Kevin Karp

I’m a Senior Engineering Manager and hands-on Software Architect with 15+ years of experience building and scaling Java-based systems in banking, airlines, legal tech, data analytics, telecoms, SaaS and platform businesses. I specialise in leading teams, stabilising delivery and modernising existing platforms while staying close to the code when it matters. In previous roles I have cut cloud and vendor costs (for example replacing a 3rd-party image service with an internal ML pipeline), doubled team throughput by fixing process and collaboration issues, and reduced onboarding time from months to weeks by clarifying architectures and service boundaries. Technically, my focus is on backend and platform engineering: Java/Kotlin, Spring, REST APIs, microservices, event-driven systems, PostgreSQL, Kafka, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD and observability. I’m comfortable working as an interim Engineering Manager / Head of Engineering, Solution Architect or Senior Backend Engineer, depending on what your team needs most. Typical engagements include: architecture and platform reviews, scaling existing products, leading or rescuing complex deliveries, and mentoring teams and tech leads. I am based in Germany (CET), work fully remote or hybrid in the EU, and can collaborate effectively with product, business and data teams. On demand, I can also bring in a senior IT Project Manager as part of a joint engagement for organisations that need both engineering leadership and structured project delivery.