Tom-Steve Watzke

Dipl. - Inf. (FH), M. Sc.

Staff Software Engineer | Systems & AI Architecture

Tom-Steve Watzke

Dipl. - Inf. (FH), M. Sc.

Staff Software Engineer | Systems & AI Architecture

About me

Hello!

My name is Tom-Steve Watzke. I developed a love to computer science at an early age. My career is as clear and self-explanatory as my code: high school diploma, studies in computer science and then a master in "Discrete and Computational Mathematics". During this time, I have been working since 2007 and am now a Staff Software Engineer | Systems & AI Architecture.

Since I immersed myself in the Linux world around 2004, dark mode has been my favorite, that's why my site looks the same. Gentoo Linux was the first and many followed, now I am using MacOS. I like clear structures and designs as well as clean and self-explanatory code.

Languages

German
native
English
fluent
French
fluent

Interests & Hobbies

  • Running
  • Athletic Sport
  • Gaming

Professional Skills & Tech Stack

  • Gemini Nano Banana 2 Architecture & Cloud-Sovereignty
    Docker Swarm/Compose
    AWS ECS (Multi-Tenancy)
    SCW (EU-Sovereignty)
  • Gemini Nano Banana 2 Secure Coding & IAM
    TDD, SAST (PHP Insp. TSLint),
    DAST (Burp, Jmeter, cURL)
    SAML/SSO, MS Entra, Keycloak, JWT
  • Gemini Nano Banana 2 DevOps & Cloud Automation
    CI/CD & SCA: Jenkins, Renovate
    IaC: Terraform, Puppet
    Mail: AWS SES (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
  • Database Architecture by Creative Stall from the Noun Project High-Performance Relational Databases and SQL / ORM Programming / Optimization
    MySQL/MariaDB/AWS Aurora RDS (SQL), Doctrine (DQL)
  • programming by ProSymbols from the Noun Project Abstract and Multilingual Programming Knowledge and Experience
    PHP, JS/TS, Angular/Node, Python, Java, Shell
    (also: C/C++, Lisp/Scheme)
  • frontend by Danil Polshin from the Noun Project Responsive Webdesign and
    API-Programming
    HTML5, JS, CSS3
    XML / JSON
    Allg. App-Design/-Aufbau
  • front-end by Virna Varela from the Noun Project Extensive Knowledge
    in IDE and Server
    IntelliJ IDEA, AndroidStudio, XCode, Netbeans
    Apache, Tomcat, Android/iOS Simulator
  • agile by Eucalyp from the Noun Project Project Management and
    Version Control Systems
    Jira, Confluence,
    Mantis, Redmine, GitLab
    Git, SVN, CVS
  • operation system by Becris from the Noun Project Excellent Knowledge in
    Operating Systems
    MacOS Tahoe, MS Windows 11
    Linux/Unix: Gentoo und FreeBSD
    (also Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora)
    Android (auch iOS)
  • sharpen by Creaticca Creative Agency from the Noun Project Excellent knowledge of image processing and 3D / web rendering
    GIMP (Bitmaps), Inkscape (SVG)
    Three.js (WebGL)
  • algorithm by Flatart from the Noun Project Advanced Mathematical Knowledge
    through Discrete and Computational Mathematics
  • Learning by Eucalyp from the Noun Project Complex Mindset
    Fast code familiarization and complex ways of thinking

Education

  • 2009 – 2011 Master of Science, University of Applied Sciences Mittweida
    Discrete and Computational Mathematics ∅ 2.2
  • 2005 – 2009 Diplom Informatics (FH), University of Applied Sciences Mittweida
    Practical Computer Science ∅ 1.2
    • Diploma Thesis: urn:nbn:de:bsz:mit1-opus-7896
    • Topic: Development of a database interface as the basis for shop systems using the Askemos® operating system

Experience

  • since 2022 - 2026 chemmedia AG
    Staff Software Engineer | Systems & AI Architecture
    • Staff Software Engineer at Knowledgeworker Share
      • Technical leadership and steering of LMS development team in close coordination with the development team lead
      • Secure Software Development (Secure Coding): TDD/E2E (PHPUnit; Cypress conceptualized), PenTesting (JMeter, cURL), SAST & DAST (e.g., PHP Inspections [EA Extended], TSLint, Burp Suite)
      • Identity & Access Management (IAM): Integration of Single Sign-On (SAML/SSO), user synchronization with Microsoft Entra ID (testing via Keycloak), and JWT-based authentication
      • Internationalization (i18n): Development of custom Symfony commands for automated AI-driven translation (via ChatGPT API) with downstream quality assurance using Weblate
      • Tech Stack & Frameworks: PHP/Symfony, Node, Angular (JavaScript / TypeScript), Python (e.g., AWS Lambda)
    • DevOps / IaC / Cloud Architecture (Evolution & Modernization)
      • Automation of Jenkins CI/CD pipelines for TDD, Docker image creation, and Vulnerability Management / SCA (Renovate, npm audit; Trivy conceptualized)
      • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Cloud Engineering: Independent design, implementation, and prod-ready deployment of a highly available, isolated AWS infrastructure via Terraform / OpenTofu (including VPC, ELB, ASG, RDS, ElastiCache, ACM, ECR)
      • Serverless Security & Mail Automation: Established a secure outbound email infrastructure via AWS SES (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) including automated bounce handling and sender notifications using Python AWS Lambda; integrated ClamAV for malware detection
      • Cloud Sovereignty & Risk Management: Strategic pivot towards European infrastructures to mitigate US Cloud Act risks; evaluation of European cloud alternatives (such as Scaleway)
      • Cloud & Cluster Architectures: Conception and operation of AWS ECS (multi-tenant isolation of LMS instances), evolution from Docker Swarm to resilient MicroClouds via Docker Compose to resolve scaling vulnerabilities; successful decommissioning of legacy AIO systems to modern container structures (Scaleway infrastructure with Docker Compose as a pioneer)
      • Observability, Monitoring & Alerting: Conception of centralized logging and metrics management using Sentry, Grafana, Kibana, Prometheus, and AWS CloudWatch (including proactive alerting)
    • Optimization / Development utilizing AI assistance and AI agents (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Gordon AI for Docker optimization)
  • 2012 – 2014 pitcom GmbH
    Senior Full Stack Web & Mobile App Engineer
    • Development of basic nativ apps (iOS, Android) for RI24
    • Optimisation of web projects, SQL queries, project management, code and development quality
    • Full stack engineering of web portals based on the Zend Framework / Laminas (PHP, MySQL, Apache)
      Projects: Event/Ticket Shop, Online Competition/Voting, Job Recruitment, Employee & Office DB, etc.
    • Administration of FreeBSD servers (port setup, scripting, monitoring)
    • Continuation of the MARS project
  • 2012 – 2014 future mobility GmbH
    Software Engineer
    • Web page/module development based on Drupal CMS (PHP)
    • Car sharing WebApp (Java Spring, Tomcat)
  • 2007 – 2012 pitcom PROJECT GmbH
    Software Engineer & System Administrator
    • Research & Development in the MARS project - Mobile Authentication using Retina Scanning
      (Project Management, Java Spring) SIFO.de
    • Research & Development based on the autonomous meta-operating system Askemos
      (XML/XSL + Lisp/Scheme)
    • Administration and development of websites / modules based on Java / PHP or the Drupal CMS incl. administration of FreeBSD servers
    • Optimization of websites in terms of responsive design, IT security and SEO

Showroom | 2022

  • KaFaSax: a portal for improving the compatibility of family and career in saxony|www.kafasax-portal.de
  • VOWAbag: a portal for selling bags configurated and made in Vogtland|www.vowabag.de
  • Job portal Leipzig: a portal for offering jobs by local companies|www.fachkraefte-leipzig.de
  • Job portal Erzgebirge: a portal for offering jobs by local companies|www.fachkraefte-erzgebirge.de
  • Job portal Vogtland: a portal for offering jobs by local companies|www.vogtlandjob.de
  • Job portal Kamenz: a portal for offering jobs by local companies|www.jobportal-wachstumsregion-dresden.de
  • Image Database Vogtland: a portal for the administration and editorial of photos|www.bilder-vogtland.de
  • Employer Database: a portal to represent employees, teams, offices or information centers|www.pitcom.de/leistungen/digitale-geschaeftsprozesse/mitarbeiter-db
  • Ticket shop: a portal for selling tickets and managing events|www.pitcom.de/leistungen/digitale-geschaeftsprozesse/ticket-shop
  • Online voting: a portal for voting about e.g. projects used|www.pitcom.de/leistungen/vertriebs-und-kommunikationstools/online-voting
  • Practical career orientation: a portal for digitisation of processes for the rural district office|

© 2021 - Tom-Steve Watzke | Grav