JBJuan Balbez
Hire me

Juan Balbez/Senior Java Backend Engineer

High-availability backends,
built to stay up.

8+ years designing, securing and deploying scalable Java & Spring Boot systems — event-driven microservices, real-time APIs ingesting up to 5,000 messages per second and cloud-native platforms — for teams across the United States, India and Latin America.

Focus areas: distributed systems, Spring Boot microservices, event-driven services, real-time APIs, Kubernetes on GCP, secure APIs.

Cochabamba, BO · UTC−4 · Remote
~/juan-balbez/profile.ymllive
# production profile — last deploy 2026engineer:  name: "Juan Balbez"  role: "Senior Java Backend Engineer"  experience: 8+ years  clients: [US, India, LATAM]stack:  core: [Java 21, Spring Boot, WebFlux]  realtime: [WebSockets, Sockets]  data: [PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB]  infra: [Kubernetes, Docker, GCP]impact:  throughput: 5k msg/s  telemetry: 5 GB/day  infra_cost: -60%  db_load: -60%  incidents: -50%learning: [Kafka, RabbitMQ, Software Architecture]status: ready_for_next_challenge
8+yrs
Building production backends
5Kmsg/s
Telemetry throughput from 5,000+ GPS devices
−60%
Infrastructure cost after K8s migration
−50%
Production incidents
01 About

Pragmatic engineering, measurable impact.

Download CV PDF · 2026

I'm a senior Java backend engineer who designs, secures and deploys scalable backend systems with Java and Spring Boot.

My background spans distributed systems, microservices, event-driven and message-based communication, real-time communication, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kubernetes and Docker. I'm cloud-agnostic, with hands-on GCP experience and solid fundamentals for AWS and Azure. Right now I'm deepening my skills in Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ and software architecture.

I've worked remotely with international teams and clients across the United States, India and Latin America — combining hands-on development with technical leadership and cloud infrastructure.

01

Reliability first

Circuit breakers, metrics and observability are part of the design, not an afterthought.

02

Secure by design

JWT, OAuth2, RBAC and OWASP-aware APIs that protect financial and personal data.

03

Cost-aware infrastructure

Right-sized Kubernetes clusters that scale with demand, not with the bill.

Name
Juan Balbez
Based in
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Email
juanbalbez@gmail.com
Work mode
Remote · UTC−4
Languages
Spanish (native) · English (B2)
Clients
United States · India · Latin America
02 Stack

The toolkit behind reliable systems.

A focused, cloud-agnostic stack refined over 8+ years in production. Highlighted items are the ones I reach for every day.

014 items

Languages

Modern Java, idiomatic SQL.

  • Java 8
  • Java 17
  • Java 21
  • SQL
027 items

Backend & Frameworks

The Spring ecosystem, from blocking to reactive.

  • Spring Boot
  • Spring Security
  • Spring Cloud
  • Spring WebFlux
  • JPA
  • MyBatis
  • REST APIs
036 items

Architecture

Patterns for systems that scale out.

  • Microservices
  • Distributed Systems
  • Event-Driven Communication
  • Domain-Driven Design
  • Caching
  • Real-Time Communication
043 items

Real-time & Messaging

Bidirectional and asynchronous communication.

  • WebSockets
  • Low-level Sockets
  • Message-based Patterns
058 items

Security

Hardened APIs and protected data.

  • Spring Security
  • JWT
  • OAuth2
  • RBAC
  • Secure Coding
  • OWASP Top 10
  • API Hardening
  • Secrets Management
064 items

Databases & Data

Relational, document and in-memory.

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • Redis
077 items

Cloud & Infrastructure

Cloud-agnostic, containerized, orchestrated.

  • GCP
  • AWS (fundamentals)
  • Azure (fundamentals)
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker
  • DigitalOcean
  • Linux
084 items

Observability & DevOps

Measured, monitored, continuously delivered.

