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Dieter Van de Walle, Back-end Developer in Stockholm, Sweden
Dieter Van de Walle

Back-end Developer in Stockholm, Sweden

Member since February 17, 2022
Dieter is a back-end developer with 17 years of experience. Having a solid background in operations and networking, he excels in building and scaling companies from greenfield to 100+ employees. Dieter enjoys solving complex problems by building Java, Spring, or cloud-based solutions.
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Portfolio

  • AudioHarvest
    Spring, Java, Docker, PostgreSQL, AWS, AWS Lambda, Amazon SQS...
  • Spotify
    Scala, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Cloud Dataflow, Google Bigtable...
  • Lightspeed
    Java, Spring, H2 Database, AWS, Amazon EC2, Git

Experience

Location

Stockholm, Sweden

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Maven, Java, Spring, React, PostgreSQL, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Docker, Kubernetes

The most amazing...

...thing I've built and scaled is the music and podcast ingestion systems at Spotify.

Employment

  • CTO | Co-founder

    2021 - PRESENT
    AudioHarvest
    • Built a SaaS podcast solution on AWS cloud designed for performance, stability, and scalability from the ground up.
    • Set up a CMS and digital marketing solution integrated with the SaaS product.
    • Involved in sales and pitching the product to potential customers and investors.
    Technologies: Spring, Java, Docker, PostgreSQL, AWS, AWS Lambda, Amazon SQS, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, React, SEO Marketing, Maven

  • Senior Software Engineer

    2017 - 2020
    Spotify
    • Designed and developed the podcast ingestion system and helped scale the podcast catalog systems from a few thousand up to 2.5 million podcasts and updated it in near real-time.
    • Outlined and developed the new generation of music ingestion systems to increase scale, SLO's, and stability.
    • Took ownership of Scala-based data pipelines running on Google Dataflow, interfacing with Bigtable and BigQuery, and processing millions of items per minute.
    Technologies: Scala, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Cloud Dataflow, Google Bigtable, Google BigQuery, Java, Google Compute Engine (GCE), Maven

  • Senior Software Developer

    2014 - 2017
    Lightspeed
    • Supported a startup from 20 to 100+ employees, turning the company into a global player through an acquisition.
    • Helped establish mature development practices, version management, quality assurance, and continuous integration.
    • Delivered the payment solution, payment card processing, and integrations with Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Worldpay, and Zettle.
    Technologies: Java, Spring, H2 Database, AWS, Amazon EC2, Git

  • C++ and Java Developer

    2010 - 2012
    Newtec Cy
    • Oversaw the Sat-IP satellite network transport system. Refactored the 100,000-line codebase to new requirements, which resulted in an independent, highly-reliable component.
    • Managed the AudioCodec audio encoding and decoding solution. Deployed the highly-customized embedded Linux platform in remote unreachable locations with a heavy focus on reliability and fail-safety.
    • Developed the MENOS satellite network management software using Java, implemented new features, and integrated with the Tellicast transport system.
    Technologies: C++, Java, Spring, Telecom Equipment & Solutions

  • Research Assistant

    2005 - 2008
    MultimediaLab University of Ghent
    • Built a C++ H264 decoder for supporting the video compression research.
    • Participated in several joint-effort projects between academic and business partners.
    • Developed several H264 and AVC-related tools to support the work of a research group.
    Technologies: C++, H264, Video Compression

Experience

  • Spotify Music and Podcast Ingestion Pipeline
    http://www.spotify.com

    The project aimed to refactor the legacy Python-based music ingestion solution into a modern microservice-based processing pipeline using Java.

    I played a key role in this project that resulted in reducing processing times from days to hours. I also designed and built a new podcast ingestion system, scaling from thousands to millions of podcasts. Additionally, my task was to take ownership and improve Google Dataflow-based podcast publishing pipeline, owning the back-end servers serving all Spotify clients.

  • AudioHarvest SaaS Startup
    https://www.audio-harvest.com

    AudioHarvest provides a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to create podcasts out of existing content. The user can leverage its previous marketing investments in written content and bring them into the audio world.

    I founded and bootstrapped the SaaS startup, building a cloud-based—AWS—robust and scalable solution. I also implemented and managed all related technical concerns, including CRM and digital marketing.

Skills

  • Languages

    Java, C++, Scala

  • Frameworks

    Spring, gRPC, OSGi

  • Tools

    Maven, Amazon SQS, Google Compute Engine (GCE), Git, Flyway, Cloud Dataflow, AWS CloudWatch, Apache Beam

  • Platforms

    Amazon EC2, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Docker, AWS Lambda, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Arduino, Kubernetes

  • Storage

    Google Bigtable, JSON, PostgreSQL, H2 Database

  • Other

    AWS, Software Engineering, H264, Digital Music, Software Architecture, Google BigQuery, Video Compression, Performance Tuning, Music Industry, AWS RDS, IT Project Management, SEO Marketing, Telecom Equipment & Solutions, Video Editing

  • Libraries/APIs

    Liquibase, React

  • Paradigms

    PRINCE2

Education

  • Masters Degree in Computer Science
    2000 - 2005
    Ghent University - Ghent, Belgium

Certifications

  • PRINCE2 Foundation
    DECEMBER 2013 - PRESENT
    APMG International
  • ArchiMate 2
    FEBRUARY 2013 - PRESENT
    The Open Group

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