Alexander is available for hire
Hire AlexanderAlexander Finn
Verified Expert in Engineering
Machine Learning Developer
Location
Helsinki, Finland
Toptal Member Since
January 2, 2015
Alexander is an experienced software architect and entrepreneur with expertise in object-oriented design, microservice architecture, cloud deployment, and horizontal scalability. He focuses on Agile and lean methodologies, including the application of re-architecture, refactoring, and redesign.
Portfolio
Silo AI
Python 3, Machine Learning, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)...
Personik
Python, Java, Kotlin, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), GPT...
Solu
Python 3, Kotlin, Git, Android, Amazon Web Services (AWS)...
Experience
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Git, Sublime Text, IntelliJ IDEA, MacOS
The most amazing...
...product I've built is Jambok, a social learning and knowledge sharing environment for corporations.
Work Experience
Lead AI Solutions Architect
2018 - PRESENT
Silo AI
- Assisted data scientists in delivering customer projects faster by designing and developing an internal MLOps platform for Silo AI.
- Helped one of the world's biggest retail companies build an internal AI platform for delivering machine learning models as microservices to power their online store.
- Created and designed a patent and technical documentation search and analytics tool for a leading telecommunications company.
- Designed and developed an automated visual quality control solution for a city infrastructure maintenance company.
Technologies: Python 3, Machine Learning, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), TensorFlow, Kubeflow, MLflow, Kubernetes, Databricks, Agile Software Development, Amazon API, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), API Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Architecture, Microservices, CI/CD Pipelines, Leadership, Language Models, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
CTO and Chief Architect
2017 - 2019
Personik
- Developed an AI-powered chatbot platform that integrates with corporate systems, such as SAP, Workday, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. Company employees can use the platform and its conversational UI to solve daily tasks.
- Designed and developed a custom text classification engine based on fastText embedding and a neural network classifier.
- Implemented and designed an enterprise integration bus, allowing simple integrations between the chatbot and corporate systems.
Technologies: Python, Java, Kotlin, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Natural Language Processing (NLP), GPT, Slack API, MongoDB, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Docker, Kubernetes, OData, fastText, SpaCy, Agile Software Development, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), API Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Machine Learning, Architecture, Workday, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Microservices, CI/CD Pipelines, Event-driven Architecture, CTO, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Head of Cloud Services
2015 - 2017
Solu
- Enabled collaborative data manipulations for the Solu platform by designing and developing cloud services.
- Built an end-to-end CI/CD pipeline and continuous delivery process for the engineering team.
- Designed and developed an Android client library to support offline and online data manipulations with occasional synchronization between devices.
Technologies: Python 3, Kotlin, Git, Android, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Agile Software Development, Amazon API, API Architecture, Architecture, Microservices, CI/CD Pipelines, Event-driven Architecture, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Lead Architect, Core Frameworks
2011 - 2015
SAP SuccessFactors
- Implemented rich media management functionality in SAP Jam, a social collaboration platform.
- Designed and developed a shared service for rich media management, used by multiple SAP SuccessFactors and SAP products to deliver video and audio features to the end users.
- Built and designed the SAP SuccessFactors core framework that handled dynamic data model management and persistence.
- Created a REST API functional testing framework to ensure the quality of reusable services and avoid regressions.
Technologies: Subversion (SVN), Git, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP HANA, MongoDB, Python, Java, Agile Software Development, API Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Architecture, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Microservices, CI/CD Pipelines, Event-driven Architecture, Leadership
CTO and Chief Architect
2010 - 2011
Jambok
- Designed and developed a SaaS knowledge sharing platform for corporations.
- Implemented microservices architecture to reduce dependencies and increase development speed and reliability.
- Automated acceptance and integration testing to increase product quality despite the absence of QA engineers.
- Managed a team of five engineers based in California, Russia, and Brazil.
- Brought product in record time to market, from the prototype in a month to first beta customers in two months and paying customers in three months.
Technologies: CouchDB, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Java, Django, Python, Agile Software Development, Amazon API, API Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Architecture, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Microservices, CI/CD Pipelines, Event-driven Architecture, CTO, Leadership
Lead Software Architect, Sun Learning Services
2007 - 2010
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
- Reorganized Sun Learning Services technical infrastructure from more than fifty systems to fewer than ten, resulting in over 10x cost reduction.
- Architected and developed the Sun Learning eXchange online learning service allowing Sun Employees, key partners, and customers to use rich media (video, audio, presentations) and share their knowledge in a social infrastructure. Developed using Python and Django in conjunction with Java-based services.
