Oya Dervis

Principal-level Backend Engineer and Engineering Leader with 15+ years of experience designing and building scalable, high-performance distributed systems. Strong background in microservices, event-driven architectures, and API-first platforms. Proven track record delivering cloud-native systems handling millions of transactions in high-availability, regulated environments.

Hands-on in system design, architecture, and critical backend services, with a strong focus on reliability, scalability, and clean engineering practices.

Engineering Manager (Hands-on Backend Focus) at Udemy (2025-11 – 2026-03)

Led backend development for subscription, checkout, and experimentation systems in a high-scale SaaS environment.

• Designed and delivered backend services supporting billing, user lifecycle, and experimentation platforms
• Contributed hands-on to API design and microservices handling transactional workflows
• Partnered with product and data teams to implement experimentation and analytics pipelines
• Improved system reliability, monitoring, and operational stability of critical services

Senior Software Engineering Manager (Hands-on Technical Lead) at Microsoft (2021-09 – 2025-10)

Led design and development of distributed financial systems processing millions of transactions globally.

• Designed and implemented scalable backend services using .NET and Azure
• Architected event-driven systems using Azure Service Bus for high-throughput processing
• Built high-availability APIs and services supporting global financial workflows
• Drove system reliability through observability, monitoring, and fault-handling improvements
• Contributed directly to system design, performance optimization, and engineering standards

Software Development Group Head (Hands-on Architecture & Development) at SmartMessage (2019-12 – 2021-09)

Led architecture and development of a microservices-based SaaS platform.

• Designed event-driven backend systems for high-volume data processing
• Built scalable APIs enabling real-time, distributed workflows
• Implemented CI/CD pipelines improving release reliability and speed
• Established engineering standards across testing, code quality, and architecture

Delivery Manager at KoçSistem (2015-04 – 2019-12)

Delivered enterprise backend systems focused on integrations and transaction processing.

• Delivered enterprise backend systems focused on integrations and transaction processing
• Designed scalable backend architectures using C# and SQL Server
• Built systems supporting global operations with high reliability requirements

Software Development Leader at KoçSistem (2013-04 – 2015-04)

Led backend system development and introduced coding standards.

• Led backend system development and introduced coding standards
• Improved system performance and maintainability across platforms

Senior Software Specialist at HUGO BOSS (2011-04 – 2013-04)

Developed enterprise backend systems.

• Developed enterprise backend systems using C# and SQL Server
• Improved system reliability and data consistency across regions

Senior Software Developer at Bimar IT Services (2003-09 – 2011-04)

Built enterprise applications and designed data models.

• Built enterprise applications using C#, SQL Server, and DB2
• Designed data models and optimized complex queries for high-volume systems
• Delivered integration-heavy solutions connecting multiple enterprise systems

Master's Degree in Management Information Systems – Izmir Institute of Technology

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering – Izmir Institute of Technology