Fernando Ferrer
Data Engineer and Developer
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
Toptal Member Since
June 18, 2020
Fernando is a data engineer and SQL expert with domain knowledge in finance and healthcare. He's created companies and data systems for some well-known entities such as the Olympics Committee and Queen's University. Fernando's work in the medical research field was pivotal in obtaining over $50 million in investment, and he also co-founded an innovative DaaS healthcare company that was later acquired by a multibillion-dollar conglomerate.
Fernando is available for hire
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Hendrick Autoguard
MongoDB, PyMongo, SQL
Pfizer - PGS Operations Insights
SQL, Data Engineering, Python, ETL, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python 3
CONTINUUM HEALTH VENTURES
Data Analytics, Big Data, Data Lakes, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Experience
Data Modeling - 12 yearsSQL - 12 yearsAmazon Web Services (AWS) - 8 yearsData Warehousing - 8 yearsData Engineering - 7 yearsETL - 7 yearsRedshift - 4 yearsGoogle Cloud - 2 yearsLocation
Availability
Full-time
Preferred Environment
Amazon Aurora, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Linux
The most amazing...
...thing I've created was a healthcare analytics company from scratch that was sold to a multibillion-dollar conglomerate.
Work Experience
2023 - 2023
MongoDB Architect
Hendrick Autoguard
- Advised a team of engineers on designing and implementing a data lake for centralized data repositories.
- Created a NoSQL data model to integrate multiple data sources.
- Provided advice around best practices when dealing with data.
Technologies: MongoDB, PyMongo, SQL
2022 - 2023
Data Engineer
Pfizer - PGS Operations Insights
- Developed a data warehouse and data pipelines to ingest logistic and pharmaceutical data.
- Reduced ETL pipeline complexity by re-designing the data model and process.
- Improved data quality by adding QA checks to the pipeline to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Technologies: SQL, Data Engineering, Python, ETL, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python 3
2021 - 2023
Data Advisor
CONTINUUM HEALTH VENTURES
- Automated due diligence processes to reduce cost. Applied NLP on financial and pitch documents for context extraction.
- Completed due diligence using data analytics tools on benchmarking against the universe of potential investments.
- Integrated multiple data feeds into our data lake to potential benchmark investments.
Technologies: Data Analytics, Big Data, Data Lakes, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
2021 - 2022
Senior Data Architect
Goodwater Capital
- Migrated environment to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) while managing two data engineers and one data scientist.
- Moved over 20 TB of data to BigQuery. Set up ETL pipeline using Airflow. Tuned queries and designed BI architect system.
- Managed a team of three data professionals. Migrated the entire environment to the cloud.
Technologies: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), BigQuery, Apache Airflow, Big Data, SQL, ETL, Python 3
2017 - 2020
Corporate Training Director
NobleProg
- Trained the Royal Canadian Navy on how to do data analytics on AWS.
- Coached a team of DBA and database developers working for the federal government of Mexico in PostgreSQL administration.
- Instructed a team at Logitech Asia headquarters in testing and tinning PostgreSQL queries.
- Developed the curriculum and syllabus for the following technical areas: PostgreSQL, database development and administration, AWS cloud computing, GCP cloud computing, and MariaDB administration.
- Trained multiple clients in data visualization using PowerBI.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Oracle, MongoDB, MySQL, PHP, SQL
2017 - 2020
Technical Director
Immutable Data, Inc.
- Developed data warehouses for various clients, including ETL jobs, data lakes, and data pipelines. I designed and administered MySQL clusters as well as PostgreSQL instances.
- Built a custom sports analytics platform for the US Olympic Committee using MySQL, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, and Python. Using DMS, I created an ETL pipeline and used Snowpipe to move raw data dumps into a virtualized Snowflake data lake.
- Set up a data warehouse for a professional social media platform. I designed a pipeline that ingested data from MySQL and PostgreSQL and combined them into a data warehouse I created.
- Performed DBA tasks on MySQL and PostgreSQL instances to ensure reliability and availability. It included troubleshooting slow queries, configuring buffers, provisioning hardware, and networking equipment.
- Created ETL jobs using ETL works platform etlworks.com. We performed multiple transformations from raw dumps, PostgreSQL dumps, to Redshift.
- Hired a team of seasoned data scientists to support client operations.
- Developed multiple dashboards for multiple clients using PowerBI, Metabase, Tableau, and Looker.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Snowflake, Relational Database Services (RDS), PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redshift, Python, SQL, Metabase, Data Visualization, Big Data, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google BigQuery, BigQuery, ETL
2017 - 2017
Senior Data Engineer
Androdon Capital, Inc.
- Collected 20 years of currency trading data and inserted it into a PostgreSQL database.
- Created a custom Python ETL to aggregate financial data into currency data.
- Developed a high-frequency trading algorithm using C#.
Technologies: Python, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL, ETL
2013 - 2017
Co-founder
Q2 Metrics
- Created a physician influence tracking tool using over 1.2 billion records from both government and private companies. The transnational nature of the application was powered by a cluster of five MySQL servers.
- Optimized MySQL cluster to ingest over 1 billion records and perform sub-1-second queries with over 1000 concurrent connections.
- Managed a high-performing team of full-stack developers.
- Negotiated the sale of the company to a multibillion-dollar conglomerate.
Technologies: PostgreSQL, Oracle, MongoDB, MySQL, PHP, SQL, ETL, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
2008 - 2013
Clinical Applications Developer
Queen's University
- Built the first online patient randomization system. It was a revolutionary way to enroll patients into blind randomized control trials. The system was powered by our on-premise My-SQL database cluster of three nodes.
