Joel Makara
Tech Leader And Cloud Solutions Architect
Johannesburg,GP
Summary
Results-driven Technical Lead, Cloud Solution Architect, and Senior Software Developer with over 14 years of experience in full-stack development, specializing in C#, Angular, and SQL. Proven track record of leading high-impact teams to develop cutting-edge e-commerce, cloud connectivity, and data analytics systems for industry-leading companies in fintech and automotive sectors. Recognized for delivering efficient, dynamic, and scalable solutions with a focus on clean, maintainable code. Extensive experience deploying solutions through seamless continuous integration and deployment pipelines on Kubernetes to drive operational excellence and elevate analytics capabilities.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Technical Lead
Toyota South Africa Motors
05.2023 - Current
- Leading a dedicated development team responsible for delivering a cutting-edge greenfield eCommerce fulfilment system to Toyota's extensive dealer network.
- Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to align technology solutions with business objectives and drive innovation within the automotive industry.
- Architected and supervised the development of the system, leveraging the power of dotnet in C# for robust back-end functionality and an Angular front-end for an intuitive user interface.
- Ensured that the system was developed to high quality standards, including code review, unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing.
- Key tools and frameworks: C#, .NET, Angular, Docker, Kubernetes, MS Azure, DevOps practices
Senior Software Engineer
BMW Group
11.2021 - 04.2023
- Senior Engineer in the Plant Connectivity and Transformation teams developing a central platform to connect BMW shopfloor equipment to cloud-ready applications.
- Developed a high-performance Kafka streaming service for transformation of messages from miscellaneous PLC protocols to desired cloud application formats. Notable message formats: OPC-UA and Siemens S7/RFC1006
- Strong focus on clean code and functional programming
- Supported in the development of a Kotlin-based domain-specific language for the translation of messages
- Key tools and frameworks: Kotlin, Kafka, C#, TypeScript, DSLs
Lead Developer
FirstRand Bank
03.2018 - 10.2021
- Leading development teams at FRB's Group Treasury Division as part of the Keyblade team.
- Developed new features and provided support on operational and decision-making systems for group treasury management.
- Lead development of the NCD Rate Setting web application which equipped the bank's funding desk with real-time competitor data, and computed funding curves to inform funding decisions.
- Key achievements include starting the NCD project from inception and seeing it into production as well as pioneering web development with the Angular framework within the team.
- Tools and Frameworks mainly used: Angular, .Net Core, Team City, Octopus Deploy
Senior Software Engineer
Entelect Software
09.2014 - 02.2018
- Senior full-stack web developer on the Investec and Ashburton Group (Ashburton, RMB, FNB) investment administration portals.
- Lead developer on the Production Support stream since July 2016 - supporting the portals by implementing client and server-side fixes, as well as patches to the service and data layer.
- Also leading support of the Investec Guided Investment platform built on the MEAN stack.
- Notable features introduced include a site-wide security overhaul, digital signing service integration with DocuSign and integration with external reporting provider Infoslips on the Investec website.
- Key achievements include burning down the Ashburton Production Support issue list to zero (all production logs resolved)
- Tools and Frameworks mainly used: ASP .Net web API, MVC & Web Forms, MS SQL Server.
Software Engineer
Publicis Machine
11.2012 - 03.2014
- Key responsibilities: Development and support of server-side platforms to service digital advertising campaigns.
- Lead developer on the Machine Loyalty Platform and Zoo (Machine's in-house CRM), both of which formed the bedrock of Sanlam Reality online booking tool, MiWay Rewards, Adidas Unite Joburg etc.
- Served up web API endpoints for persisting and retrieving user data, as well as rewards redemption and fulfilment data.
- Inherited CreditCart, a personal loan gateway providing an alternate payment option on online merchant sites e.g. Takealot.com.
- Notable achievements - Completely replaced the NHibernate ORM across the entire application with a hand-coded stored procedure-based Data Access Layer for improved performance.
- Integrated with third-party systems; notably Machine's legacy CRM; Salesforce and credit information provider TransUnion.
- Tools and Frameworks mainly used: MS SQL Server and ASP.Net MVC, Entity Framework - both Database and Code-First.
MIS & RA Systems Developer
Vodacom Lesotho
02.2009 - 01.2010
- Key responsibilities: Development and support of Reporting and Revenue Assurance systems to ensure timely detection of revenue leakage in network elements.
- Tools mainly used: PLSQL over Oracle 11g, C++
Education
MSc Eng. - Electrical
01.2010 - 01.2012
- Not Complete
- Research Topic: Optimisation of Variable Bit-Rate Traffic Delivery in LTE Networks
- 2 submissions to the regional Southern African Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference
BEng - Computer Systems and Networks
01.2004 - 01.2009
- Acquired CISCO CCNA 4 Certificate
- GPA: Second Class, First Division
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) - undefined
GPA: Pass with Distinction
Skills
Project leadership
Agile methodology
Systems development lifecycle management
Technical analysis
Technical mentoring
Affiliations
- The Institute of IT Professionals South Africa (IITPSA)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Personal Information
Nationality: Lesotho (SA Exceptional Skills Visa holder, awaiting SA Permanent Residence)
Research Publications
- Downlink Packet Scheduling for Variable Bitrate Traffic in LTE Networks, 2011 Southern African Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC)
- Optimisation of Variable Bitrate Traffic Delivery in LTE Networks, 2010 SATNAC
Timeline
Technical Lead - Toyota South Africa Motors
05.2023 - Current
Senior Software Engineer - BMW Group
11.2021 - 04.2023
Lead Developer - FirstRand Bank
03.2018 - 10.2021
Senior Software Engineer - Entelect Software
09.2014 - 02.2018
Software Engineer - Publicis Machine
11.2012 - 03.2014
University of Cape Town - MSc Eng., Electrical
01.2010 - 01.2012
MIS & RA Systems Developer - Vodacom Lesotho
02.2009 - 01.2010
National University of Lesotho - BEng, Computer Systems and Networks
01.2004 - 01.2009
National University of Lesotho International School - International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE),