Software Engineer

Helder Santos

Passionate software engineer based in Portugal, building pragmatic, people-shaped software at xgeeks. I care deeply about the intersection of engineering, design, and product.

About me Get in touch

# About Me

Hi, I'm Helder — a software engineer from Portugal with a passion for crafting software that's both technically solid and genuinely useful to people.

I thrive at the intersection of product strategy, engineering, and product-driven thinking. I bring a forward-thinking, pragmatic mindset to every challenge, combined with strong communication skills that help align teams around shared goals.

Currently working at xgeeks, where I contribute to building meaningful digital products. I believe great software is a team sport — and I take pride in evolving together with the teams I work with.

10+

Years of experience

Team player

PT

Based in Portugal

∞

Problems solved

# Experience

Tech Lead · Senior Fullstack Engineer

xgeeks

Jan 2021 → Present

Building high-quality digital products for diverse clients. Bridging the gap between technical delivery and product strategy, with a people-first approach to engineering.

Software Engineer · Tech Lead

ProjectBox

Oct 2011 → Dec 2020

Nine years as a full-stack developer and eventual tech lead across a wide range of client projects. Worked across Ruby, PHP, .NET, and React, managing teams and client relationships while delivering software in sectors including healthcare.

# Skills & Technologies

Ruby on Rails

JavaScript

TypeScript

React

PostgreSQL

SQLite

Docker

Git

REST APIs

TDD

Agile / Scrum

Product Thinking

Team Leadership

Technical Communication

System Design

CI/CD

# Get In Touch

I'm always open to interesting conversations, new opportunities, or just a good chat about tech and product.

LinkedIn GitHub

Full Experience

xgeeks

5 years

Tech Lead

Mar 2021 → Present

CIRCL

React, Node.js, TypeScript, Jest, GitHub Actions

Led the frontend team to build a route planning software, initially catering to the needs of a specific LPG distributor in Portugal and later planning and executing a solution to launch on the global market, with special focus on the US and Europe. Led product discussions and informed decisions based on expected outcomes.

–Integrated authentication between App and Web using Auth0
–Route job/stop configuration on the frontend, including all possible constraints
–Route assignment to drivers and vehicles with active monitoring on the web
–Integration with Flatfile for spreadsheet import of existing routes
–Integration with backend providing routing capabilities from a 3rd party provider

#route-planning#system-architecture

Cazoo

Next.js, React, Node.js, Ruby on Rails, TypeScript, Jest, CircleCI, GitHub Actions

Supported xgeeks engineers working on the client and ensured smooth operations.

–Led internationalisation of customer-facing applications for European expansion, including CI/CD-integrated translation workflows
–Maintained and executed a decommissioning plan for the car subscription proposition to maximise cost savings without compromising base operability
–Supported the Vehicle Lifecycle team in maintaining and optimising logistics systems after its main contributors left
–Shifted focus to marketplace pivot — created a vehicle intake journey from the ground up and optimised it using collected user interaction metrics

#i18n#design-system#subscriptions#marketplace

Team Lead

Aug 2023

Vocable.ai

React, Ruby on Rails, GPT

Led the team in a launch-critical phase to ensure timely delivery within previously agreed deadlines. Facilitated alignment between internal and external engineering teams and the client.

#AI#GPT

Software & Architecture Auditor

Feb 2021

Bertha

Ruby on Rails

Analysed multiple Ruby on Rails applications in terms of performance and code quality to ensure future scalability. Identified performance bottlenecks in the system architecture and proposed measures to ensure stability under high usage peaks.

#ruby-on-rails

Team Lead

Dec 2020

Packery

React, Ruby on Rails, GPT

Led the team in a launch-critical phase to ensure timely delivery within previously agreed deadlines. Facilitated alignment between engineering teams and the client.

#AI#react#ruby-on-rails

Senior Software Engineer

Dec 2020

Packery

Nuxt.js, Vue.js, Docker

Onboarded an ongoing project to clear existing blockers and enable delivery of the final product. Led development of new features on a Vue.js application with a Golang backend. Improved the existing 3D rendering engine and added PDF export capabilities.

#3d-rendering

ProjectBox

9 years

Software Engineer / Tech Lead

Oct 2011

Ruby on Rails, MySQL, SQL Server, PHP, jQuery, WPF, ASP.NET, .NET Core, React, WSL

Worked as a full stack developer across multiple languages and frameworks. Interfaced directly with clients, managed projects and tech teams to ensure profitability and client satisfaction. Led the development of an international project for testing critical applications in the healthcare sector for the UK market.

#software-engineer#tech-lead#project-management

Education

BSc in Computer Science

Polytechnic Institute of Viseu