- Developed an open source longitudinal in-patient electronic data capture system in conjunction with Vanderbilt University.
- Constructed a custom electronic data collection system for the largest nutritional-based randomized in-patient clinical trial study.
- Performed SysAdmin tasks on a cluster of Unix servers where MySQL was installed and running. It included patching, troubleshooting slow queries, and ensuring uptime.
Technologies: Unix, PostgreSQL, MySQL, PHP, SQL, ETL
2007 - 2008
Oracle Developer
Canadian Cancer Institute of Canada
- Developed Oracle Forms to collect and analyze clinical trial data.
- Implemented a proprietary EDC system called Medidata Rave.
- Migrated the past clinical trial data from a legacy system into a new system.
Technologies: C#, Oracle
Experience
Physician Influence Tool
http://www.q2metrics.com/piA custom online tool that tracked how each physician in the US was doing in their field in comparison to their peers.
The tool tracked:
• Number of procedures performed
• Amount of billables
• Published articles
• Shared patients
• Social media feeds
• Conference speakers
The goal of the tool was to show to clients which physician was an influencer in order for them to pitch their products to them.
The tool tracked:
• Number of procedures performed
• Amount of billables
• Published articles
• Shared patients
• Social media feeds
• Conference speakers
The goal of the tool was to show to clients which physician was an influencer in order for them to pitch their products to them.
Data Warehouse and Pipeline for the US Olympic Committee
The high-performance division of the US Olympic Committee asked my team and me to develop an internal tool to collect and analyze athletes' performance data and predict possible injuries.
We collected wearable/sensor data plus questionnaire data and medical records and combined them into a data warehouse.
The orchestration was done using Airflow, and the warehouse was built on Redshift.
We collected wearable/sensor data plus questionnaire data and medical records and combined them into a data warehouse.
The orchestration was done using Airflow, and the warehouse was built on Redshift.
High-frequency Trading Algorithm
I developed a high-frequency trading algorithm for a boutique financial firm in Toronto. The algorithm would look at current pricing and trends of different currency pairs and would execute trades based on a predictive model.
Central Randomization System
https://ceru.hpcvl.queensu.ca/CRS/Conducting a randomized control trial across multiple centers in multiple geographical areas presents a unique set of challenges. Traditionally sealed envelopes are used to randomize the next patient. When multiple centers are involved, that strategy can't guarantee a balanced set of arms.
That's where the central randomization system comes in.
This online tool guarantees patients are enrolled in a blind, double-blind, or balanced arm study from anywhere in the world. It provides different access levels to allow for patient unblinding in case of a serious adverse event while maintaining the blindness of the study.
That's where the central randomization system comes in.
This online tool guarantees patients are enrolled in a blind, double-blind, or balanced arm study from anywhere in the world. It provides different access levels to allow for patient unblinding in case of a serious adverse event while maintaining the blindness of the study.
Google Cloud Badges
https://google.qwiklabs.com/public_profiles/8a94e88a-e3bb-4578-9036-de3a9881d308Here are the Google Qwiklabs badges and quests that I've obtained thus far.
• BigQuery Basics for Data Analysts (Earned Jun 15, 2020)
• Baseline: Infrastructure (Earned May 15, 2020)
• Google Cloud Essentials (Earned May 13, 2020)
• BigQuery Basics for Data Analysts (Earned Jun 15, 2020)
• Baseline: Infrastructure (Earned May 15, 2020)
• Google Cloud Essentials (Earned May 13, 2020)
Skills
Languages
SQL, Python, Python 3, PHP, Snowflake, C#, R
Tools
BigQuery, Apache Airflow, Microsoft Power BI, Sisense
Paradigms
ETL, Data Science, DevOps, Agile
Platforms
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Jupyter Notebook, Linux, Oracle, Unix, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Storage
Redshift, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Databases, NoSQL, Data Lakes, MongoDB, Google Cloud, Amazon Aurora, Data Lake Design, Google Cloud SQL
Industry Expertise
Healthcare
Other
Data Warehousing, Data Modeling, Data Engineering, Fintech, Finance, Education, Big Data, Data Visualization, Metabase, Data Warehouse Design, Data Analytics, Dashboards, Dashboard Development, Lecturing, Higher Education, Relational Database Services (RDS), Web Marketing, SEO Tools, Ads, Google BigQuery, Business, Business Models, Software Development, Software Deployment, Data, Data Architecture
Libraries/APIs
D3.js, PyMongo
Frameworks
Ruby on Rails (RoR), Flask, Laravel, Hadoop
Education
2021 - 2022
Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Marketing
Power Business School - Madrid, Spain
2020 - 2020
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in Business
PowerMBA - Madrid, Spain
2015 - 2015
Continuing Education Diploma in Big Data Analytics
MIT xPRO - Online
2014 - 2014
Continuing Education Diploma in Big Data Analytics
Caltech via Coursera - Online
2006 - 2008
Advanced Diploma (Graduated with Distinction) in Computer Programmer Analyst
St. Lawrence College - Kingston, Ontario, Canada
2002 - 2006
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering
URBE University - Maracaibo, Venezuela
Certifications
MARCH 2023 - PRESENT
Palantir Foundry Foundations
Palantir
NOVEMBER 2019 - NOVEMBER 2024
AWS Associate Engineer
AWS
JUNE 2015 - PRESENT
Big Data Fundamentals
IBM
FEBRUARY 2015 - PRESENT
MongoDB Certified DBA Associate
MongoDB University