- Architected and developed the MyLearning learning management system (based on Oracle iLearning, Atlassian Confluence) to manage employee onboarding, online and offline learning, compliance, and certifications.
- Participated in the Sun Partner Advantage competency tracking system as technical lead, delivering solutions to calculate partners' competencies based on their employees learning and certification history. Ruby on Rails-based UI + Oracle RDBMS and Oracle BI back-end.
- Introduced Agile (Scrum, Kanban) practices to improve the development process.
- Introduced automated acceptance testing practices to improve quality and reduce manual QA efforts.
- Provided technical leadership for a team of over twenty engineers spread all over the world.
Technologies: CouchDB, Oracle, MySQL, Git, Subversion (SVN), Ruby, Django, Python, Java, API Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Architecture, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Microservices, CI/CD Pipelines, Leadership
Software Developer
2005 - 2007
Conject AG
- Implemented an instant messaging module for a real estate project management system (Jabber + Web Interface + AJAX).
- Developed a web camera monitoring module for a real estate project management system that allowed customers to visually monitor building progress, property management services, and tracked image archive.
- Introduced functional test automation using Jameleon and integration test automation using FitNesse.
- First (successful) experience with Agile development and Scrum processes.
Technologies: Oracle, Subversion (SVN), Java EE, Architecture, CI/CD Pipelines
Software Engineer
2002 - 2005
SeaData Co.
- Developed a content management system for the SeaNews.RU news and analytics agency.
- Developed custom plugins for the HP helpdesk system to improve workload balance for support engineers.
- Improved the advertising banners rotation system for the SeaNews.RU site.
- Created a desktop application (Java SE + Swing) for content management for the SeaNews.RU web site.
- Participated in intranet communications portal product development and implemented news management and people directory modules.
Technologies: Java EE, Java SE, PHP
Experience
Jambok - Social Knowledge Sharing platform
Acting as CTO in Silicon Valley startup Jambok, I designed and led the development of the social knowledge sharing SaaS platform using Python (Django) for the web UI and Java for some of the back-end services. Some of the unique technical decisions helped us to enrich the market in the shortest possible time (four months from idea to first production release) and get the most amazing customers (Thomson Reuters, LG, Nike, Anadarko Petroleum).
MetaData Framework
As a part of the SuccessFactors SaaS platform, the MetaData framework was developed to allow customers to define their own business entities, associate custom logic with these entities, and build custom UIs to manage those. This framework helps thousands of SuccessFactors customers to include special logic and custom processes to their core HR solution.
InMail.io
A simple service allowing sales folks to find the email addresses of people they want to contact directly. Integrated with LinkedIn for contact discovery. I created a Chrome extension that works with LinkedIn to help people select the right contacts and a Python (Django+Celery) application that discovers e-mail addresses and manages contact lists.
Skills
Languages
Python, Java, ABAP, Kotlin, JavaScript, PHP, Java SE, Ruby, HTML, SQL, CSS, Python 3
Frameworks
Django, Flask, JPA, Spring, Bootstrap, Hibernate, JBoss Seam
Libraries/APIs
Amazon API, Jackson, JAX-RS, JDBC, jQuery, Apache Lucene, Slack API, SpaCy, TensorFlow
Tools
Sublime Text, Eclipse IDE, IntelliJ IDEA, Git, Subversion (SVN), Cucumber, Lettuce, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)
Paradigms
Agile Software Development, Test-driven Development (TDD), Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Scrum, Kanban, API Architecture, Microservices, Event-driven Architecture, Behavior-driven Development (BDD)
Other
Lean Development, Enterprise Architecture, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), Architecture, CI/CD Pipelines, CTO, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Language Models, OData, fastText, MLflow, Computational Physics, Algorithms, Workday, GPT
Platforms
Google App Engine, MacOS, Amazon EC2, Linux, Java EE, Amazon Web Services (AWS), SAP NetWeaver, Heroku, SAP HANA, Oracle, Solaris, Docker, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Kubernetes, Android, Azure, Kubeflow, Databricks
Storage
MongoDB, CouchDB, MySQL, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Elasticsearch, Memcached, Redis, Google Cloud
Education
1999 - 2005
Master's Degree in Applied Physics
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) - Saint Petersburg, Russia
Collaboration That Works
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
1
Share your needs
Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2
Choose your talent
Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3
Start your risk-free talent trial
Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring