James Makau

Results-driven Senior Software Engineer with 10+ years delivering enterprise-scale systems. Architected a real-time analytics platform ingesting 50M+ daily events at sub-100ms latency while cutting AWS infrastructure costs by 40%. Deep expertise spanning fintech (M-Pesa, USSD, mobile banking), cloud-native AWS serverless architecture, AI agent development, and GDPR-compliant analytics. Equally effective as a hands-on engineer and technical lead who ships cross-functional projects on time.

Senior Software Development Engineer at Pilgrim Consulting Group (2022-11 – 2026-06)

• Engineered Heatmap.com's core analytics engine, scaling to 50M+ daily events with consistent sub-100ms p99 latency across a distributed AWS serverless stack.
• Reduced AWS infrastructure spend by 40% through serverless re-architecture (Lambda + Kinesis + DynamoDB), while simultaneously improving throughput and reliability.
• Built a Shadow DOM-aware session recording system — unlocking analytics coverage for SPAs and Web Component-heavy frontends that standard DOM tooling cannot reach.
• Designed and shipped a GDPR-compliant behavioural tracking layer that preserved 100% of analytics signal while meeting EU data residency and consent requirements.
• Developed an intelligent A/B testing and user journey analytics framework that gave product teams self-serve experimentation capabilities, reducing time-to-insight by ~60%.
• Led architecture reviews and code standards for a globally distributed engineering team, enforcing CI/CD best practices and reducing production incidents.

Lead Software Engineer at Cyfras Technologies (2019-01 – 2023-02)

• Led a cross-functional team of 6+ engineers across 4 simultaneous enterprise product lines, driving sprint planning, code reviews, and stakeholder delivery.
• Designed and delivered the Kenversity Banking Platform — a full-stack ecosystem comprising a mobile app (Ionic), web portal, USSD gateway, and core banking integrations — serving thousands of active users.
• Built a Laravel-based microfinance loan management system with automated M-Pesa disbursement, repayment tracking, and regulatory reporting, reducing manual processing time by ~70%.
• Architected a multi-tenant SaaS ERP (CFT Cloud) covering procurement, invoicing, and accounting with full workflow automation — replacing a legacy system for 3 enterprise clients.
• Developed a scalable SMS & CRM platform on Laravel handling millions of messages per month with 99.9% delivery SLA.

Software Developer at Doyen Systems (2016-05 – 2018-09)

• Delivered 5+ full-stack client web applications using Laravel, Zend, and CodeIgniter, meeting all project deadlines with zero critical production defects post-launch.
• Successfully migrated a legacy Visual Basic and SQL Server system to a modern Laravel frontend, cutting onboarding time for new developers by 50%.
• Collaborated directly with clients to translate business requirements into technical specifications, earning repeat engagements from 3 accounts.

BSc. in Computer Technology – Technical University of Kenya (2012 – 2015)