  • Prometheus
  • Grafana
  • Jenkins
  • CI/CD
096 items

Testing & Tools

Quality and day-to-day workflow.

  • JUnit
  • Mockito
  • JMeter
  • Postman
  • Git
  • Jira

Daily driver

03 Selected work

Systems in production, with results.

Platforms I designed and shipped for Tecnosim and for clients in the United States and India — each one measured by its impact.

01Cloud & DevOps2024

Cloud & Kubernetes Infrastructure

Designed and deployed Kubernetes infrastructure hosting multiple Java and PHP APIs in a scalable cloud environment.

  • Resource optimization and Kubernetes cluster tuning
  • Improved platform availability through infrastructure improvements
  • Monitoring and observability with Prometheus and Grafana
KubernetesDockerJavaPHPPrometheusGrafana
−60%
Infrastructure cost
−50%
Production incidents
02Real-time systems2017 – 2019

GPS Tracking & Geofencing Platform

Designed backend APIs on GCP supporting real-time communication with 5,000+ GPS tracking devices — ingesting up to 5,000 messages per second and ~5 GB of telemetry per day.

  • Bidirectional WebSockets and low-level sockets for telemetry and remote commands
  • Event-driven processing of telemetry streams for geofencing, route history and real-time notifications
  • Modern REST services integrated with legacy desktop systems, reaching 90% feature adoption
JavaSpring BootWebSocketsEvent-DrivenRedisPostgreSQLGCP
5K/s
Messages per second
5 GB
Telemetry per day
−60%
Query latency (Redis)
+40%
App performance
03Microservices2020 – 2022

Purchase & Sales Management Platform

Backend microservices for purchases, sales, cash accounts, users and financial reporting.

  • Asynchronous, event-driven communication between services using message-based patterns
  • JWT authentication and role-based authorization with Spring Security
  • Circuit breakers and application metrics for resilience; led code reviews and pair programming
Spring BootSpring SecurityMessagingPostgreSQLRedisJWT
−30%
Response time
−60%
Database load
−40%
Defects

More projects

4 entries
NEXGI · India · Part-time2023

Enterprise ERP Platform

Backend modules for a multi-tenant ERP covering inventory, procurement, accounting and HR/payroll. RESTful microservices integrated with existing modules and third-party services, secured with JWT/OAuth2 and RBAC.

JavaSpring BootMicroservicesOAuth2PostgreSQL
SDC · USA · Part-time2022

Vehicle Service Tracking SaaS

Backend for a SaaS used by auto repair shops: work orders, scheduling, service history and real-time job-status updates, with customer notifications and a multi-role access model. Shaped the MVP with the founding team.

JavaSpring BootRESTPostgreSQL
Team lead2019 – 2020

LED Light Sign Management API

REST APIs for registration and configuration of LED advertising devices across multiple clients. Led a team of 4 developers and shaped features with early adopters.

4Developers led
JavaSpring BootRESTPostgreSQL
University2016

Professor Merit Evaluation System

Merit evaluation system used in professor ranking, hiring and promotion processes at Juan Misael Saracho University.

−60%Evaluation time
+20%App performance
JavaPostgreSQLSQL
04 Experience

8+ years of shipping backends, across three continents.

  1. 2017 — PresentCurrent

    Senior Java Backend Engineer

    Tecnosim · Remote

    Designed, developed and supported backend systems and cloud infrastructure across multiple business domains — real-time GPS tracking, financial management, device management and cloud-native services.

