Stefan De Lange

At Cagan Tech, a prominent digital transformation company specializing in health insurance, I led the implementation of industry-specific digital solutions for thousands of members, agents, and prospects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Designed, developed, and maintained .NET Core and Angular/AngularJS systems, aligning them with business requirements.
• Documented technical solutions using tools like Visio and Google Docs/Word.
• Documented APIs for client integration.
• Integrated systems with legacy insurance platforms for seamless membership management.
• Proficiently designed databases and data models to meet precise business needs.
• Provided essential architectural guidance and technical requirements to the development team.
• Set up and managed CI/CD pipelines in Team City and Octopus Deploy for efficient software delivery.
• Established GIT repositories and projects in Jetbrains Space for streamlined version control.
• Managed cloud infrastructure, deploying MS Server 2019 and IIS to support digital solutions.
• Led the development team, overseeing daily tasks and fostering collaboration.
• Implemented agile practices, including scrum boards in Jira and Click Up, and meticulous sprint planning.
• Offered valuable guidance on support issues and conducted comprehensive code reviews to maintain code quality.

Technologies Utilized:

Backend:

• .NET Core (2.1, 3, 5, 6, 7)
• C#
• Entity Framework (MSSQL, PostgreSQL)
• RabbitMQ
• Azure Service Bus
• Azure Blob Storage
• Websocket/SignalR
• Redis
• Visio

Front End:

• Angular/AngularJS
• Bootstrap CSS 3, 4, 5
• Syncfusion components
• Webix components

During this period, I leveraged these technologies to drive digital transformation in health insurance, enhancing user experiences and ensuring seamless system operation.

Capitec Bank, one of the largest personal banks in South Africa, relies on its backend team to provide the foundation for all banking transactions, encompassing both real-time and batch processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Designed, developed, and maintained COBOL systems within the Bancs Banking platform.
• Spearheaded the rebuilding of the loans platform to accommodate new products with revolving terms and even potentially negative interest rates.
• Implemented optimizations in daily batch processing for loans.
• Proficiently set up batch processing across a multi-server environment using Control-M.
• Took a leadership role in the loan team, facilitating requirements gathering from the business unit, sprint setup, and sprint planning.
• Offered guidance and support in addressing technical issues, including code reviews.
• Actively engaged in production support, including week-long support and standby duties involving debugging and resolving real-time transaction issues, as well as batch processing errors.
• Collaborated effectively with other teams to troubleshoot and resolve network and server-related challenges.

Technologies Utilized:

• COBOL
• Linux batch scripts
• C++ support
• Control-M scheduling tool

During this period, I worked with these technologies to drive the bank's core banking platform and ensure the seamless operation of critical financial processes.

As a freelance developer, I engaged with diverse clients to establish clear project requirements and deliverables, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of their objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Skillfully negotiated fees and contracts, fostering mutually beneficial agreements that satisfied both clients and myself.
• Employed optimization techniques to enhance the performance of web applications, delivering efficient and responsive solutions.
• Demonstrated creativity and technical prowess by designing and implementing new features and enhancements, thereby elevating the quality and functionality of existing applications.
• Leveraged my expertise in a variety of technologies, including .NET MVC, .NET Core, AngularJS, and Laravel PHP, to develop robust and tailored systems that met the unique needs of each client.
• Successfully integrated freelance projects with third-party applications, such as fitness apps, trading platforms, and legacy insurance systems, seamlessly connecting diverse software ecosystems to enhance functionality and user experiences.

During my freelance journey, I prioritized effective communication, technical excellence, and adaptability to deliver exceptional results for my clients, ultimately contributing to the success of various projects.

FNB, one of South Africa's esteemed 'Big 5' banks, entrusts its customer information team with the critical responsibility of providing the banking platform for all customer transactions, encompassing both real-time and batch processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Led the design, development, and maintenance of COBOL systems, focusing on the Customer Information System.
• Spearheaded efforts to optimize batch conversion processes, streamlining the release of new features.
• Contributed to the enhancement of the KYC (know your customer) process, ensuring account access restrictions in cases of incomplete KYC information.
• Played a pivotal role in a project aimed at optimizing and simplifying the customer onboarding process. This innovation enabled the creation of new client accounts and initiated account openings via the banking app, requiring only a 'selfie' for KYC authentication.
• Actively participated in production support, undertaking week-long support and standby duties. These responsibilities encompassed debugging and resolving real-time transaction issues, as well as addressing batch processing errors.
• Collaborated seamlessly with other teams to resolve network and server-related challenges.

Technologies Utilized:

• COBOL
• Iceman / Icetools mainframe file manipulation

Throughout this role, I leveraged these technologies to empower FNB's banking platform, ensuring the efficiency and security of customer transactions.