Miguel Enes
Chief Technology Officer & Engineering Team Leader
About
An experienced programmer, leader, and e-commerce technology strategist with over 17 years in the software industry. Specializes in building scalable systems and empowering high-performance engineering teams through mentorship and technical coaching.
Work Experience
CEO & Founder at illuma.law
I founded illuma.law to build legal technology systems. I engineered custom Python agent systems, automated document triage, and led data pipelines for precision case evaluation.
- Programmed Python agents to retrieve, parse, and summarize legal documents from internal databases.
- Developed a rule-based and machine learning pipeline to classify and tag case documents, halving manual review effort.
- Architected the platform's full stack using Python (FastAPI, spaCy, PostgreSQL) for data ingestion, NLP processing, and API delivery.
Consultant at luminous-giant.com
I provide high-leverage technical consulting and system development for media and enterprise clients across Portugal, deploying LLMs and modernizing infrastructure.
- Built and maintained backend services for Portuguese clients using Laravel and Rust, handling system uptime and feature development.
- Managed infrastructure, content workflows, and deployment processes for a network of media sites, automating publishing pipelines.
- Developed Python scripts that integrate large language models to perform data extraction and automate repetitive tasks.
- Created automation tools that reduce manual steps in deployment and operations, shortening cycle times.
- Developed user-facing features using ExtJS and jQuery, integrating with Laravel and Rust backend APIs to deliver seamless client experiences.
- Modernized legacy frontend codebases by refactoring jQuery-based interactions into modular components, improving maintainability and reducing technical debt.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to bridge frontend and backend systems, ensuring consistent data flow and user interface reliability.
Chief Technology Officer at Of Them All
I lead platform architecture and AI automation for an early-stage startup. I built an AI audio mixing engine that combines FFmpeg 8 and Gemini 2.0 Flash, cutting production from 15 minutes to 30 seconds per track.
- Architected AI agent systems using Gemini, Prism, and Vizra ADK to automate content workflows at scale
- Built an AI audio mixing engine with FFmpeg 8, Gemini 2.0 Flash, and vector RAG โ 30 seconds per mix vs. 15 minutes manual
- Designed microservices infrastructure with Docker and GitHub Actions CI/CD
- Introduced automated testing and code review processes that increased delivery velocity without losing stability
- Stack: Laravel 12, Filament 5, PostgreSQL, Redis, Meilisearch vector search
Engineering Team Lead at MIR Insight
I led the Platform team through the modernization of machine learning infrastructure. I containerized ML pipelines and rebuilt the delivery workflow.
- Built automated CI/CD pipelines with Docker and GitHub Actions, cutting deployment time by 40%
- Containerized all ML pipelines for horizontal scalability across the platform
- Revamped the SDLC with automated testing and code reviews, reducing production incidents by 35%
- Transitioned the team to agile delivery, improving sprint velocity and release predictability
Self Employed at Plugin.services | developer.com.pt
I design and build AI-driven automation plugins and custom software solutions for Shopify merchants.
- Built AI-powered plugins for Shopify, using Polaris for UI elements and Laravel for backend logic.
- Implemented features that improved user experience and enhanced client performance metrics.
- Configured integrations to meet specific client requirements, ensuring system compatibility.
- Designed AI-driven automation tools that allowed merchants to manage their Shopify stores with minimal manual intervention, streamlining daily operations.
- Implemented intelligent workflows using Laravel and Polaris that automatically handled inventory updates, order processing, and customer communications.
- Leveraged machine learning algorithms to analyze store data and provide actionable insights, enabling clients to make data-driven decisions.
Software Engineering Team Lead at NEW WORK SE
I led platform and native engineering teams through business-critical transformation at XING. I managed up to 15 direct reports across backend, platform, iOS, and Android.
