Saverio Ferrara

Software Engineer & Technology Lead

Email: fsferrara@gmail.com • Phone: (+39) 3405114184
Location: Rome, Italy • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fsferrara

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Professional Summary

Full Stack • Generalist • Mentor

An experienced Full Stack Software Engineer and Technology Lead who excels in guiding technical architecture and delivering scalable, maintainable, and high-quality software solutions. Deeply passionate about mentoring and empowering engineering teams, fostering a culture of curiosity and growth to develop future technical leaders. Combines strong stakeholder communication with a pragmatic problem-solving mindset to take full ownership of projects, driving them from strategic conception through to successful completion.

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Work Experience

• Senior Software Development Engineer • Expedia Group
  Sep 2020 → Present • Full-time
  Rome Area, Italy • Hybrid

  • Spearheaded the Real User Monitoring (RUM) API and Datadog SDK integration, enhancing observability for native apps.
    
  • Led the implementation of Performance Tracker across iOS and Android, enabling user-perceived performance metrics.
    
  • Mentored and onboarded new iOS developers, fostering independent contributions and cross-timezone collaboration.
    
  • Pioneered the Application Hygiene initiative, introducing a scoring system to improve app quality and dependency management.
    

  • Drove GraphQL Gateway unification, contributing to a scalable multi-brand UI platform.
    

  • Skills: Performance monitoring (RUM, TTIL, SLI/SLO) Native app development (Swift, SwiftUI, iOS architecture) API & microservices (GraphQL, REST) Global team collaboration Technical leadership & mentoring Incident response & on-call operations

• Technology Lead • Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
  Mar 2017 → Aug 2020 • Full-time
  Rome Area, Italy • Hybrid

  • Spearheaded the adoption of GraphQL, implementing the first hotels.com GraphQL microservice and elevating technical visibility through blog posts and meetups.
    
  • Led the evolution of the HREST Kernel framework, accelerating web app development and reducing technical debt across teams.
    
  • Successfully managed AWS migration for critical services, consistently meeting deadlines and ensuring operational stability.
    
  • Drove the decommissioning of legacy mobile APIs through cross-team collaboration, completing the project ahead of schedule.
    

  • Cultivated a fast-learning team culture by organizing Code Academy sessions and mentoring through internal training programs.
    

  • Skills: GraphQL & API Design Cloud Infrastructure (AWS) Framework Development (HREST Kernel) Open Source Contribution Team Leadership Stakeholder Communication Mentorship & Talent Development

• Software Dev Engineer II • Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
  Jul 2015 → Feb 2017 • Full-time
  Rome Area, Italy • On-site

  • Delivered high-quality backend services for mobile apps, including APIs for Destination Recommendation and Property Details.
    
  • Reduced onboarding time for new hires by creating a Vagrant VM box and sharing Hbox tools.
    
  • Improved team delivery pace by introducing “Elephant Carpaccio” story slicing in the SRLE project.
    
  • Released Heat as an open-source component, contributing significantly to the company’s tech ecosystem.
    

  • Enhanced development efficiency by tuning the Maven plugin for automatic DTO generation.
    

  • Skills: REST API development Java & Spring Framework Docker & Maven DevOps tooling (Vagrant, Hbox) Mentorship & onboarding Cross-functional collaboration Process improvement & adaptability

• Software Dev Engineer I • Venere.com (Expedia Group)
  Mar 2014 → Jun 2015 • Full-time
  Rome Area, Italy • Hybrid

  • Developed RESTful backend services using Java and Spring for hotel reservation systems.
    
  • Built hybrid mobile applications across iOS, Android, and Windows Phone using Apache Cordova and JavaScript frameworks.
    
  • Contributed to frontend development with Backbone, Handlebars, and RequireJS.
    
  • Collaborated in an agile Scrum team, facilitating meetings and supporting team coordination.
    

  • Led small projects and supported complex initiatives with cross-team collaboration.
    

  • Skills: Java Spring Framework Apache Cordova Android Agile Methodologies Team Facilitation Cross-functional Collaboration

• Associate Software Dev Engineer • Venere.com (Expedia Group)
  Jun 2011 → Feb 2014 • Full-time
  Rome Area, Italy • On-site

  • Developed and maintained scalable back-end systems using Spring Framework and multithreaded programming.
    
