing, testing, documenting, and deploying front-end and back-end software solutions.
  • Providing ongoing support for existing solutions to ensure smooth operation and optimal performance.

News UK - Lead Software Engineer - Sofia, Bulgaria - (Aug 2020 - Jan 2022)

As a member of the MAIN Technology Group, I held a vital role in advancing the Monetization, Access, and Identity verticals. My primary responsibilities included:

  • Developing new capabilities for projects utilizing GoLang and AWS as infrastructure.
  • Researching and evaluating new solutions to enhance project performance.
  • Collaborating with stakeholders to ensure project alignment with business objectives.
  • Supporting recruitment efforts to build a strong and capable team.

Synchronoss Technologies - Lead Software Engineer - Sofia, Bulgaria - (Oct 2017 - Aug 2020)

As a Lead Software Engineer, my key responsibilities included:

  • Developing and implementing code standards and practices to promote high code quality across all projects in the Bulgaria branch.
  • Building out the team by participating in the recruitment process.
  • Managing and streamlining work activities to eliminate blockers and ensure smooth project execution.
  • Designing, implementing, and testing front-end and back-end features in multiple projects, with a primary focus on MEAN stack, but also including work on .NET projects.
  • Facilitating team activities such as daily Stand-ups and Code Review sessions.
  • Mentoring and providing guidance to junior developers to ensure their professional development and growth.

Software Improvement Group(SIG) - Software Engineer/Researcher - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - (Jan 2017 - Aug 2017)

As a software engineer, my work included:

  • Investigating and proposing refactoring options for architecturally related code smells to improve code quality and maintainability.
  • Developing a Visual Studio refactoring plugin utilizing the .NET ecosystem and the Roslyn compiler.
  • Utilizing R and Python for data analysis and visualization to gain insights and identify optimization opportunities.
  • Achieving positive outcomes from the research and the PoC project, with an increase in desired metrics by 5% to 10%.

EPAM - Software Engineer - Sofia, Bulgaria - (Mar 2016 - Aug 2016)

As a software engineer, my work included:

  • Utilizing the .NET Stack for back-end development, including C#, MSSQL Server, EntitiesFramework, and ASP.NET MVC.
  • Implementing front-end development with the JavaScript Stack, including Angular.js, JQuery, and Google Maps APIs.
  • Establishing processes to ensure code quality, including static code analysis, CI, git branching strategies, and code reviews.

SBTech - Software Engineer - Sofia, Bulgaria - (Jan 2015 - Aug 2015)

During my stay at the company, I was part of various project and activities:

  • Developed new front-end and back-end features for the mobile and tablet betting solutions using .NET and JavaScript and helped bring out the tablet solution initial release.
  • Took part in activities targeted at improving the quality of the code base - code reviews, Cl, and static code analysis, refactoring efforts.

Software University - Software Engineer - Sofia, Bulgaria - (Oct 2013 - Feb 2015)

As the first developer at Software University, I was tasked with designing, developing, and testing the core modules for the Software University Learning System (SULS). The work included:

  • Development of an electronic learning system from scratch, including electronic payment, teamwork management, CMS capabilities, course management, and more.
  • Technologies used: .NET, ASP.NET MVC, Entities Framework, HTML, JavaScript, KendoUI, etc.

Telerik Academy - Trainee Software Engineer - Sofia, Bulgaria - (Sept 2011 - Oct 2013)

A fast-paced introduction to software development, including:

  • Practical introduction to technologies ranging from C# and JavaScript to frameworks like ASP.NET MVC, Angular.js, Kendo, and WPF.
  • The education process had a key focus on high-quality code in compliance with the best practices in OOP such as SOLID, DRY, YAGNI, etc.

📚 Education

MSc Software Engineering - University of Amsterdam - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 5.9/6 GPA

During my MSc Software Engineering program at the University of Amsterdam, I gained a wide range of knowledge and skills in software engineering. Some of the highlights of my experience include:

  • An intense, one-year master program in software engineering.
  • The curriculum focuses on Source code analysis and transformation, Software Craftsmanship, Software Testing, and Software Processes.
  • Scientific research and practical application have an essential place in the program.

BSc Business Informatics - University of National and World Economy - Sofia, Bulgaria - 5.5/6 GPA

During my BSc Business Informatics program at the University of National and World Economy, I gained a strong foundation in computer science and its applications in the business field. Some of the highlights of my experience include:

  • A full-time, four-year computer science-related bachelor program.
  • Topics covered included Programming, Algorithms, Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, Networks, Internet Technologies, Software Engineering, etc.

Practical Software Engineer - Telerik Academy - Sofia, Bulgaria - Graduated with excellence

  • Highly intensive one-year coding boot camp concentrated on JavaScript, .NET and related technologies and topics.
  • The program had a specific focus on High Quality Code and how to apply it in practice.

💻 Skills

MEAN Stack

JavaScript ES6+, TypeScript, Angular 2+, React, Next.js, Nest.js, RxJS, NgRx, Express, MongoDB, Mongoose, lodash, KendoUI, NPM, ESLint/TSLint, HTML, CSS, Jasmine, Chai, Mocha, Sinon, Karma, Jest, etc.

GoLang Stack

GoLang, echo, go-jet, ginko, gomega, logrus, zap, etc.

Infrastructure, Databases, Storage and Standards

Amazon Web Services (Lambda, ECR, SQS, SNS, SES, etc.), Docker, MySQL/MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, Redis, Consul, SQL, T-SQL, XML, JSON, JSON Schema, OpenAPI, OAuht2, OIDC, REST, GraphQL.

Computer Science Concepts

Object Oriented Programming and Design, Functional Programming, Design Patterns, High Quality Code, Code Smells and Refactoring, Software Craftsmanship, Data Structures and Algorithms.

Dev Tools

Atlassian tools (JIRA, Confluence, BitBucket, HipChat, Bamboo), CI Tools(Jenkins, CircleCI, AppVeyor), Git, SVN, TFS, GitLab, GitHub, Travis.

.NET Stack

C#, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET WebAPI, ASP.NET SignalR, ASP.NET Core, LINQ, ADO.NET, Entity Framework, Entity Framework Core, Roslyn, MEF, Visual Studio Add-on Development, NugGet, xUnit, NUnit, MSUnit, KendoUI MVC, WPF, WCF, ASP.NET WebForms, WinForms, Windows Services, StyleCop, FxCop.

Soft Skills

Mentoring, Self-motivation, Teamwork, Creativity, Communication, Decision Making, Time Management, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Adaptability, Agile Methodologies.

📌 Volunteering

ABLE - Mentor - Sofia, Bulgaria

Sharing knowledge and experience, while helping students with projects that influence their personal development.

Telerik Academy - Mentor - Sofia, Bulgaria

I was in charge of providing technical and career help to a group of mentees that were part of the Telerik Academy Alpha.

Software University Foundation - Technical Writer - Sofia, Bulgaria

Wrote several chapters for the ‘Introduction to Programming’ books published by the Software University Foundation.

Telerik Academy - Lecturer and Assistant - Sofia, Bulgaria

I helped with the organizations of the C# Part 2 Workshops and assisted the students if they needed any help. Additionally, I was involved as an assistant in several of the C# and Web courses.

Interests and Hobbies

  • 📚 Reading
  • 🎮 Gaming
  • 🌱 Gardening
  • 🏠 Smart home automation
  • 🏃‍♂️ Running
  • 🏋️‍♂️ Fitness
  • ⛰️ Mountain hiking