    • Designed and deployed Kubernetes infrastructure for Java and PHP APIs, cutting infrastructure costs by 60% and production incidents by 50%.
    • Built microservices with asynchronous, event-driven communication for purchases, sales and financial reporting; Redis caching reduced database load by 60%.
    • Delivered real-time APIs on GCP for 5,000+ GPS devices, ingesting up to 5,000 messages/sec (~5 GB of telemetry per day) with event-driven processing over WebSockets and low-level sockets.
    • Led a team of 4 developers and drove code reviews and pair programming, contributing to a 40% reduction in defects.
    Key initiatives
    • Cloud & Kubernetes Infrastructure2024
    • Purchase & Sales Platform2020–22
    • LED Light Sign Management API2019–20
    • GPS Tracking & Geofencing2017–19
    JavaSpring BootKubernetesGCPPostgreSQLRedisEvent-Driven
  2. 2023

    Backend Engineer — ERP Platform

    NEXGI · New Delhi, India · Remote · Part-time, alongside Tecnosim

    Backend modules for an enterprise ERP covering inventory, procurement, accounting and HR/payroll in a distributed, multi-tenant environment.

    • Designed and implemented RESTful microservices with Java and Spring Boot, integrating existing ERP modules and third-party services.
    • Applied Spring Security, JWT/OAuth2 and role-based access control to protect financial and personnel data.
    • Optimized PostgreSQL data models and queries for reporting workloads across multiple business units.
    • Collaborated asynchronously with a cross-cultural team across time zones using Agile/Scrum and code-review standards.
    JavaSpring BootMicroservicesOAuth2PostgreSQLMulti-tenant
  3. 2022

    Backend Engineer — Vehicle Service Tracking Platform

    SDC · Texas, USA · Remote · Part-time, alongside Tecnosim

    Backend services for a SaaS platform used by auto repair shops to track vehicle service orders and repair status.

    • Designed REST APIs for work orders, appointment scheduling, service history and real-time job-status updates.
    • Implemented customer notifications and a secure multi-role access model for shop owners, mechanics and customers.
    • Modeled and optimized PostgreSQL schemas for service records, vehicles and customers.
    • Worked directly with the founding team to shape the MVP and iterate on early customer feedback.
    JavaSpring BootREST APIsPostgreSQLSaaS
  4. 2016

    Java Developer

    Juan Misael Saracho University · Bolivia

    Built the merit evaluation system used in professor ranking, hiring and promotion processes.

    • Automated evaluation scoring logic, reducing evaluation time by 60%.
    • Optimized PostgreSQL queries, improving application performance by 20%.
    JavaPostgreSQLSQL
05 Education

Engineering, security and strategy.

Degrees
  • M.S.

    Strategic Management in Software Engineering In progress

    Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno (UAGRM)

  • M.S.

    Cybersecurity & Cyberdefense

    Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno (UAGRM)

  • B.S.

    Computer Engineering

    Juan Misael Saracho University

Languages
SpanishNative
EnglishProfessional working proficiency · B2
Certifications4
  • 2024

    Backend Microservices Bootcamp

    Microservices · Spring Boot · Docker

  • 2024

    Advanced English for Developers

    Technical communication

  • 2021

    Software Testing Certification

    JUnit · Mockito · Test strategy

  • 2020

    Big Data & Machine Learning

    Data pipelines · ML fundamentals

06 Currently learning

Always leveling up.

What I'm studying right now to go deeper into event-driven systems and architecture. Code and experiments live on my GitHub.

View GitHub
  • learning

    Apache Kafka

    Event streaming, topics and partitions, consumer groups and delivery guarantees with Spring for Apache Kafka.

    Event streamingSpring Kafka
  • learning

    RabbitMQ

    Exchanges, routing, dead-letter queues and retry patterns for reliable asynchronous processing.

    MessagingSpring AMQP
  • learning

    Software Architecture

    Architecture trade-offs, decision records and system design — alongside my M.S. in Strategic Management in Software Engineering.

    System designM.S. in progress
07 Contact

Have a backend that needs to scale?

I'm open to full-time remote roles and select contract work. Tell me about your system — I usually reply within 24 hours.

Location
Cochabamba, Bolivia · Remote
Timezone
UTC−4 · overlaps with US & EU
Worked with
United States · India · Latin America
LinkedIn GitHub CV

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