  • Contributed to the mobile-responsive redesign of the website, enhancing user experience across devices.
    
  • Implemented caching and logging strategies to improve system performance and traceability.
    
  • Gained hands-on experience with both relational (MySQL, Sybase) and NoSQL (Couchbase) databases.
    

  • Applied split testing and multivariate testing techniques to optimize user engagement and conversion rates.
    

  • Skills: Spring Framework JavaScript MySQL Node.js PHP Technical communication Business awareness

• Web Developer • Advanced Systems
  Mar 2011 → May 2011 • Contract
  Naples Area, Italy • On-site

  • Developed a web application for print price estimates, built the user area, and implemented the entire back-office system to support users throughout the online printing process
    

  • Skills: Java Java EE Google Web Toolkit (GWT) Smart GWT JPA MySQL

• Research Intern • Advanced Systems
  Apr 2010 → Feb 2011 • Internship
  Naples Area, Italy • On-site

  • Research Intern - Databases and Information Systems
    

  • Design and implementation of the SADAS view rewriting module. SADAS is a specialized database management system for Data Warehousing environments.
    

  • Skills: C++ DBMS

• IT Consultant • Reply
  Mar 2008 → Sep 2008 • Full-time
  Milan Area, Italy • On-site

  • Developed web applications using Java and JBoss Seam Framework on RedHat Linux servers.
    
  • Maintained a high-availability PostgreSQL cluster (RedHat Linux).
    

  • Provided maintenance for web applications written in Python/Zope.
    

  • Skills: Java JBoss JBoss Seam PostgreSQL Cluster Python Red Hat Zope

• System Administrator • Meetweb
  Jan 2008 → Mar 2008 • Freelance
  Naples Area, Italy • On-site

  • Installed and maintained Windows Server 2003 systems.
    

  • Managed automated tape backup processes.
    

  • Skills: Windows Server Administration Tape Backup

• System Administrator • Agorà Med
  Jun 2007 → Feb 2008 • Contract
  Naples Area, Italy • On-site

  • Installed and maintained mixed environments (Windows Server 2003, Debian Linux).
    
  • Managed company email systems (qmail, postfix, Sophos for Linux, courier).
    
  • Deployed and maintained VoIP PBX (TrixBox/Asterisk).
    
  • Supported streaming services on Windows platforms.
    

  • Developed web pages using PHP, JSP, and ASPX.
    

  • Skills: Linux System Administration Windows Server Administration Email System Management (qmail, postfix, courier, Sophos) VoIP PBX Deployment (TrixBox/Asterisk) Web Development (PHP, JSP, ASPX)

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Skills

• Full-Stack Development: Builds scalable, high-quality, and maintainable software solutions across the entire technology stack.
• Technical Leadership & Architecture: Guides architectural decisions and shapes product strategy to meet business objectives.
• Mentorship & Team Development: Mentors fellow developers, fostering their growth into pragmatic and skilled technical leaders.
• Complex Problem-Solving: Leverages critical thinking and a data-driven approach to solve complex technical challenges effectively.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Excels at communicating with stakeholders to set clear expectations and align on project plans.
• Project Ownership: Demonstrates a strong sense of accountability, driving projects from initial concept to final delivery.

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Education

• University of Naples Federico II - Master’s degree, Computer Science
  May 2006 → Mar 2011
  Grade: 110/110 cum laude
  • Skills: Software Engineering Object-Oriented Design Software Architecture Information Security Database Management System (DBMS) C++ Java Lisp

• University of Naples Federico II - Master’s degree, Computer Science
  Sep 2002 → May 2006
  Grade: 110/110 cum laude
  • Skills: Software Development Operating Systems Algorithms Data Structures Web Technologies Turbo Pascal C PHP/MySql (LAMP platform) Matlab Shell Scripting

• ITC Luigi Amabile - High School Diploma, Accounting and Business/Management, specialization in Programming
  Sep 1997 → Jul 2002
  Grade: 81/100
  • Skills: Computer Programming Information Technology Databases Accounting QBasic Fortran

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Projects, Certifications, Achievements, Volunteering

→ https://fsferrara.github.io/work/

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Languages

• Italian: Native
• English: Professional working proficiency