- Guided teams through large-scale data migrations and complete product rewrites with zero customer-facing downtime
- Led the platform team in architecting scalable microservices handling millions of user interactions
- Hired native mobile engineers globally and relocated them to EU offices
- Mentored high-performers into technical leads and engineering managers
- Aligned technical strategy with product leadership and ensured GDPR compliance
Co-Founder & CTO at iMotorbike
I co-founded iMotorbike and built the entire technical foundation for a motorcycle marketplace in Southeast Asia. I shaped the platform from MVP through Series A.
- Secured $250K seed funding and $100K from AWS Startups at MVP launch
- Architected a scalable microservices platform that became the primary driver for a $2.6M Series A round
- Designed PCI-DSS compliant payment and checkout systems handling millions of transactions
- Implemented horizontal scaling infrastructure supporting 100x growth without performance loss
- Hired and onboarded the founding engineering team
- Collaborated with the CEO on product strategy, market positioning, and investor relations
Chief Technology Officer at Bamilo
I led engineering for Iran's largest e-commerce marketplace. I owned the platform organization across five teams and moved the stack toward horizontal scaling.
- Oversaw QA, frontend, platform, logistics, and mobile (iOS/Android) teams
- Reduced cloud infrastructure costs by 30% by replacing proprietary tools with open-source alternatives
- Achieved horizontal scalability and automated deployment for peak traffic
- Set up 24/7 support teams for uninterrupted service
- Improved financial transparency across the engineering department
Software Engineering Manager at Lazada Group
I led Lazada's regional payments and checkout teams while the platform processed millions of daily transactions across Southeast Asia. I drove PCI-DSS compliance and the Alipay integration during the Alibaba acquisition.
- Managed multiple engineering teams across payments, checkout, and e-commerce infrastructure
- Drove the technical integration of Alipay (Ant Financial) during the Alibaba Group acquisition
- Led the PCI-DSS compliance process for the regional payment platform
- Acted as the bridge between product and engineering across payments, fraud, compliance, and logistics teams
- Hired engineers and coached the payments team through rapid scale
Software Engineering Team Lead at Lazada Group
I led engineering delivery for Lazada payments and checkout during my transition from contributor to team lead.
- Led multiple development teams building online payment and checkout solutions for the regional platform
- Turned product requirements into technical specifications and coordinated cross-department integrations
- Kept PCI-DSS delivery on track across payment integrations
- Oversaw hiring, appraisals, and coaching for the engineering team
Senior Software Engineer at Lazada Group
I moved from Portugal to Vietnam to build Lazada's payments stack. I delivered checkout and discount integrations while mentoring the local engineering team.
- Built payment, checkout, and discount system integrations for the regional e-commerce platform
- Transferred engineering best practices from Portugal to the Vietnam team
- Mentored junior engineers on secure payment implementation and code quality
- Stack: PHP, Yii, Zend Framework, Redis, MySQL, Memcached
Software Engineer at Rocket Internet SE
I built checkout and payment integrations for Rocket Internet ventures. I also contributed to a mobile API reused across the portfolio.
- Developed online checkout and payment system integrations for multiple venture launches
- Contributed to the core development of a mobile API adopted by hundreds of startups worldwide
- Stack: OOP PHP, Zend Framework, MySQL, Memcached, payment gateway integrations
Web Programmer at PCW
I started as a PHP web programmer building custom websites for small businesses in Portugal.
- Designed and built custom websites for small and medium enterprises across Portugal
- Handled full-stack delivery: client requirements, front-end implementation, and backend development
- Stack: PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Education
BsC. (Frequency) in Software Engineering
Associate's Degree AAS. Software Development in Software Development
Skills
Programming Languages
Frameworks & Libraries
Infrastructure & DevOps
Leadership & Management
Domain Expertise
Other Skills
Languages
Certifications
Projects
Saigon Soul Pool Party โ Co-Founder, Musical Director
I co-founded Saigon Soul, a weekly pool party at the New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. I built the tech and ran the marketing.
- Grew the event into one of Saigon's iconic electronic music gatherings, ranked 2nd among top places to visit
- Designed and built the online ticketing system and live streaming service
- Ran online marketing: website, social media, and email campaigns
- Selected and managed artists, handling music direction and event production