José Carlos de Freitas

About me

I am a software engineer with 15 years of experience building products, platforms, and internal systems. I started programming at 14 and turned that early curiosity into a career defined by fast growth, consistent delivery, and a strong focus on engineering quality.

My background combines deep academic training with practical execution. I hold technical, bachelor's, and master's degrees in computer science, plus an MBA in Software Architecture. I also published two international research papers and completed more than 200 technology courses. That combination reflects how seriously I take continuous learning and how intentionally I invest in becoming a stronger engineer and architect.

Professionally, I have worked across backend, frontend, infrastructure, and developer experience, contributing to everything from client projects and entrepreneurship to large-scale platforms in the media industry. I grew into Staff Software Engineer 3 before turning 30 by combining strong ownership, speed, and technical range. I do my best work when I am solving hard problems, improving systems at scale, and helping teams ship reliable software with higher standards.

I have designed and built high-throughput APIs and scalable backend systems, with a strong focus on performance, reliability, and pragmatic architecture in production environments.

Career

• Senior Software Engineer to Staff Software Engineer 3

  Business Insider

  Jul 2021 - Present

  Progressed through four promotions at Business Insider: Senior Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer 2, and Staff Software Engineer 3.

  Operating at staff-plus scope across large-scale platforms in the media industry, helping shape architecture, delivery, and engineering standards across teams.

  My work spans backend services, APIs, infrastructure, and developer experience, using technologies such as TypeScript, Node.js, Go, GraphQL, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Docker, Kubernetes, and modern web frameworks.

  One example of that work was designing and building a Node.js and MongoDB API capable of handling more than 1,000 requests per second, with p95 latency below 4ms in production.

  ---

• Senior Software Engineer

  SmithRx

  Aug 2025 - Present

  Working as a senior engineer in the healthcare and pharmacy benefits industry, building product and platform capabilities that support a modern PBM focused on transparency, cost efficiency, and member experience.

  My core stack includes React, GraphQL, Go, PostgreSQL, and Kafka, with responsibilities spanning application development, platform design, and scalable backend architecture.

  I also led the implementation of the company's Kafka-based event architecture, defining patterns, internal libraries, and best practices to help teams adopt event-driven systems more consistently.

  ---

• Staff Software Engineer

  Varsity Tutors, a Nerdy Company

  May 2024 - Sep 2024

  Contributed as a staff engineer in a fast-moving education technology environment, providing technical leadership across a large senior engineering organization.

  I technically led 30 senior engineers and worked with Kafka, Go, PostgreSQL, React, and GraphQL to support platform development and high-impact engineering initiatives.

  ---

• Co-founder

  3R Eventos

  Feb 2018 - Jan 2024

  Co-founded and operated an events business, leading planning, execution, finance, customer service, vendor negotiation, marketing, and theme development.

  I managed budgets, coordinated suppliers, and led more than 100 professionals during parties and large events, ensuring smooth operations and a high-quality customer experience from planning through execution.

  Our largest event was a New Year's Eve party with 5,000 guests, which required strong operational planning, team coordination, and execution under pressure.

  ---

• Advanced Programmer Analyst

  QAT Global

  Dec 2020 - Jun 2021

  Played a key role in developing and maintaining a large utility automation application as part of a 14-person Scrum team.

  Worked with Java, Spring Boot, SQL Server, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Jenkins, JUnit, and SVN to deliver features, maintain system quality, and support ongoing product evolution.

  ---

• Co-founder and Software Engineer

  3r Agência

  Oct 2016 - Dec 2020

  Co-founded a digital agency and designed, built, and delivered custom software solutions for entrepreneurs and companies.

  Combined software engineering, product thinking, and UX/UI knowledge to lead projects from concept to launch using Java, Spring Boot, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript while working closely with clients and cross-functional teams.

  ---

• Tech Lead @ Database Group

  Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho

  Jan 2016 - Apr 2018

  Led project teams at the university's Database Group, helping define requirements, schedules, deliverables, and technical direction across research and software initiatives.

  I also reviewed team activities, supported implementation, and coordinated testing to keep projects moving with quality and consistency.

  ---

• Software Engineer @ Database Group

  Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho

  Jan 2014 - Dec 2015

  Developed and maintained systems for the university's Database Group, while also administering databases and supporting internal research and academic platforms.

  My work included Java, Spring Boot, JPA/Hibernate, PostgreSQL, JSP, HTML, CSS, Less, Bootstrap, JavaScript, and jQuery, with responsibilities spanning development, maintenance, and testing.

  ---

Skills

• Backend and Platform Engineering

  Node.js, Go, Java, GraphQL, REST APIs, distributed systems, event-driven architecture, Kafka, and high-throughput backend services.

  ---

• Frontend and Product Development

  React, TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and building end-to-end product experiences across web applications and internal platforms.

  ---

• Data and Infrastructure

  PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and scalable production systems with strong focus on performance and reliability.

  ---

• Architecture and Leadership

  Software design, technical leadership, mentoring, engineering standards, platform strategy, and defining patterns, libraries, and best practices for teams.

  ---